Emergency Water and Pouch Retort

CHEFTALK

Emergency Water and Pouch Retort

Are we talking water? What is there to talk about water you might say, well true, but water is our main source of survival. We use water for almost everything we do in our daily chores and you only find the importance of water when there is no water. You cannot wash your hands for example, an exercise we perform more often than you think.

The need of emergency water

There is a good chance that you do not have access to clean drinking water when a calamity occurs, something that happens more often than you think also and when it does we have a recipe for disaster. Disastrous news enters our lives every day through the many media services available to us. Floods, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes and wars are scattered all over the world. One wonders if there is still a single safe corner left on this planet.

Being hit by a natural disaster is already a devastating experience on itself, no water during the aftermath of such catastrophes is a serious problem. In areas, prone to disasters, people are very often advised to store emergency drinking water in their homes, a gallon per person (and pets) per day is advised, preferable for two weeks.    

When water is our survival during the Apocalypse, how does water survive when it is stored for a long period of time?



The trouble of safe water storing 

Good, but Porous 

Then there is the advice to replace that water every six months, not to store water near to pesticides or gasoline, store in a cool place with a constant temperature and a few more advices that are pretty troublesome. Emergency water is not something everyone wakes- up with in the morning.

Water stored in badly sanitized containers may still be alright after a year or so but the containers may develop molds, another problem you are not looking forward to.  

When you finally have the emergency water woes in order and under control, it is time to think about some more fun things in life, a weekend hiking or camping with the family for instance. Again the water topic pops up. No shops in the woods, trees and thirst in abundance. Now, size becomes an issue, your backpack is only that big. Huge bottles of water are out of the question, small bottles then? To store and carry many of them is also a bit uncomfortable.

The solution

Here is an interesting solution to all these water problems, retort water in small convenient packets. Expensive? Yes, when you buy them, No when you make them.

An 8 oz pouch holds 16 oz of water. Retort at 10 LBS pressure for 30 minutes.

An 4 oz pouch holds 8 oz of water. Retort at 10 LBS pressure for 30 minutes.

For more info on the right sizes of pouches that fit your vacuum sealer, go to:   

www.vacupack.com  for USA and www.vacupack.ca for Canada 

Pouch Retort

The Convenience
These pouches are easy to store in your backpack, they last for years and can therefore be made any time convenient. Retort pouches are not porous so you can store them anywhere you have space, there is no need to replace them every six months also. Forget about installing an air conditioner and a heather in your garage to maintain a fairly constant temperature.  

The Money Catch

Now here is the ‘homemade water in retort pouches’ catch.

Store bought they cost around $2.00 for a 4 oz to 6 oz pouch.

Homemade they cost less than $0.50 cents. Great cost saving! And you make good use of your retort canner and vacuum sealer

All reason the more to go for pouch retort when it comes to emergency or convenient safe drinking water on camping trips.

No scientific data  from the FDA is available on home canning, the information and retort times given are guidelines and not authorized data.

PMG holds no responsibility for misuse of information provided and is void of any liability.
Home canning is at your own risk.

By: Marinus Hoogendoorn   

  

Heard of Sous-vide? Tasty, Juicier Food Made Possible by Vacuum Sealing

Heard of Sous-vide? Tasty, Juicier Food Made Possible by Vacuum Sealing

Some of you might be intimidated by the fancy name sous-vide, which is becoming a quite popular method for cooking food. However, cooking by this method is easier than its name. The sous-vide method of cooking food involves enclosing the ingredients of a dish in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag and placing the bag in a water bath, a combi oven, or any other appliance that can maintain a target temperature. 

The sous-vide method of cooking food takes a long time to cook the food thoroughly before it can be eaten; however, it results in juicier and tastier food. The concept is based on the fact that because the ingredients are packed in a vacuum-sealed bag, moisture from the ingredients is not depleted. In addition, as the temperature of the water is kept to be hot enough so that it cooks the food thoroughly while killing any food borne pathogens, there is no drying out of the food. The result is tastier and juicier food that cannot be obtained by other conventional methods of cooking.

The food variety best suited for the sous-vide method of cooking is meat and fish since they are sensitive to high temperatures. Cooking difficult meats like flank steak and turkey breasts can be made tastier if they are cooked using the sous-vide method. The method is best suited for cooking meat because it does not alter the texture, a feature very important when cooking meat. Most of the times when meat is cooked using conventional methods, it is overcooked. But, with the sous-vide method, the temperature remains the same while the meat is tenderly cooked with its juices remaining intact.

