7 Best Ways To Vacuum Seal Liquids

Table of Contents

Why Do You Need To Vacuum Seal Liquids Properly?
Best Ways To Vacuum Seal Your Liquids
What Items Do You Need To Optimize The Vacuum Sealing Process?
Vacuum Sealing and Sous Vide
Conclusion

Why Do You Need To Vacuum Seal Liquids Properly?

I am a fanatic about vacuum sealing.

It is the process of removing air from the bag, thus preserving the food inside.

The process is done by using a vacuum sealer or other alternatives.

I can save on food costs, preserve food, plan out better meals and save on preparation time when I vacuum seal food.

Since my husband is a fishing enthusiast when he comes home with loads of salmon, I clean and fillet the fish, vacuum seal it, freeze, and eat it months after.
If I get a surprise dinner with guests, it takes but a few minutes to prepare a good meal.
Since I also have a food business, I bring home left-over food for home consumption. For it to last longer, I vacuum seal and freeze left-overs.

However, vacuum sealing liquids like soup, stew or sauces can be somewhat tricky.

My vacuum sealers at home were the external models on countertops, and I am sure they are what most homemakers have.

The home vacuum sealer is affordable and offers the most convenient features to vacuum-seal our food.

I especially encourage you to choose the best vacuum sealer for liquids!

Below are the TOP 3 external models with outstanding features:

The common problem with the external vacuum sealers is that liquids are sucked out during the vacuum process.

That is dangerous, too, to your machine, because the liquids can damage your vacuum sealer.

Therefore, we need to vacuum-seal correctly!

This post will guide you how to vacuum seal liquids and liquid-rich foods properly.

We will discuss different options you can employ to vacuum-seal your liquids.

And again, you should know:

Done wrong, the liquids can damage your vacuum sealer;
If the liquid is sucked out, you would be left with much less food to keep;
Done wrong, your seal on the bag will break, and the food is not stored correctly;
When doing sous vide, water gets into the bag because your seal is not secure.

If you can address the problem of vacuum sealing liquids, you will benefit from these:

Your time and effort are not wasted;
No food is wasted;
Your vacuum sealer will last longer and serve you longer;
You will have perfect sous vide dishes.

Best Ways To Vacuum Seal Your Liquids

When applying our tips, you will be able to vacuum-seal your entire liquid food items such as:

Soups or stews
Raw meat or fish
Sauces or dips
Marinades or meat with marinades
And so on …

There are 3 cases as follows:

#1- You use a chamber vacuum sealer.
#2- You use an external vacuum sealer
#3- You don’t have a vacuum sealer.

Let’s go to the first…

#1- You use a chamber vacuum sealer

How it works:

1. Put your food bag which contains liquids in its chamber;
2. Then close the lid and start vacuuming;
3. After the vacuum process is finished, the machine will proceed to seal your plastic bag;
4. When a decent seal is created, the device opens.

This is the perfect way to vacuum seal food bags with liquids or liquid-rich foods.

Why?

The chamber machine sucks out 100% the air from plastic bags and the space inside its chamber;
Since the pressure inside the food bags and outside of them is the same, liquids are not sucked out.

However, a chamber vacuum sealer is not universal among households because of its hefty price tag + big size.

But,

if you have a food business
if you fall in love with sous vide cooking
if you are a professional hunter or butcher

In short, you need to seal large quantities of food for long-term storage.

I highly recommend to you the best chamber vacuum sealer to sealing liquids:

VacMaster VP210 Chamber Vacuum Sealer

It’s a superior vacuum sealer!

See more at Amazon.com >>

#2- You use an external vacuum sealer

This case refers to the external models, which is the most common kind found even in households.

My first advice is to use the right model.

I highly recommend the best-rated external vacuum sealers for your liquids:

Preview	Product Name
	FoodSaver V4440	Check Price
	NutriChef	Check Price
	FoodSaver FM3920	Check Price

The limitation of these models is they can suck liquid out when you vacuum seal.

However, there are many ways to overcome the problem.

6 PRO TIPS For Using External Vacuum Sealers

Tip 1 - Freeze liquids before vacuum sealing:

For instance, our homemade soups and stews are the liquid items that we want to vacuum-seal.

