# food preservation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-preservation/302009 "2005-05-02T02:19:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-preservation/302009/1 "2005-05-02T02:19:31Z")
i just bought this new vacuum sealer by black and decker. It was from walmart and it was 58 dollars. I am wondering if i do a weeks worth of cooking and make many many dishes of food some of them involving milks and meats all cooked though but occasionally some raw vegetables and salads. can a meal that was just freshly cooked be put in these bags that it comes with and be preserved for at least a week without refrigeration. this machine claims to suck all the air out of the bag so i am wondering why food won’t last forever. what else makes food go bad. if this won’t make it last forever what wil? are there any experts concerning the science of food and preservation out there that could help me dearly? ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-preservation/302009/2 "2005-05-02T03:27:59Z")
Does it **say** you can store foods that normally require refrigeration at room temperature? I just looked at the product description on the Wallyworld website and all they say is ‘prevents freezer burn’. For the record, I couldn’t find the product at all on B&D’s site, and would recommend you read all the documentation that came with it. I personally don’t see how removing the air would preserve something that requires controlled temperature, but I could be wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-preservation/302009/3 "2005-05-02T03:28:13Z")
There are two kinds of bacteria that make food go bad, aerobic and anaerobic (the kind that need air and the kind that doesn’t.) The bags are keeping out the kind that need air, but the kind that doesn’t will eventually rot the food. Refrigeration and keeping air out only slows decay. There are ways of greatly slowing food rot, but nothing will keep food preserved _forever._ You can keep it for a really long time, but eventually, all things go bad. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-preservation/302009/4 "2005-05-02T03:45:59Z")
You might find this article from the [National Center for Home Food Preservation](http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html) helpful: [Should I Vacuum Package Food at Home?](http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/current/FDNS-E-46.html) > [@](#): > > …vacuum packaging is not a substitution for the heat processing of home canned foods. > > Vacuum packaging is also not a substitution for the refrigerator or freezer storage of foods that would otherwise require it. In fact, vacuum packaging can add to the concerns associated with storing of these perishable foods (which are foods not stable at room temperature and requiring cold storage). ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-preservation/302009/5 "2005-05-02T04:44:09Z")
Sucking out the air will not kill any bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria (including botulism) will still be able to happily reproduce as usual. And unless you have a really, really, really good vacuum in there, there will still be enough air for aerobic bacteria to reproduce to some extent. And even if they don’t manage it, once you break the seal, the bacteria will still be there raring to go.