I've had a lot of requests for the detailed tutorial on how to make homemade Mylar bagged meals for camping, convenience meals, and emergency preparedness. This is a perfect post to use with the 52 Method meals that I've done in the past and that I'm currently writing the book on as well! The first
Original Post on making the jar meals was
here. That menu has 7 recipes and there have been a ton of recipe posts after that post! None of those have been done in mylar bags up to this point and I know there are some remarkable appications for the use of these bags.
These meals are great for :
- meals-from-home for college students
- family and group camping/hiking/backpacking trips
- cub-scout camps and girl scout camps
- new-mom baby shower gifts
- foreign missionary care-packages
- meals from home for military troops
- anyone living in tornado or earthquake zones
- travel and vacation meals to heat-and-eat in hotels
They are designed for those that want to be able to control the ingredients in their food and be prepared for anything! Hopefully I can offer some easy techniques that will help you make some fun memories! We've had a total blast making these with the kiddos and planning the upcoming camping expeditions. Menu choices included things like these (though you can see a ton more in my 52 method recipe section):
Carrot Cake Breakfast Pudding with coconut cream sauce...
here.
Especially popular is the
Country Breakfast skillet meal here with real scrambled eggs, sausage, bell peppers and real cheese. Yes. It is shelf stable 5-7 years. Try not to pass out.
...with chocolate sauce...
Here.
Just pack it with the crisp mix separate from 4 cups of freeze dried fruit in the bags.
Thai Chicken in Spicy Peanut sauce over rice...
here
Polynesian Sweet-n-Sour Chicken baked beans...
here
Chicken Chile Verde...
here
Yankee Pot-Roast Gravy with Garlic Mashed Potatoes...
here.
Yes, there are many more recipes. These are just a few suggestions!
Sure enough, I took pictures of how to pack the mylar meals. You know, so that you'd benefit from my adventure as well. I know you love me. Try not to cry.
1. First you will need some Mylar bags. For more information on how they are made and designed, go
here. The outside is aluminum and the inside is lined with a food-grade plastic. Ironically when it is ironed with heat on the outside of the bag, the plastic fuses together causing a magnificent seal! I use and recommend the 5.0 mil FOOD GRADE bagsThey come in various sizes, but so far, my favorite has been the 5-gallon size.
I've been able to cut it down to any size I want and be able to really maximize the cost-effectiveness of the bags.
2. Second you will need oxygen absorber pouches. I use them in the 52 method jars. There are many oxygen absorbers of different sizes, depending on how much food you will have in your Mylar bags. For that reason, I'm suggesting you look at the resource here for more details on that:
I'm not the inventor of oxygen absorbers, but they sure are remarkable!
3.
A hot iron. I know there are machines for Mylar sealing available, but I had this old iron and didn't have to spend any extra money. Perk! I found my iron! This is totally off-topic-random. Yes...I'm officially not Martha Stewart. There. I said it. I saw an episode once where Martha devoted a whole show to how to iron and what to do. I think she's delusional. Just saying. I'm not that girl. If I can pull it out of the dryer or hang it on a clothesline and not have to iron it...I'm pleased about that.
Mylar Bag Sealing Procedure:
1. Set your iron on the cotton setting. No steam. Get a soft, clean cloth and place it on your work surface or ironing board.
2. Iron edges. After cutting the bags to your desired size, iron the edges with the hot iron. Be sure that the bag's edges are exactly aligned so that the plastic doesn't melt on your iron.
3. Stack cooled bags and prepare to fill with food.
4. Fill bags with food. There are a few methods for this. I like the one that includes putting the food in another bag inside the Mylar so it doesn't fall out of the bag when I'm sealing it. Obviously the more air that is removed, the better! I've had friends pack food inside food saver bags, suction out the air and then put them in mylar.
5. Once filled with food, add the oxygen absorbers and seal. Work quickly. It is recommended that you seal all the bags
within 30-60 minutes from the time you open the oxygen absorbers! So...keep that in mind.
6. Label clearly! Make sure all bags are labeled clearly with contents, cooking instructions, and preparation dates. You will benefit greatly from knowing what is in the bags. Or...you can go without labels and make a game out of not knowing. I don't really like that game. I'm a party poop-er-drooper-deluxe, Agua-fiesta-supreme...with cheese.
The bags will suction around the food as the oxygen absorbers do their job. Yes, even the smaller bags sealed in the zip-locs inside the mylar will be okay. Twist them closed lightly, don't zip them. They will have their air removed too. Yes...you still need the mylar bags for long-term. Yes, you can use the jars instead.
7.Pack food in your food-grade buckets, back-packs or travel bags as desired.
8. Remember to take your solar oven or Heat Retention Cooker for ease on your journey! I'm so excited to hit the open road this weekend!
There you go! Make some Mylar-packed meals for camping and beyond! Please feel free to share this information with those you love.
Tess - I forgot to ask this in your class. Do you have a ratio of water to dried meats that you use in your method? I am trying to pre-make bag omelettes and was wondering how much water to add to the mixture for either FD ham or sausage. Thanks, Patt
ReplyDeleteW. O. W. This sounds great - then I don't have to worry about the jars breaking while camping and/or not getting my canning jars back! Do you find that the 5 gallon mylar bag split into 4 makes the equivalent size to a quart or a pint canning jar? Kindly advise! This is AWESOME!