Step by step process:

1. Pour your liquids into containers or zipper bags (do not forget to cool down;)
2. Put your containers in the freezer until it is hard enough (about 1 to 3 hours;)
3. Once frozen, place them inside food bags and vacuum seal;
4. Done! With solids, you can vacuum-seal them securely and quickly without any trouble.

This method may be the best alternative next to owning a chamber vacuum sealer.

Note:

There may still be some remnant liquids, so be careful it would not seep out of the bag;
Just make sure that the neck of the bag or the open end should be free of moisture or oil as it could affect the tightness of the seal.

Tip 2 - Use FoodSaver liquid block bags:

These are pre-cut food bags in quart sizes;
The type of bag has a built-in blocking strip that prevents liquids and moisture from escaping from the pack even during the vacuum process;
The Foodsaver liquid block bags, however, are more expensive than ordinary food bags;
Regarding effectiveness in preventing liquids, this is a good alternative, and not as expensive as buying a chamber vacuum sealer.

Tip 3 - Use paper towels to block liquids:

Here’s a right way you might try, but only if there is little liquid, like a marinade for the steaks;
Place your liquid inside your plastic bag, then place paper towels that have been folded into a thick strip between the liquid and the bag mouth;
Start your vacuum process. The paper towel will absorb any liquid;
Do this until the paper towels are thoroughly drenched, then you can seal.

Tip 4 - Hang food bags over the edge of your counter while vacuum sealing:

This is tricking the vacuum sealer that there is no liquid inside since it can’t see;
Hang the food bag by the side of your counter, where gravity will naturally pull it down;
There may be some wayward liquid that will escape, but for the most part, it will remain inside your bag;
Even then, a hint of liquid or moisture will affect the quality of your seal. It may not be a tight seal;
This can work, but I don’t recommend the method since liquids in the vacuum sealer will damage it.

Tip 5 - Use FoodSaver containers instead of plastic food bags:

This is a useful item for our kitchen:

These Foodsaver containers are very versatile and durable;
They are made from the high-quality Tritan material, safe for cooking and food storage;
The containers have excellent reusability;
They not only can store fresh fruits and vegetables 5x longer but are also a great idea to vacuum-seal our liquids and liquid-rich foods;
You can also use the Foodsaver containers to speed up meat marinating.

I recommend combining them with a Foodsaver system like the 2-in-1 Foodsaver v4440 above.

Tip 6 - Learn how to stop the vacuum process at the right time:

Over time, you may learn how to anticipate when to stop the vacuum process when liquids are just about to be sucked out;
This method, though, would work best if you have a bigger room to move around;
It means you use a bigger bag, so there is more distance between the liquid food and the open end of the pack.
This way also means more bag wastage, which means higher packaging costs;
This method may be one of the riskiest alternatives;
When the liquids are sucked out, they may damage our vacuum sealer. I really wouldn’t want to risk.

#3- You don’t have a vacuum sealer

If you do not own any of machines, then the instructions below are for you.

Tip 1 - Use zip-lock food bags and the water bath method to seal:

Put the liquid food inside your zip-lock food bag;
Place the bag in a deep container filled with water;
Make sure the open end is not submerged in water;
Squeeze out the air from the pack;
Once done, zip-lock it.

The trick does not entirely remove the air so preservation may not last as long as compared to using a vacuum sealer.

Tip 2 - Use zip-lock bags and handheld vacuum sealer:

A handheld vacuum sealer or a hand pump is cheaper than a countertop vacuum sealer;
The zip-lock bags have to be the particular kind meant for hand pumps;
These bags would have a specific area, usually encircled or labeled, which is where you attach the pump;
Not foolproof compared to a vacuum sealer, but does the job of vacuum and sealing, although the longevity of the food may not be as extended;
While the handheld vacuum sealer is not so expensive, these individual bags are more costly than the ordinary ones.

The 2 “manual” methods are not advised if you are going to do sous vide cooking.

Because the seals will not be tight enough, and water will get into your food bags, or liquids inside the bags will seep out.

What Items Do You Need To Optimize The Vacuum Sealing Process?

When I experienced first-hand the benefits of vacuum sealing, I started to invest more in the equipment and accessories.

