How to Vacuum Seal without a Sealer

There’s no doubt that vacuum sealing foods makes them last longer in storage and helps maintain the quality and freshness of the item being sealed, but did you know that you can vacuum seal without an expensive machine?

It’s no secret that we adore our Foodaver vacuum sealer, in fact, over the last 15 years, we’ve been through five of them. There are times that we don’t feel like hauling it out or can’t haul it out (like when we’re camping along the river!), etc so this method really comes in handy.

In order to vacuum seal you’ll need a couple basic things, a bowl or sink full of water, (or if you’re camping, a lake or river will work too!), as well as a zip-close bag big enough to hold whatever you’re attempting to seal.

How to Vacuum Seal without a Sealer Video Tutorial

Fill the sink (or bowl) with water.

Place the meat, produce or dry item you wish to vacuum seal into a zip-close style bag.

Seal across the top leaving about an inch for the air to escape the bag.

Dunk the bag into the water, allow the pressure of the water to press the air out of the bag until the top of the bag is nearly submerged (but do NOT submerge it!) Finish sealing the bag.

Voila! Instant vacuum sealed bag that is ready to be tossed into the fridge or pantry. If you plan on storing dry goods for long periods of time you might want to consider adding an oxygen absorber or two to the bag prior to sealing. They can be found inexpensively at Amazon.