Were they saying that is was unsafe to package these foods, or was it that they didn't work well when the air was pulled out?

I know that some cheeses would get ruined and flattened by the process, but mine has a button to press so you can control how much air is being removed before sealing.

I think you can seal just about anything you're going to freeze..... juicy/liquids don't do well at all.

I seal hard cheeses all the time to keep them from getting mold, and then put them in the refrigerator. I also seal and freeze the meats you asked about. When doing hotdogs and sausages I try to leave a bit of room between each so they don't stick together and then I can remove one or two and then reseal the package.

A trick is to freeze something mushy and then FS seal it. This will help the food retain its shape.

Another thing to do is to reseal snack bags... or any bag really.

I guess there are advantages to not reading the book. Have fun experimenting how to accomplish what you want to do.

The instructions said "Due to the risk of anaerobic bacteria, soft cheeses should never be vacuum packaged." It has the same warning for mushrooms, garlic, and onions.

So the big question is how do you know if your food has botulism? The freezer will retard its growth, but only heat above 185° F. for more than five minutes, will kill it, and the spores are in soil and water.

You can also get it from a foil wrapped baked potato that isn't kept hot enough or cold enough.

It's better to freeze cooked foods and not have to worry about it.

IMHO, I have been using the FS for at least 15 years and have sealed the all the items you have listed with the exception of soft cheeses. We are all still alive.

Cream cheese seems to keep forever inthe fridge and blues, Bries and Camemberts will continue to age, so thats were I keep them.

Since mushrooms, garlic and onions get sauteed or cooked, I don't worry about it. I would not eat them defrosted and raw as the texture has changed to mushy.

Can I vacuum seal then freeze anything that is cooked without having to worry about it? YES! that is the point of the FS. Freeze first, then seal for a clean seal. Anything juice or with gravy/sauce.

Can I vacuum seal then freeze commercially cured meats, such as kielbasa, salami, hot dogs? Yes, freeze first though for a better sealing.

I don't consider Parm to be a soft cheese and also note that freezing may change the texture of the cheese.

Westelle gave some good advice, so keep reading posts. You can find many over at Harvest too.

And relax, the FS is safe Go ahead and use it.

I am not saying what is and isn't food safe. You do your own research.

I just want to point out the following:

There is a difference between vacuum and air removed. Vacuum is when outside air pressure is greater then inside a container/bag.

It is difficult to create vacuum with a pliable bag. In other words, if you are to measure the air pressure inside a bag that has been "Foodsaver" vacuumed and sealed, the pressure will be the same as air pressure outside. The Foodsaver type of machine can only evacuate most of the air bubbles, but not to create a vacuum. But if you use a FS to draw a vacuum in a glass jar, you will be able to create a partial vacuum. The air pressure inside the jar will be lower than outside.

When you make a bowl of soup, inside the soup there are no air bubbles, but that does not mean it is in vacuum.

dcarch

I believe the bacteria involved in soft cheese is Listeria, which can multiply under the right conditions and become the toxin Listeriosis. The CDC estimates that approximately 1600 illnesses and 260 deaths due to listeriosis occur annually in the United States.

It's been associated with Mexican-style soft cheese, and other types made with unpasteurized (raw) milk, but other dairy products as well -- generally from lack of pasteurization, OR introduction of the bacteria at some point after it's been pasteurized, OR post-processing contamination from unpasteurized milk.

Listeria can grow under either anaerobic (without oxygen) or aerobic (with oxygen) conditions. The bacteria multiply best at 86-98.6 degrees F, but it also multiplies better than all other bacteria at refrigerator temperatures. I believe these are the reasons not to vacuum-seal soft cheeses. Vacuum-sealing might encourage keeping them much longer than might be safe.

We consume all kinds of bacteria all the time, it's when it's in the right environment that the bacteria multiply and become a toxin. It's the toxin that's the problem, and that doesn't happen with much regularity. The challenge comes because we don't know if the bacteria is actually present to begin with, and that is why we should practice good food safety rules when choosing, handling, preparing and storing foods of all kinds. Vacuum-sealing just isn't the appropriate method for everything.