ReplyDeletePat, I usually use equal amounts water and meat for the ham and sausage. Ham takes a little over equal parts.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post. Had to link to it as my post of the day! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteNot only are you a genius - AND I want to grow up and be just like you - but you are HILARIOUS!!! I laugh at all your little funny notes. Be blessed Tess. You are sheer awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteTess:
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of your bagged meals, but it is just my husband and I and wondered what I would do with the remaining freeze-dried meat. I don't think I could use it before it would go bad. Could it be sealed in portion-sized servings in the mylar bags with oxygen absorbers? Would it be shelf stable? Thank you so much for your ideas, your website has become my new fav! Desiree
Yes. You can easily store the meat in individual portions in smaller mylar bags with an oxygen absorber in each bag. They would certainly be shelf stable.
ReplyDeleteTess, I feel so blessed to have found your site and have spent the last week reading. I'm old, on a fixed budget but figured I better find a way to eat if the economy keeps going down the tubes. I made a huge order with Honeyville, including your spices, so I can make all the lovely meals for later. My questions are: What size do you cut the mylar bags? Or should I buy the gallon size? Looking for cheap way to do it. If I remember right, the recipes are for a family of six or makes six servings?
ReplyDeleteI got the giant mylar bags from Honeyville & was wondering how many bags to you make with the 1 big bag? I was thinking 6 or 8 but wanted to check with you before i start cutting.
ReplyDeleteI usually get 8-10 if I'm doing the quart size meals. 15-18 if I'm doing 2-3 servings. That's the 5 gallon bag.
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to prepare my first meals in jars and Mylar (going to send them with my husband on his next hunting trip) One question...I noticed that a few of your recipes use bouillon and I try to stay as organic and non-GMO as possible. The only bouillon I can find that fits the bill are the little cubes. They seem to have a bit of moisture in them compared to granules and I am concerned this might be problematic for long term storage. Can I use the cube bouillon in place of the granules and if not, do you have an organic or non-GMO brand you could recommend?
ReplyDeleteHeidi, generally if you want to go without the bouillon, you can use 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp celery seed powder to replace the bouillon. The ones I use are commercial grade all natural non-gmo made specially for chefs and unfortunately can't be purchased unless you work for a food company. Hopefully that changes. I know there are a few companies who make them, I just haven't found others that I like as well.
ReplyDeleteWould those measurements be, per jar? Recipe calls for 1 Tbs. boullion.
ReplyDeleteYes. Per jar. Great question.
ReplyDeleteLoving this stuff! I do have a question for you. I'm a single girl. When I cook I almost always end up with TONS left which normally gets trashed after eating it for a few days. I'm not a big left-over kind of gal. Which is why THIS is so cool. I can make small versions just for me! My question is there any problem with just using Food Saver bags and vacuum seal the meals? Does this create potential storage problems?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't use the freeze dried meat, you can use the food saver bags for shorter storage (up to a year).
ReplyDeleteGreat recipes, thank you! My daughter & I started making meals just like this about 3 yrs ago, adapting family favs. TIP - We keep a flat iron (for hair) stored with the mylar bags... using that, in place of the 'regular' iron.
ReplyDeleteAre you currently working on a book that's mainly 'meals in a jar'? I've already learned so much from your website. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYup. That second cookbook is on the way! xoxo! I'll have details as soon as they are available to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting, but since these are recipes I plan to incorporate in our meal plan, I'm going to laminate and seal the cooking instructions and pop them in the bags. Then I just have to label what's in it, and reuse the instructions to make the next batch.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your useful information,i would like to read the 1st book instruction . You can also refer Pickles Packaging Pouches for more information.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if I would still have to use an oxygen remover package if I was packaging in mylar bags but sealing it with my food sealer that is removing the air from the bag.
ReplyDeleteHi do you cool food which has just cooked before sealing in myler bags
ReplyDeleteDo not cook food before storing it in mylar! This is very dangerous for food born illness! ! These meals are dry uncooked ingredients only! No moisture.
ReplyDeleteDo not cook food before storing it in mylar! This is very dangerous for food born illness! ! These meals are dry uncooked ingredients only! No moisture.
ReplyDeleteDo not cook food before storing it in mylar! This is very dangerous for food born illness! ! These meals are dry uncooked ingredients only! No moisture.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Tess! Would your method be effective if I fully cook a meal, cool it quickly, store it in tupperwares and then place those tupperwares into the mylar bags with oxygen absorbers? I'm trying to get my home-prepared meals to last for more than 7 days.
ReplyDeletePlease note that the meals are not dried and I would keep the tupperwares in the fridge in the bag so that it will always be under 40 degrees and therefore not be at risk of food borne illness for a week or two.
Do you think mylar bags will help at all to further increase shelf life beyond the tupperwares? Do you have any thoughts on how I can accomplish this?
Hello! Enjoying all your info! Thanks for all the tips. My question is: If I use a professional vacuum sealer (which we have and use for freezing fresh fruit and veggies from our garden) for the dry-meals in Mylar bags, do I still need the oxygen absorber?
ReplyDeleteQuestion: we have a professional vacuum sealer which we use for freezing fresh fruit and veggies from our garden. If I use the vacuum sealer for the dehydrated meals-in-Mylar-bag, do I still need an oxygen absorber? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello! Enjoying all your info! Thanks for all the tips. My question is: If I use a professional vacuum sealer (which we have and use for freezing fresh fruit and veggies from our garden) for the dry-meals in Mylar bags, do I still need the oxygen absorber?
ReplyDeletethanks
ReplyDelete