If you know sous vide cooking techniques, then you know that there are many creative ways to use freezer bags in sous vide cooking.
Some people even come up with creative ways to do it, but most cooking techniques use removing air from a freezer bag at the end of the day.
The following article will give you a summary of different ways to remove air from freezer bags used in cooking.
Vacuum Sealers
The supply of self-sealing zip-lock bags is driven by abundance in the availability of cheaper polymers, ease in procurement and product processes or raw materials.
Vacuum sealer machines suck out any air around your food, so as long as all the excess air is removed, it works perfectly. Also, it does not damage the food in any way and maintains its taste and texture.
The equipment is helpful in sous vide cooking and is also beneficial in various other applications. For example, if you have some sauce to store with your food and fruits in the freezer, it prevents oxidation.
Water Displacement Method
This is the is the easiest way to remove air from a freezer bag used for sous vide cooking. All you need to do is place your food in the freezer bag and fill it up with water. Then, all you need to do is seal the bag and remove excess air through the same method as you would for a regular freezer bag.
It is ideal for dense foods containing a lot of liquid.
Use A Plastic or Metal Straw to Suck Out Excess Air
This is yet another easy way to remove excess air from the freezer bag. All you need to do is insert a straw into the open end of the freezer bag and suck out all the air until it reaches maximum capacity. Then, seal the bag with your fingers or any specialised tools for sealing.
The method is effective but can be messy if you are not careful enough, so it is advised only to use this technique when you are at home or have ample time.
Use a Canning Jar
It is one of the best ways of removing air from a freezer bag. You need to put the food in a jar and then put that into a freezer bag. Ensure that the jar is fully submerged in water before sealing the freezer bag.
Then, all you need to do is remove excess air through any methods mentioned above. You can place a bowl over the jar to prevent it from moving around before sealing the bag entirely for extra safety.
The technique is ideal for those who want to cook liquid food items such as soups and stews in which the water displacement method would not work well.
Use an Aquarium Pump
The method is relatively new and is gaining popularity with time. You can hook up an aquarium pump to your freezer bag to suck out air from the inside, thus creating a vacuum.
All one needs to do is seal one of the open ends of the freezer bag to have enough room for the aquarium pump, connect it to the other end and switch it on. The pump will suck the air from inside, thus creating a vacuum.
The technique offers excellent control over your cooking process as you can have complete control over the pumping speed depending on how much vacuum you need. It is also beneficial for foods that require long cooking times because you can be sure that no oxygen enters the bag during cooking.
