Jul 10
23
Solution For Punctured Vacuum Sealed Bags
If you are dehydrating vegetables like potatoes or carrots, you may have discovered that your vacuum sealer bags become punctured by the sharp edges of the dried foods.
There are a couple of things you can do to help reduce the risk of punctured bags.
1. Try to cut foods with a smooth, rounded shape. This helps to some extent, but once veggies have been dehydrated, they tend to “bunch up” and lose their shape. Even with the smooth, rounded potatoes, I have experienced bag punctures.
2. Use more heavy duty bags. The vacuum seal bags you find in your local grocery store are usually quite thin, about 1 or 2 mil. These work fine for most foods. However, if you find that you need something with more strength, bags are also available in 3, 4 and even 5 mil thickness. Just remember that the thicker the plastic, the more you’ll pay for the product.
3. Double-bag yo
ur items. This is usually the way I go when I have a food that is too pointy and sharp for a single bag, but rather than make double-use of vacuum seal bags, I first put my items into regular freezer bags, then into the vacuum seal bags. I can buy the store-brand freezer bags for a fraction of the cost of vacuum seal bags. Since most now come with a zip top, I merely cut the zipper portion off, fill the bag with my dried produce, throw in an oxygen absorber, then loosely fold the top, just so the food doesn’t fall out as I place the bag into a vacuum seal bag. Once the bag is nestled inside, the single fold loosens up, allowing air to escape as I vacuum seal the outer bag. The extra thickness allows me to remove the air, but not puncture the bag.
If you have any other suggestions or ideas, I’d love to hear from you!
Happy dehydrating! 
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