Factors that increase Listeria's potential to human health: (source: linked below)

1. Grow at refrigerator temperatures, 32-degrees F and above.

2. Grow in an acidic (as low as 4.4 pH) or basic (as high as pH 9.6) environment.

3. Tolerate low moisture environments; it has been detected in hard fermented salami.

4. Grow under anaerobic conditions at refrigeration temperatures. This property makes Listeria a potential threat to the safety of foods packaged under vacuum or modified atmospheres as the growth of this microorganism is not inhibited in vacuum packaged food items.

5. Grow at extremely high salt concentrations, especially at refrigerator temperatures. It has been detected in commercial cheese brines. Thus, cheese brines should be considered as potential sources for cross-contamination.

6. Due to Listeria's ability to attach to different surfaces, packaging materials can be a potential source of contamination.

I've been using a FoodSaver since 1986 (on my 3rd one) and I have practiced home food storage since that time and vacuum\-seal large quantities of dry goods (both bags and jars), refrigerated and frozen foods \- without incident. Dry goods stored at room temperature need to be at 10% moisture or LESS. Things I DON'T vacuum\-seal because the moisture level is too high for dry\-packing using a vacuum\-seal is brown sugar and popping corn. I also avoid vacuum\-sealing home\-dehydrated foods because in most cases the percentage of moisture left in the food is unknown. Home\-dehydrated foods are also short\-term storage foods which should be used relatively quickly and store well in an airtight container. When it comes to the freezing foods that are raw, fresh, or cooked, you simply apply good food handling practices and incorporate the proper practices for thawing to increase a safe food supply. At least 80% of the food items in my freezer are vacuum\-sealed. I can "flip" through the baskets that contain frozen fruits, vegetables, breakfast meats, pre\-cooked meats in individual servings, portioned ground meat (raw and pre\-cooked) as well as all meat purchased in bulk, stacks of homemade bean burgers/tuna or salmon patties...... Chili, soup, pasta sauce, sloppy joe mixture, etc., are all frozen in user\-friendly sized containers. Once they are completely frozen, I pop them out of the containers (now the plastic containers can be used for something else), stack the food cubes and vacuum them. I can quickly use one frozen cube of chili to turn into a taco salad meal, topping for baked potatoes, or as a soup. I generally portion foods first, quick\-freeze them, then vacuum\-seal them. I cook for 2 adults, but I make most things in large amounts (cook once for many meals) and freeze them in portions. These are my "convenience" foods. I probably only make mashed potatoes 2 or 3 times a year (after my spring harvest, fall harvest, and when I find potatoes BOGO), but always have portions of freezer mashed potatoes ready to thaw, heat and serve. I also freeze portions of cooked grains and beans. I just made a large batch of black beans and I quick\-froze them on a rimmed baking sheet covered with a sheet of FREEZER paper. When they were completely frozen, I lifted the freezer paper and the beans loosed from the paper. I then used the freezer paper as a funnel to pour the loose beans into a FoodSaver bag. With the opening of the bag to one side, smooth the beans into a single layer and vacuum\-seal the bag shut. When you need some black beans, cut the bag open, give it a tap and the beans will once again become individual frozen beans and you should be able to measure out the amount you need. I try to freeze foods in a single layer this way. Then they are easy to "file" in my small plastic baskets that line my freezer shelves. I always re\-package commercial frozen foods into FoodSaver bags so they last longer. \-Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: [Food Safety \- Listeriosis \#9.383](http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09383.html)

I think you have to take all these warnings with a grain of salt, so to speak, and use a lot of common sense

If you've ever read all the warnings on a ladder, you would never actually climb one, and I think the same goes for anything else, even the Foodsaver.

I save and freeze raw onions all the time - pop open a package and throw it in the chile or pasta sauce or what ever else I'm cooking.

I don't freeze foods to use raw, anything I freeze is either already cooked or will be cooked when I need to use it. If I'm planning on using uncooked fruits and veggies, I buy them fresh and use them right away.

Enjoy