Pros of Using the Sous-vide Method

• Evenly cooked meat and fish is obtained when using the sous-vide method
• With sous-vide method of cooking, one can avoid the dried out, overdone meat as the final temperature can be controlled
• The food is safe to consume as the long cooking hours taken by the sous-vide method kill the pathogens that may be present in the food or the plastic bag. 
• The texture or quality of the dish being prepared remains intact with the sous-vide cooking as a uniform temperature is maintained throughout the process of cooking
• Vacuum sealing of the food ensures that decay of the food by water is prevented 

The sous-vide method of cooking can be used to get tastier, juicier meat and fish. There are special ovens and cookers that help in cooking by the sous-vide method. The computer controlled heater ensures that the water set at a low temperature is maintained for hours, if required. This method of cooking has an important benefit in the sense that it frees the cook from continually watching the food cook, freeing them to handle other aspects of the meal while the meat or fish is cooking in the sealed bag. With traditional cooking, there is little margin for error as the temperature can be high or fluctuate, leading to overcooked food in case of slight inattention. With sous-vide, you can have evenly cooked, juicy, flavorful food every time.

Written for PMG 

By 

Professional SEO Writer

Sipia Mahajan 

www.vacupack.com

Sous-Vide Cooked Meals. The Basic Understanding of the Process.

Sous-Vide, exactly what is it? 

Used in many gourmet restaurants, sous-vide is a modern cooking technique which involves cooking food that is vacuum sealed in airtight plastic pouches at a very consistent, precise temperature for long periods of time. The basic nature of this cooking technique allows you to prepare food to perfection while, at the same time, eliminates anxieties about overcooking.The sous-vide method yields better and different results than conventional cooking. The textures and flavors developed by this unique cooking technique cannot be replicated using any other conventional cooking technique. Apart from producing extraordinary results, sous-vide method is tremendously simple and foolproof. Capturing the true aroma and food flavors, it retains the nutritional value, gourmet taste, and natural juices of the foods.

To cook food with the sous-vide method, you can vacuum seal food in sturdy plastic bags certified for this purpose. Drop the bags into specifically controlled water bath. However, this method can vary from 20 to 30 minutes for food items like scrambled eggs and lean fish, and it can go to as long as 72 hours for items like tough meats such as spareribs. The time taken to cook a given portion of the food to be brought to its desired temperature depends on its thickness and not overall weight. Tender food items like beef or pork tenderloin, shellfish, fish, and lamb chops are required to come to desired temperature to be luscious and ready to eat. Tender steaks and chicken breasts normally take one to two hours cooked sous-vide, depending on thickness. The best part of sous-vide technique is that, unlike other cooking methods on the grill, oven, or stove, sous-vide is forgiving. Many times, food is left undisturbed for much longer in the water bath, yet still retains the texture, flavor, and appearance of these food items.

Although any kind of meat is perfect for sous-vide, it works well with delicate or tender foods, such as lamb, beef, pork, or fish, ensuring that these items are not overcooked. You can also use this method to prepare béarnaise sauce, cheese, yogurt, and custard-style ice cream base as well. Basically, anything that needs precise temperature can be a contestant for sous-vide cooking. Moreover, as the sous-vide process locks in natural flavors of your food, you can apply seasonings with a light hand.Many foods like one-dish meals, fruits and vegetables are delectable straight from the bags. Meat items, such as fish and poultry, are also ready to eat, but may do well when browned on the grill, under the broiler, or sautéed in a skillet. Consider, for instance, grilling or broiling steak. You normally cook a steak at temperatures ranging from 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 204 Celsius to 500 F or 260 C. As a result, the steak becomes charred on the outside while the inside can still be uncooked. Thus, your steak could be overcooked when exposed to such high temperatures.

However, with the sous-vide method, your food will be cooked precisely and gently at the desired temperature. In this example, your steak can cook at 134 F or 56 C for perfect medium rare. This is because the water transmits heat to the sealed food 10 times more proficiently than air does, thus imparting complete safety to the food. 

Writing for PMG 

Sipia Mahajan  
SEO Professional Writer. 

Professional Marketing Group Inc. 
www.vacupack.com