Keeping food for longer stays?

[Brodie Tas]

Hi im having a bit of time off over christmas and heading away for around a week. We go camping a fair bit but its normally 2-3 days i have a fridge in the car and some good ice boxs. Just wanting to know what you guys do for meat over a longer stay without having a freezer? Im thinking of frezzing it all before we go then put it in the fridge to slow it down from deforsting any other tips would be great thanks and  merry Christmas to you all

[rags]

We ensure all meat is vacuumed sealed and carry in fridge

[sharkcaver]

If you are only going for a week, then no preparation will be required, just refrigeration around 2 deg's. After 2 weeks, I'd look further into it. I'll go 4-5 weeks on vac packed meat under refrigeration.

[Brodie Tas]

Ok thanks so the vacuum sealers keep the meet fresher for longer? If so ill grab one

[KingBilly]

Vacuum sealed red meat, six weeks in the fridge.  Pork and chicken about two weeks.

KB

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

Check with your local butcher, he may offer Vac. packing as a service for you.
My local bloke does.  Just have to organise with them what you want in each package.
Saves having to lash out for the machine and the bags. 
Some machines are only 240V. too, so that makes it harder if you want to take them with you. (So you can pack left overs.)
Good Luck.

[silverfox1111]

Vacuum packing also stops the blood from the meat running everywhere when in the fridge or esky.
Silverfox

[chester ver2.0]

Ok thanks so the vacuum sealers keep the meet fresher for longer? If so ill grab one

I found the vac sealers you can buy yourself pretty useless

The local butcher has an industrial one so he does it for me at the price of a dollar per pack

[KingBilly]

I found the vac sealers you can buy yourself pretty useless

Been using the Aldi one for 5 years.  Works great.

KB

[Bigfish]

I found the vac sealers you can buy yourself pretty useless

The local butcher has an industrial one so he does it for me at the price of a dollar per pack

Mine has done many sealed bags...HOWEVER..I have had a couple that have opened up.  I now double seal all my bags just to be safe....Could be quality of bag or temperamental temperature not sealing 100%...anyways since double seals..no problems and only takes another minute per bag.

[Fizzie]

Been using the Aldi one for 5 years.  Works great.

KB

Thats a 240v, isn't it, KB

[GBC]

Vac sealing at home saves space and will preserve meats for longer but don't expect the same sort of longevity as commercial cry-o-vac gives - it just isn't the same quality and air is always left behind. We do our fish fillets in vac packs and they keep great with next to zero freezer burn.
Just buy vac packed meats from the supermarket and take them camping if you don't have your own.

[#jonesy]

Been using the Aldi one for 5 years.  Works great.

KB

Does that have varia me suction for wet food?
I have a sunbeam and it only has 1 level so useless for a lot of food

[corndog]

If only for 1 week I wouldn't rush out and buy a sealer, not unless you will use it for other things and times like home use. When you buy meat check the use by dates, always buy the longest. Eat chicken and fish first, then start on red meats. Buy it pre sealed if you can. Freeze the longest stored meats and wrap them good in an insulation bag of sorts even with an ice brick, then in the bottom of the fridge. Then depending where you are a trip to the shops for an afternoon drive is good.

[BBull]

We buy all our meat from Aldi. Already sealed and it is usually good quality.
Can also freeze these sealed packs to help the fridge out during this hot time of year.

[Alan Loy]

We buy all our meat from Aldi. Already sealed and it is usually good quality.
Can also freeze these sealed packs to help the fridge out during this hot time of year.

Coles and woolworths also have sealed packs, some marinated.  Check useby if in doubt.

[wakychapmans]

we have the basic Sunbeam one. We've used it a lot over the years for multi week trips for sealing meat and other stuff at home prior to heading off.

I see now that there is a 12V sealer available (can't remember the brand) and this would be good if you wanted to seal things bought on the road.

hot tip...

my wife cooked some beautiful muffins for the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge one year. They were huge and light and fluffy. She decided that they would keep better if she vacuum sealed them...

muffins became flat dense biscuits...

[Pottsy]

We have a sunbeam vacuum sealer, use it all the time when travelling, 240v or 12v. Great for portioning meats etc. Sauces, soups etc get frozen in containers first, turn them out and then vacuum seal. Saves a lot of time when on the road cooking, thaw out in the fridge 24hrs before use. No leakage in fridge.
Cheers

[Pete79]

Does that have varia me suction for wet food?
I have a sunbeam and it only has 1 level so useless for a lot of food

Pretty sure ours is an Aldi unit.
Been used countless times in the 5 years or more that we’ve owned it.

It only has one setting, but can be used for most (not all) wet foods.
With a combination of correct free air in the bag prior to starting the vacuum and hanging the bag over the edge of the kitchen bench we’ve successfully sealed all sorts of liquid meals.
Pasta sauce, taco mix, lentils, etc all sealed without too much mess.

[GBC]

we have the basic Sunbeam one. We've used it a lot over the years for multi week trips for sealing meat and other stuff at home prior to heading off.

I see now that there is a 12V sealer available (can't remember the brand) and this would be good if you wanted to seal things bought on the road.

hot tip...

my wife cooked some beautiful muffins for the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge one year. They were huge and light and fluffy. She decided that they would keep better if she vacuum sealed them...

muffins became flat dense biscuits...

I was prepacking for a trip a few years back, making up breakfast and dinner packs. All of the burgers and sausages failed pretty spectacularly too haha.

[Chappie]

If you want to use it for soups freeze it in the bag flat and then vac pack it?
We sometimes put a piece of paper towel just into the bag to catch any moisture before it gets sucked into the machine.

[austastar]

Hi,
    We left frozen food in the plastic take away container and then vacuumed it.
Error!
The food lasted ok, but the liquids oozed all round the outside of the plastic tray.
Messy!
Do not repeat!

Cheers

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

[chester ver2.0]

Been using the Aldi one for 5 years.  Works great.

KB

Great if you are on a winner i just dont vac pack enought to justify 1 and the butcher does a good job

[Homerj]

I don't rely on my little vacuum sealer to make food last longer.  It's great for saving space in the freezer or car fridge and the bags don't leak, but if I want meat to last longer I get the butcher to do it properly.   

[Bigfish]

I don't rely on my little vacuum sealer to make food last longer.  It's great for saving space in the freezer or car fridge and the bags don't leak, but if I want meat to last longer I get the butcher to do it properly.

When camping and have left over food I just put the food into a suitable zippy bag..put a straw in and close all the way to straw.  Then suck air out with straw and when bag has collapsed, quickly pull straw out and seal.  Not vacuum sealing but saves a lot of room in a fridge or freezer.