Vacuum Sealing and No Dishwashing Pancakes

If you buy large quantities of dry goods such as rice, flour, coffee, corn meal, etc.  or meats, cheese etc. a great way to store and preserve them is to use a vacuum sealer.  If you have room in your freezer, you can buy that bargain tray of five pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken breast and divide them up in bags.  If you are only one or two people, you can save a lot of leftovers for future quick meals with no waste or dish washing. 

This is my vacuum sealer.  This model works on 12V DC as well as 110V AC.   It is available on Amazon

This model did get some negative reviews.  Most of them revolved around poor sealing.  I found on 12V, you need a full charge and hopefully your solar is putting in at least 10 amps when you use it on 12V.  This gives line voltage a boost and it will seal a lot better.  If you think there is a problem, you can always wait a few seconds and make a second seal on the same seam without the vacuum.  Some items are difficult to get a good seal on even on 110V.  The problem is when whatever you are sealing leaks or gets sucked in to the seal area.  This happens with flour, coffee mate or any other powdery contents.  Sugar, coffee and cornmeal usually do not have this problem.  I have sealed a paper towel across the top of the contents to "shield" the sealing area.  Another good thing to do is hold a straightedge on the bag above the contents, on a flat surface, in front of  the seal area to keep powder from getting sucked in to the seal.  I usually double seal these items anyway.  Meats, poultry, fish, etc. will leak juice into the sealing area as they are being vacuumed.  I put the meat that I am going to seal in a vacuum bag, fold over the top and freeze.  After the contents are frozen, you can vacuum them down with no juice to leak.  Be sure you wipe the sealing area clean and dry before sealing.


Vacuum sealing prevents freezer burn and mostly eliminates oxygen from the bag, so that food lasts a lot longer whether you freeze it or are storing dry items such as coffee, sugar, etc.  It also prevents insects such as weevils, ants, etc.  Great way to preserve leftovers and you don't have to consume 3 pounds of meatloaf before it goes bad.  Another plus is you can fix a great meal in a few minutes from items that you have already cooked.  I checked the Foodsaver Website and they indicate you can drop frozen items in the sealed bags in boiling water for reheating.  Dinner with nothing to wash!  I suppose you could microwave them also but you would want to open them to let steam out.  I personally have not tried this.

Smoked Meat Loaf

This is some of the meatloaf that I smoked a couple of weeks ago, and should last for at least 6 months in the freezer.  Another benefit of vacuum sealing is most of the results come out fairly flat for more efficient storage.  You also don't have to worry about puncturing a paper bag of flour or sugar, or have it come open.  If you seal a larger quantity in one bag, you can leave enough room to cut open the bag, remove some of the contents and then re-seal.  Use a marker to label and date your results. 

Six Cups of Sugar

No Dishwashing Pancakes

I really like pancakes.  Problem is they are messy to mix up and leave you with a gummy mixing bowl to clean.  I have found that to make 2-3 pancakes, you can use one of these paper bowls, and a plastic spoon for mixing and spooning in to the pan.  Just throw them away when you are done and no dish washing. 

About one cup Bisquick or your favorite dry mix, about 1/4 cup egg substitute, or an egg if you prefer, and enough milk to make a batter.  BTW, even the mixes that call for water, I use NF milk. 

This little 8" saute' pan is just the right size for a single pancake.  The pancake leaves no residue and I just wipe it out with a paper towel when finished.  Again, no dish washing. 

Circulon 8" Saute' Pan

Pancakes are a great base for all kinds of one-pan dishes.  I have added cream corn, shredded wheat, corn flakes, bananas, shredded zucchini, use your imagination.  You can also make them with chocolate milk, eggnog, rice milk, soy milk, etc.

Don't try to vacuum seal crackers, corn flakes, etc in bags, as you will end up with crumbs.  They make containers and jar sealers for that.