There are many factors in a commercial kitchen that conspire together to affect the quality of the food and ingredients you’re trying to put out. For starters, there’s the hot Australian climate that creates hot ambient air. This is made worse by the heat being generated from the stoves, ovens, and other appliances.
Anyone working in this type of environment knows that hot air is a massive conduit of bacteria and spoiled food. To avoid this, you should invest in the correct cooling equipment, and equipment such as vacuum and heat sealers to safely store food until it’s needed. This post highlights the importance of using a commercial or heavy-duty vacuum sealer.
Understanding How Heavy-Duty Vacuum Sealers Work
As the name suggests, a heavy-duty vacuum sealer is a packaging machine that has been designed to extract air from bags or pouches. The goal here is to maintain freshness, increase shelf-life, and protect food from the moisture and bacteria that cause contamination.
Using a vacuum sealer is quick and easy, which means that anyone in your kitchen can master it. The way these machines work varies between brands and models, but the general idea is the same. Here’s a basic idea of what to expect:
- Food is placed inside a plastic or tinfoil pouch or plastic bag.
- Place the bag or pouch into the sealing chamber.
- Switch the sealer on so that the air can be sucked out.
- Heat seals the opening, making the bag ready for storage.
Perfect Gadget for All Kitchen Types
There are many reasons why every kitchen should invest in a heavy-duty vacuum sealer. If you’re still on the fence about getting one, then you’ll find our list of benefits well worth a read.
1. Ideal for Creating Effective Portioning
A huge concern in any kitchen is food wastage. This is often caused by improper portioning. Avoid the hassle of portioning when it’s time to serve by dividing ingredients or cooked food into portions in pouches or bags. These can then be sealed and used as needed. Be sure to label bags and pouches with the date, so that the older ones can be used first.
2. Allows for Effective Sous Vide Cooking Method
It’s not uncommon to find the Sous Vide cooking method in all types of commercial kitchens these days. This process involves preparing ingredients together with the spices, marinades, and herbs in a special pouch or bag. The bag is then sealed using a vacuum sealer.
When needed, the bag will be placed in boiling water in a special Sous Vide cooker. When cooked, the whole bag is emptied onto a plate in the exact portion. This cooking method works well for vegetables and significantly reduces food prep time. The Sous Vide cooking method is ideal for junior kitchen novices or anyone who can benefit from pre-packaged food prep.
3. Increase the Shelf Life of Most Foods
Another significant advantage of using a vacuum sealer in your kitchen is that it can improve the way in which your food is preserved. Vacuum sealers can easily help to increase the shelf life of dried foods by up to 12 months. This is a big leap from the usual few weeks.
On the other hand, frozen and fresh foods can easily remain fresh for several months. This goes a long way toward reducing food wastage. Keep in mind that you will need to invest in a flash freezer to enhance food preservation even more.
4. Reduces Clutter in the Freezer
No matter how big your commercial freezer is, at some point, a ton of food prep containers are going to start looking cluttered. Since vacuum sealing uses bags and pouches, you will easily be able to store these bags neatly, one on top of the other.
Alternatively, the vacuum-sealed bags can be stored in separate containers to keep specific food types together. Be sure to label bags and consider storing them in the order of use-by dates.
5. Minimises Freezer Burn From Overly Frozen Food
If your commercial freezer is typically packed to capacity, then it often means that the items closest to the bottom are more susceptible to freezer burn. When ingredients have freezer burn, they tend to lose flavour, colour, and texture when prepared. Keep your food looking and tasting fresh by opting to have your ingredients vacuum sealed.
6. Facilitates Proper Food Storage
Food that isn’t stored properly will result in leaks and spills. This not only wastes food but makes a mess in the fridge or freezer. Using a vacuum sealer eliminates the possibility of spills as the bag or pouch is sealed. This means that food can be stored safely and correctly. Vacuum sealing is excellent for storing pre-marinated veggies, meat, and even soups.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good idea to add a heavy-duty vacuum sealer to your kitchen arsenal. Not only will food preparation be simpler, but ingredients will stay fresher for longer. Other benefits include reducing food wastage and eliminating freezer burn. Adding a vacuum seal is an excellent way to improve the efficiency in your commercial kitchen!
