Food preservation is a fundamental aspect of the restaurant and catering industry. A vacuum food packer removes the oxygen out of a vacuum bag which contains your food product. Oxygen is one of the key components to food spoilage, so by removing the air around your food it will ensure that it lasts longer.
Therefore, vacuum packers are highly useful and beneficial for both home and professional use. There are many options available when investing in a vacuum packer so consider your available space, price range, and the specific necessities so that you are able to choose the ideal one. This article will demonstrate why investing in a vacuum packer is a smart idea and how it can be highly beneficial for your catering business.
Food Preservation
The main purpose and biggest benefit of a vacuum sealer is its ability to preserve food. Due to the absence of oxygen inside a vacuum-sealed bag, all biological activities tend to slow down, which lessens the development of mildew, bacteria, and oxidation of a food product. Extending the shelf-life of your food products will save costs for your catering business as you will be able to buy in bulk and reduce food wastage.
Improves Food Organisation
Vacuum-sealed foods have many distinct advantages: they take up a lot less space, can be stacked, are easily cooled down in ice baths, and are clearly identifiable. Catering companies require effective levels of food storage and organisation. Vacuum sealing food and ingredients makes transportation, storage, and organising easier and more efficient. Vacuum sealed food takes up less room and allows you to easily see and sort food items. Vacuum sealed packages of food can also be easily be labelled and dated which can be highly beneficial for your catering workflow and storage system.
Adds Flavour To Food
Delivering flavourful food should always be high up on a catering business’ priority list. Vacuum packers are not only helpful in preserving food, but they are also highly effective in adding flavour to food items. Add a marinade or seasoning mix to your food items before vacuum sealing, and it will add a fast and tasty boost to your recipe.
Keeps Food Safe
Safety is key to a successful catering business and vacuum packers can be highly helpful in this regard. Vacuum packing food provides a sealed physical barrier around food items which helps to lessen the risk of any cross-contamination. Vacuum packing means that the food item is void of any oxygen around it which prevents chemical reactions triggered by oxygen to cause the food to spoil. This means that harmful mould and bacteria will be prevented from growing.
Year-Round Access To Fresh Produce
Having access to seasonal produce year-round is a useful benefit for a catering company. Vacuum packers are able to store seasonal food items, such as tomatoes or berries, for use during the wintertime. Vacuum sealing these seasonal food items allows your catering company to have access to these items all year round, and they will still taste wonderfully fresh when out of season.
Extra Cooking Technique
Vacuum packers can be used for vacuum cooking, or sous-vide. Sous-vide is a marinating and cooking technique that requires the food to be vacuum-packed. French for “under vacuum,” the sous-vide method’s intent is to cook the food item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and to retain moisture. Sous-vide is also known as low temperature long time (LTLT) cooking, and is a method of cooking in which food in a vacuum sealed bag in a water bath for longer than usual cooking times at a precisely regulated temperature - which is much lower than usually used for cooking, typically around 55 to 60 °C.
No Flavour Or Texture Loss
Having a way to preserve food without altering the flavour texture is highly beneficial for a catering business. Vacuum sealing preserves all the moisture, juices, and flavour of food. By removing all the air around food items, the flavours, texture, and moisture of the food are better retained. Vacuum sealing also preserves all the nutritional value stored in food so there will be no loss in taste, and adding a layer of physical protection around food items prevents it from becoming dehydrated. And unlike most other preservation techniques, vacuum packing food requires no need for any chemicals or additives which may negatively affect the food and your customer’s health.
A vacuum packer saves both time and money, and will help you to work smarter and faster. We hope this article has revealed the many impressive reasons to invest in a vacuum packing machine and how it can help to make your catering business flourish!