Mylar vs. Foodsaver

[Michael68]

This is my first post, so let me begin by complimenting this site for the wealth of information. I am not a LDS, but I am a Christian. My question is" What is the advantage of the Mylar bags vs. the more readally available foodsaver bags that also vacum seal at the same time? Is it that the Foodsavers do not technically remove the Oxygen?

Thank you for your time.
Mike

[sixpacktr]

I use mylar bags and love them. I got them from USA Emergency Supply (not an endorsement, lots of places sell them). I use the 6 gallon bags with home depot buckets, and for about $5 I can store 30-35 lbs of wheat/rice.

All you do is fill the bag, put in your oxygen absorbers (I usually put 3 500 cc absorbers in one bucket), get rid of as much air as I can, and iron it shut (they even tell you how to do it on the website). After 1 or 2 days, the bags have drawn down very well, and I seal the bucket.

Don't have a lot of experience with vacuum sealers, but I know that they can be pricey, and you still have to buy the bags.

Good luck.

[California_Dreaming]

My household consists of just my wife and myself (kids are grown and out of the house), I find that packing in smaller quantities is more reasonable (I still purchase food in larger quantities to obtain quantity discounts and if purchased from the cannery I will use the #10 cans since they are probably the best for long term storage. (look elsewhere in these “threads” about pantry pests.)

Since I can only use the canning facilities to can food that is purchased from the dry pack operations and the reservation list for “borrowing” the machines for home use is very long, I decided to try to “pack” some of the food by using the Food Saver.

I have used the Food Saver for years in just vacuum sealing and freezing leftovers.
I am new to this question also, in that, I used to “can” some items in quart jars and use the jar vacuum attachment to vacuum the jars (don’t try it with powdered milk or flour…it makes a mess). I have recently decided that glass jars are not such a great idea since I live adjacent to earthquake country.

The advantage to Food Saver bags is that they are plentiful and inexpensive, you can “see” what is inside and can be reused if the bag is cut just below the previous seal. The disadvantage is that they are thin and can be punctured if you vacuum seal products such as Rigatoni or any other hard food with sharp edges (I have received some suggestions around this problem). The biggest disadvantage is that they will expose the product to light and thus degrade the product faster then in Mylar bags.

No matter if you use the Food Saver bag or a Mylar bag, you must use an oxygen absorber to remove excess oxygen since there will always be remaining air pockets especially when sealing products like macaroni.

I just purchased a vacuum sealer from Sorbent Systems along with 8 mil bags. I have not mastered the technique for sealing the thicker bags just yet and am still working perfecting its use. I have not tried using the Food Saver with the Mylar bags, although I might try.

My Food Saver has adjustable settings for vacuum and for sealing. I have discovered that the highest setting for sealing is not good on the food saver bags as it will almost melt through and you only need a sufficient melt the bag together to do a good job.

There are a lot of individual points here; I hope that it may help you in your question. My personal choice is that if I can master it, is to use the Mylar bags as they are stronger and will seal out light for longer storage.

[BenRaines]

Mylar bags are more durable and best for long term storage. Plastic seal bags are good for short term and also emergency prep for sealing things like change of clothes, underwear and other things to prevent them from getting wet.

Ben Raines

[dazed-and-confused]

i believe that plastic still breathes.....and therefore isnt too good for long term.