Can A Straw Really Replace A Vacuum Sealer?

In the past few years, vacuum packaging food has become a microtrend among home cooks. The practice removes oxygen from packaging (at home, this is usually zip top bags) to make it harder for certain bacteria to reproduce. This helps make food last longer by slowing down the possibility of mold growth, and changes in flavor and discoloration caused by spoilage bacteria that love oxygen and moisture. The great benefit of this is that you end up throwing less food away, which, in turn, saves you money. If you buy groceries in bulk, there are many ways a vacuum sealer helps preserve food so that batches last for months. You can also use a vacuum sealer to keep foods like nuts and grains fresh even longer, which is especially useful for people who need to keep emergency food supplies for things like natural disasters. 

But despite their many benefits, vacuum sealers can run from about $30 to hundreds of dollars, and not everyone is willing or able to dish out that amount. Instead, a countertrend suggests foregoing the fancy-schmancy equipment and just using a straw to suck the air out of bags yourself. The idea is to squeeze out as much air as possible by hand, seal the ziplock while leaving a small gap at the end, and then insert a straw to suck the remaining air out of it. Although in essence, yes, this trick works about the same as a sealer, it's not foolproof and certainly not a solution for long-term storage. 

Though, whether you are using a machine or not, there are risks involved in vacuum sealing food. Although spoilage bacteria usually need oxygen, there are other types of bacteria that don't. These can still spoil food without causing the tell-tale signs that warn you that something should not be eaten. In fact, some foods like fish, fresh mushrooms, and fresh garlic are at high-risk for botulinum, a dangerous bacteria that thrives in low-oxygen environments. This is why it's important to be aware of common food storage mistakes that can heighten the likelihood of problems.

Sucking the air out of a bag yourself can be a terrible idea because your mouth is full of bacteria that you might be inserting into the package as you suck. Using a straw is better than putting your whole mouth into the bag, since there is less direct contact, but you can still transfer things into your food that you don't want there. 

So if your lifestyle means that you'll be regularly storing food, invest in a vacuum sealer. This will keep the process as hygienic as possible. But if you have an unexpected circumstance, or if you only need to seal food once every blue moon, use the straw trick. Regardless of which method you choose, make sure that you follow food safety guidelines like washing your hands before and after vacuuming, and using utensils or gloved hands rather than bare ones to handle food.