I use freezer bags to pack many of my meals and meal components for freezing. Last year, I bought a ton of them on Christmas clearance and paid a couple pennies a bag. I wash and reuse the ones that I’ve used for baked goods. If raw meat or messy sauces have been in them, they go to the trash.
Perhaps you’ve seen those cool machines that seal foods in plastic? I’ve never owned one, so I can’t vouch for their effectiveness. But, I have found a way to seal my freezer bags on baked goods in a way that eliminates quite a bit of excess air, and therefore moisture, being trapped inside the bag. All you need is a straw.
DO NOT use this method with uncooked meats due to the bacteria that may be present.
Here’s an ancient vlog demonstrating the straw method.
31 Days of Freezer Cooking
For more ideas about how to make freezer cooking work for you, follow along with us here in October as I post 31 Days of Freezer Cooking. You can see past posts here.
For even more Freezer Cooking how-to’s you can also buy my book, Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook.
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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Apricot – Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
My Freezer Cookbook – Revised & Expanded
These Enchilada Recipes are the Answer to Your Meal Planning Woes
I’ve never used a straw, just my lips right up to the bag, but I do the same thing. No fancy system here either!
This is the method that I have used for 50 years on sweet corn and other veggies and fruits that I didn’t can with my pressure cooker. Back when I started doing this method, there wasn’t any fancy machine to do it and I couldn’t have afford to buy one if there had been one. Those thing cost a lot of money. This is good for your lungs so get a box of straws and bags and get busy.
Genius. Love when things are so simple. Thanks for sharing it. Renea.