If you like to keep an organized kitchen and fridge, you know that a vacuum sealer can be a big help for this goal. You probably seal a lot of things with your vacuum sealer that would otherwise go bad if you were not using the right storage methods.
Food waste can be a big frustration point for people who like to buy food in advance, which is why a vacuum sealer can be such a big improvement compared to using other containers for your food storage needs.
If you hate to lose potatoes to growing eyes or to get soft and squishy, you will want to be sure that you use your vacuum sealer to keep them fresh and edible for weeks and months in the future.
Knowing how to prep your potatoes for sealing can help make sure that they survive for the maximum amount of time in storage.
Having potatoes on hand whenever you need them can be a big benefit to your ability to cook delicious meals without having to head to the store over and over again.
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How to Prepare Potatoes for Vacuum Sealing
You will want to consider the type of potatoes that you are sealing as well as the form that they are in. Not all forms of potatoes store well in a vacuum sealed bag, so being sure that you are going to be sealing up potatoes that will store well is key.
French fries are one of the most popular ways to prepare potatoes, and you can freeze them before you store them, then place them in your vacuum sealed bag.
Make sure that you keep the fries in an even layer when you put them in a vacuum sealed bag. This will keep them from suffering from too much moisture caused by them clumping together.
Mashed potatoes can actually be stored in a vacuum sealed bag as well, but you will need to freeze them in flat pancakes first. Then you can place one pancake of frozen potatoes into each vacuum sealed bag and store them in the freezer.
This can be a great way to ensure that you have prepared food on hand that is ready to go whenever you need to make a meal.
This is also a good idea leading into a holiday where you are going to be serving classic meals like turkey or even meatloaf.
You can’t just vacuum seal a whole potato due to the chances that the seal will fail, but you can cut up your potatoes and then store the diced potatoes in single-serving size bags. Make sure not to overstuff the bags when you are storing this form of potatoes so that the seal is good.
Also, consider peeling the potatoes first since the skins are likely to bring lots of bacteria and soil into the bag with them and cause the potatoes to spoil.
Can I Keep Potatoes in a Vacuum Sealed Bag in the Fridge?
You will want to consider this a short-term storage option for your potatoes. You can keep them fresh for about two weeks in the fridge, but they will keep for up to six months in the freezer.
Just be sure that when you place your vacuum sealed potatoes in the freezer nothing heavy is placed on top of them.
You can impact their flavor and texture by crushing them accidentally when you store them in the freezer.
How Long Does It Take for Potatoes to Thaw Out?
If you have frozen your potatoes and you want to use them, allow them to come up to room temperature on their own over the course of a few hours.
The form that you have stored your potatoes in will impact how long it takes for them to thaw out once they have been vacuum sealed and stored in the freezer.
You should never try to force them to warm up, as this can mess up their texture and make them slimy or flavorless.
If you have chopped up your potatoes, they will be more likely to thaw out very quickly. Potato pancakes and sliced potatoes might take longer to thaw out due to the size of the pieces in the bags.
If you have used very small portions of potatoes in each bag, you might find that they will thaw out really quickly. Storing single-serving size amounts can be a good idea if you want to avoid food waste and if you want to save time on food prep.
Always be sure that you wash your hands before you vacuum seal any food item. This will prevent bacteria from your hands from getting into the vacuum sealed bags and spoiling your food while it is in storage.
Also, consider removing the peels from your potatoes no matter what so that bacteria that is on the skins don’t cause contamination of your stored potatoes.
Vacuum Sealing Potatoes Can be a Great Storage Solution
There are so many reasons that you might want to vacuum seal your potatoes. While they do keep for a long time in the pantry so long as they don’t get hot or wet, it can be nice to have prepared potatoes that are ready to be seasoned and cooked on hand.
You can even store mashed potatoes with a vacuum sealer, which can be ideal when you are heading into the busy season for holidays and other events. Vacuum sealing is a great way to make sure that you have fresh food on hand that has not gone bad.
Always be sure to wash your hands before sealing your potatoes, and make sure that you get a good seal on your storage bags as well. This will ensure a nice experience with your stored food and much less food waste than you would otherwise have to deal with.
Vacuum sealers are a really ideal tool to have in your kitchen for many kinds of food storage processes.
I am Brianna, a self-published author with a passion for sharing my knowledge and expertise on various topics with people looking to find the perfect items for their needs. I love ensuring that the right informative content is available to people looking for the right information. I am an avid horseback rider and reader when I am not writing.
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