How to Vacuum Seal Vegetables

Tomatoes must be frozen.

Vacuum sealing sucks air out of a food-containing bag and then seals the bag. This process removes oxygen, which can cause vegetables to spoil. Vegetables can have higher water content than many other foods. Consequently, you should not freeze vegetables with a higher water content, even in a vacuum seal bag. However, you can vacuum seal them and then store them in the fridge. Vegetables with the highest water content like celery will last six weeks stored like this. Vegetables with less water will last longer. You must pre-treat vegetables that give off gas before vacuum sealing.

Things You'll Need

• Vacuum sealer appliance
• Vacuum sealer bags

Instructions

1. Pre-treat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage and others) that give off gas. Blanch cruciferous vegetables, allow them to cool, dry them and vacuum pack the cooked vegetables. Store the bag in the freezer.

2. Tomatoes must be frozen. Wash the whole tomatoes, dry them and pre-freeze them by placing them in the freezer for a few hours until they are frozen. Then vacuum pack the pre-frozen tomatoes, and store the bag in the freezer.

3. Allow all cooked vegetables to reach room temperature to avoid bacterial growth. Vacuum pack the cooked vegetables and store the bag in the fridge or freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• Vacuum seal by placing the vegetables in the bag. Place the open end of the bag into the vacuum channel and close the lid. Press down on the lid until you hear a click. Press the Vacuum and Seal button.

• Do not vacuum seal mushrooms.

• Do not freeze high water content vegetables like celery.

References

• FoodSaver: Frequently Asked Questions