Oxygen Absorbers (sometimes called an \u201coxygen scavenger\u201d), in contrast, suck up all of the loose air in the sealed container.<\/strong> It combats the most common of all food storage enemies (your others being light, extreme temperature, and vermin\u2014eeewww).<\/p>\n Oxygen absorbers extend shelf life, prevent rancidity, delay oxidization, and even helps to preserve the best flavor.<\/strong><\/p>\n Most people who lose food storage lose it to oxygen.<\/strong> Sometimes a jar lid didn\u2019t seal, and sometimes the mylar bag or vacuum sealed bag gets a tiny little leak. I\u2019ve discovered this stuff in both long and short term food storage. Sometimes it\u2019s user error during processing, and other times it is just the effects of other conditions (like temperature fluctuation in your storage, or jostling the food around).<\/p>\n An oxygen absorber isn\u2019t a permanent fix in situations where you have faulty packaging, but they can buy you time.<\/strong> Do you check your food storage routinely? Do you rotate it so that you are using oldest food first, and are you routinely using your food storage in your daily cooking? All of this prevents loss.<\/p>\n Get our free pantry checklist.<\/a> Minimize loss by knowing what you have. <\/em><\/p>\n An oxygen absorber delays loss.<\/strong> It isn\u2019t a permanent fix; it gives you time to find the problem before losing your food. It\u2019s insurance. If you aren\u2019t actually checking your food, rotating it, or routinely using it, then never mind. Don\u2019t bother with using an oxygen absorber at all if you don’t inspect. You\u2019re going to lose a lot of food no matter what.<\/p>\n This is where I pull out my best Mom-Speech <\/a>about starving children in India.<\/p>\n All dry, home-packaged food that you plan to keep for 3 months or longer should have an oxygen absorber in the container.<\/strong> This includes dehydrated food, herbs, spices, grain, rice, flour, and salt. There are only two dry items that should not get an oxygen absorber: do not use them in sugar or brown sugar. They dry them out (even though they are not actually desiccants).<\/p>\n Well, anything that stores dry food, but the type of packaging is dependent upon the frequency of access. For instance, all of the dehydrated foods and herbs that I am not currently using get vacuum sealed. Then I place several of those vacuum-sealed bags into a larger, sealed mylar bag (to block out light and to protect from mice and insects). Each individual vacuum-sealed bag gets an oxygen absorber.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re putting your food directly into smaller mylar bags, put an oxygen absorber in that. Stuff going into the freezer\u2014if it\u2019s a dry item (like yeast, flour, etc), chuck one into the container.<\/p>\n My frequently-used stuff\u2014like dehydrated onions, powdered vegetables, and bulk spices\u2014all get an oxygen absorber in the mason jar. This isn\u2019t keeping the food perfectly oxygen free. I am, after all, opening that jar fairly often. It does drastically extend the shelf-life though! I find it also keeps spice blends from getting clumpy (again, working like a desiccant even if they aren\u2019t). The tip to this use is to remember to open and close the jar expediently.<\/p>\n Anything a quart-sized jar or smaller, a single 50cc is perfect.<\/strong> If you are packing something larger or something with natural air space (granola vs. dense salt), you might want to double up. When you reach the size of a #10 can, you should use three 50cc absorbers.<\/strong> \u00a0They come 200 in a pack,<\/a> and if you re-seal the package as soon as you\u2019re done with it, you\u2019ll be using that same package for awhile.<\/p>\n Use 500cc Oxygen Absorbers for buckets.<\/strong> Wheat, rice, oats, all of which naturally last a long time anyway, should get at least 1 500cc absorber. We often use buckets for storing lots of smaller, sealed food bags. It provides another layer of protection. Wilson always chucks a 500cc absorber<\/a> in the bucket anyway, regardless that every individual bag contains one. \u201cCheap insurance,\u201d he says. We have never lost a bag of food sealed in a bucket with an absorber on top.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fast. You use them fast. Wilson and I have a system for this that <yes, we\u2019re dorks> is really fun! When we\u2019re preserving food, it is rarely a bag here-and-there. Oh no, we go big.<\/p>\n Always preserve large quantities of food in smaller, manageable portions.<\/strong> Putting all of your eggs in one basket (I couldn\u2019t resist) is never a good idea. If a mouse gets in to a 10 lb bag of oats, you\u2019ve lost them all. Packing 10 one-pound bags is far more economical in the long-run. So this is how you do it:<\/p>\nWhy should you use Oxygen Absorbers?<\/h2>\n
![\"annual_pantry_checklisthumbnail.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/annual_pantry_checklisthumbnail.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhen should you use Oxygen Absorbers?<\/h2>\n
What Packaging Should Get an Oxygen Absorber?<\/h2>\n
What size of Oxygen Absorber Should I Use?<\/h2>\n
What is the Process of Using Oxygen Absorbers?<\/h2>\n