Mylar bags

[caml]

Has anyone got advice on Mylar bags. Do you have to use those expensive sealers with them or can you use something else? Can you use Mylar bags and then seal them with a Seal-a-meal type sealer? Are the Mylar bags with the zip closures worth it?

Thanks :thumbup1:

[DMGNUT]

After I throw in a few oxygen absorbers, I push out all the air that I can and lay aboard across the top of the open bucket (usually a 1x4, that's a foot and a half long). I use the wife's iron to seal the bag (by ironing it against the board), let it cool for about 30 minutes and then push it all into the bucket and tap the lid on with a rubber mallet.
Nothing fancy for me, but gets the job done. :)

[phylm]

I buy the smaller mylar bags at the church cannery. They hold approximately as much as a #10 can. As DMGNUT says, an oxygen pac, a board and a flat iron. I then store the bags in rodent-proof bins or barrels. (We dehydrate a lot of our begetables, etc.)

[caml]

So what temperature setting do you use? Does it harm the iron? I don't use an iron alot, but you don't want goop all over it when you do finally use it on clothing.

[arbilad]

I use #10 cans because that's the way I learned food storage. What are the advantages of mylar bags?

[caml]

No one seems to be able to locate the stake canner and we live very far away from any church facilities :l0 (40):

I would prefer #10 cans myself so I would like to know about the advantages of Mylar as well arbilad.

Hey, one of you smart people...... HELP :iamwithstupid:

[DMGNUT]

I use #10 cans because that's the way I learned food storage. What are the advantages of mylar bags?

#10 cans are great, but... you can really put a lot more food in a 5/6 gallon bucket. That's what you use the mylar bags for. The small problem though, is that plastic buckets "breathe" (in a manner of speaking), so they need an additional barrier (above and beyond the bucket) to keep the air out. Thus, the mylar bag...

Caml, I set the iron on the cotton setting. I go back and forth just a few times, all the way from one side to the other. Once again, let the mylar cool, then tuck it all into the bucket. Make sure not to put too much of whatever food stuff you're storing in the bag/bucket (you need to leave 2 or 3 inches of "unfilled" space in the top), so you have room for the excess mylar to be pushed down inside the bucket, and still be able to tap the lid on.
Although it may seem obvious, the bag is placed in the bucket before you fill it. :thumbup1:

[DMGNUT]

One other small tip... the mylar bags tend to be much taller than needed.
Resist the urge to "cut" them down to size.
Later when you need something from the bucket, cut the bag right near the heat seam, and then you'll still have plenty of extra bag to seal it again, if you decide you want or need to.

[Happy Chap]

YouTube has several videos on how to seal Mylar bags - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-aTHVEgGa8&feature=related

These are the bags I buy for our ward (we gather the money and buy in 300plus quantities). http://www.sorbentsystems.com/mylar.html

We get food grade bags 20" x 30" size for 5gal buckets.
<table class="MsoNormalTable" style="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> 20MFS30
20"x30"
Must order in multiples of 10
</td> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> PAKVF4 (http://sorbentsystems.com/specs/pakvf4.html)
Foodgrade
4.3 mils
5 or 6 gallon pail liner.
</td> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> 150
</td> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> 10
</td> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> 10-40 @ $1.48ea
50-140 @ $1.32ea
150+ @ $1.08ea
300-1500@$0.95ea
1650+ @ $0.885ea
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Notice: they are 95 cents each instead of $2! We use 3 oxygen packets per 5gal bucket.

Another idea is to make small packets of a variety of soup mixes or ingredients for other dishes with their seasoning packets, use food saver or seal-a-meal rolls, and include them in one 5gal bucket. That way you can pull out smaller quantities through the year instead of open lots of buckets. Can tape recipes or ingredient list to the bags. (ideas below)

where I got the idea - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq4zpLfOSfE&feature=related (only I do smaller quantities than she did in this video)

what I wish our ward would do - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ut3IhKZDP4&feature=related

recipes - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAVb_Uz4SWQ&feature=related

[prairiemom]

When you have a family, I think #10 are worthless. One can of wheat would last one day. Too many cans, too much space, they rust and can be expensive. Rodents can eat through the Mylar Bags. Mylar Bags don't stack so well. It seems to me that storing in a Mylar Bag and then putting that inside a bucket is a bit overkill, needless redundancy.

My favorite method by far is 5 gal buckets. They are cheap ($1 or less) and reusable. They hold a lot of food so they're good for families. They are rodent-, pest- and water-proof.

UNLESS, you're going to buy a huge 1-yr's supply and store it in a garage and never look at it again for 30 yrs. In which case, definitely go with the #10 cans, store the cans in boxes and stack all the boxes along one wall in the garage and forget about it.

[DMGNUT]

Prairiemom, great post.
And you're right about the over-kill for mylar and buckets together, but...
I think for many (at least for me anyway :blushing:) most food storage falls into the "get-it-and-forget-it" category.
The buckets "breathe", so air will get in (over time).
So, if you're using the food stuff in a reasonable period of time (like it sounds like you are), definitely no need for mylar.
And you are spot on as for mylar by itself... no real protection form pests and impossible to stack.
But if you're looking for long term storage (where the buckets rule), the mylar is a necessity.
Also, even with the smaller size, the #10 cans are great for AZ and other dry climates... where rust isn't an issue. :001_cool:

[phylm]

I store mylar bags in metal garbage cans with tight lids. These are rodent-proof. We have put up quite a bit of our dehydrated vegetables this way.

[Toni]

I store mylar bags in metal garbage cans with tight lids. These are rodent-proof. We have put up quite a bit of our dehydrated vegetables this way.

This is an excellent idea.