Getting the best ones can be a bit expensive, so it is good to mix and match.

Like buy a good brand of the vacuum sealer, but perhaps, choose a mid-priced brand of food bags, although you have to make sure both are compatible with each other.

Here are the must-have’s when you want to do vacuum sealing:

Vacuum sealer;
Bags and rolls;
Mason jars and other accessories.

Vacuum sealer

There are different brands and models. Use this guide when choosing:

Best if you can use it for both solid and liquid foods, like a chamber vacuum sealer;
Find two-in-one models that can be used for both food bags and containers/mason jars;
Find the model that you can operate. Believe me! Some models are rocket science;
There are manual and automatic models. I recommend the middle ground – semi-automatic;
The Semi-automatic will allow you to over-ride some automatic features;
Automatic features like bag detection are okay. It means when the machine feels a bag is being fed into it, it will automatically pull it through;
It is good to have manual control on the vacuum process so you can stop the machine when you want to, especially useful for delicate foods.

Before buying, figure out what products you will most likely use your machine:

We have best Gamesaver vacuum sealer for my husband to use when he goes hunting for a few days. This kind of sealer is very sturdy;
At home, I trust best Foodsaver models for storing any items in my family;
For food business I own, I have the chamber vacuum sealer which works excellent for sous vide cooking and sealing in bulk.

Bags and Rolls

Of course, you would need food bags to place your food in.

Here are some tips when choosing:

Since you are freezing your food, choose bags that can withstand freezing. Inferior bags will become brittle and break in cold temperature;
BPA-free bags are safe and recommended;
Food bags come in different sizes. Having options – pint, quart, and gallon. Keep a few of each size around;
Rolls are a great way to save on food bags because you can tailor-fit your size so there is no wastage and you can save on bag costs;
Some vacuum sealers have built-in roll dispenser, which also features a cutter for your convenience;
Not all bags are created equal. There are food bags with unique features like a liquid-lock to prevent liquid from seeping through during the vacuum process;
Zip-locks are particular kinds of bags and also work well using various methods of sealing, not necessarily using a vacuum sealer.

Mason jars and other accessories

Aside from food bags, mason jars and containers are a great way to preserve food.

The glass is always preferred over plastic because glass does not retain odor or color of the food, is easy to clean and regarding the healthy option;
Also, the glass is not affected by the change in temperature.

Here are some considerations when choosing mason jars and accessories:

Mason jars come in two sizes: wide-mouth and regular;
Covers come in the same sizes, too, and the jar and lid have to be of the same size, of course;
The accessory needed to use your vacuum sealer on the jar is the jar sealer. It should also be of the same size as your mason jar and lid;
The jar sealer is attached on the port in your vacuum sealer, has a hose, and the sealer is end connected to the top of your mason jar;
Best items to store in mason jars are liquids like sauces and dips;
You can also use the jars for fragile foods like coffee or grains.

Vacuum Sealing and Sous Vide

A few times I have already mentioned about sous vide cooking about vacuum sealing.

I think I have to explain this method further.

Sous vide is French-style cooking primarily used to thoroughly and evenly cook meat, or other food products;
The food, like meat, along with its marinade, is placed inside food bags, then vacuum sealed;
This process will allow the marinade to seep through the meat and make it more flavorful;
Then your food bags are placed in a sous vide container or a deep pot;
Because the food (placed inside bags for sous vide) is submerged in hot water, it is thoroughly cooked without over-cooking or burning;
This process results in the most tender and flavorful meat or any other food.

Keep in mind that the value of best vacuum sealers for sous vide when doing sous vide is that the liquid is not vacuumed out, and the vacuum sealer effectively seals in the food inside the bags.

It means its flavors will not seep out, and water in the pot will also not seep through inside the bags.

Conclusion

After a long day, wouldn’t you want to come home to a hot, flavorful soup that takes mere minutes to prepare?

You can if you have a quality vacuum sealer!

It will allow you to preserve the left-over soup from a party, freeze it, and when needed, you reheat.
No any change in the quality and freshness of your food as it retains its flavor and texture.
No fear of freezer burn or food getting spoiled.

To enjoy these benefits and more, get yourself the right vacuum sealer.

There are many options, and we have discussed it with you.