Vacuum sealing food is a great way to save time and money on your family's monthly food bill. Our family food budget immediately reaped the benefits.  In the past, I would only buy meat on sale, if I knew that we would be able to eat it within a week or two, because after that, I knew that it would start to develop freezer burn and the texture and taste of the meat would be affected.  Now, when I see chicken breast on sale for less than two dollars a pound, I will buy twenty pounds at a time.  I divide it into serving sizes, place each family-sized serving into a vacuum sealer bag, and seal it.  I pop it into my freezer with the confidence of knowing that this chicken will stay as fresh and delicious as the day I bought it. I recently defrosted and barbecued baby back pork ribs that I had vacuum sealed and frozen almost two years ago.  They were perfect and delicious and had absolutely no freezer burn. 

You can also use a vacuum food sealer on other types of food other than meat.  I have a large vegetable garden every summer, and I vacuum seal all sorts of fresh summer vegetables.  The most important thing to keep in mind when you are vacuum sealing vegetables is to blanch them first. Blanching keeps the vegetables tasting fresh and delicious and preserves their flavor and texture after you vacuum seal and freeze them. Blanching is briefly boiling vegetables and rapidly chilling them again.  If you like to grow your own vegetables, or you enjoy shopping locally at farmer's markets, give it a try! Wash and trim the vegetables that you want to blanch and put them in a pot of rapidly boiling, salted (if desired) water.  Boil them just briefly, so that they are barely cooked through and then immediately remove them from the boiling water and transfer them to another large pot full of ice water. When they are no longer warm remove the vegetables from the ice bath, and spread them out on paper towels to dry.  When they are completely dry, they are ready to vacuum seal.  Be sure to place meal-size portions into individual vacuum sealer bags, and you will be able to enjoy your summer harvest all year long! FoodSaver bags and Seal a Meal bags are both microwavable and boilable, so you can take your vegetables straight from your freezer to your microwave or stovetop quickly and easily.

Having a freezer stocked with vacuum sealed vegetables, chicken, pork, and beef also saves me time.  I only need to shop for perishables on a weekly basis, and I know that I always have meat available for dinner.  With three boys who are involved in Boy Scouts, sports, and other extracurricular activities, meal planning is made easy by vacuum sealing.  Because everything is sealed in an airtight and water tight bag, I can simply take a family size portion of vacuum sealed meat and place it in my kitchen sink with some cool water.  The meat will defrost quickly without making a mess.

Experiment with your vacuum sealer machine and let me know how it works out for you!