By: hachiko

hachiko — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:19:16 +0000

just cook your own rice from its raw form
then eat it cold or put it into a pot and heat it over a fire when you’re gonna eat

By: Toffy

Toffy — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:01:40 +0000

Excellent Question.
The vacuum sealer bags I get are food safe, for boiling in the bags to reheat, or thaw and heat in boiling water then pour out and eat. As for the BPA I don’t know. Honestly, taking out all the air should preserve the food from the bacteria, if you bag and seal properly and when the food is boiling hot. Waiting for it to cool first (uncovered) leaves it open to the air which has bacteria, yeast etc in the air we breathe. That is all natural and our bodies can with-stand that, but in the case of food, it will cause that airborne stuff to cling to the food and can cause early spoilage.
Theoretically, the complete and proper vacuum sealing of the foods should protect the food from spoilage. Sometimes I don’t allow enough extra bag (trying to conserve) for the vacuuming to be done right. The foods you mention that is sold without refrigeration, and without checking the ingredients for preservatives makes me think that yes some type of preservative is used. Something as natural as a bath in Citric Acid will help to keep colors from darkening, and does help with spoilage. The amounts of citric acid added varies with each individual item bathed. Vinegar’s acidic value is also useful as a bacteria deterrent. Again that varies with individual food and the amounts of vinegar.
Personally, I think I would try bagging up rice, vacuum seal it, leave it on the counter for 2-4 days then open up the bag and check it for smell, texture, and moisture. If it smells off, gets mushy, and is sticky to the touch it is spoiled, and of course would need to be preserved with some kind of additive. Again, I would try that with the beans as well.
Additives can be natural and from the earth as well.
I know there are “natural” additives out there as I have ordered these “Miracle Noodles” which are not refrigerated and keep for months and up to a year on the shelf. (I research the liquid the noodles came packed in, and it was very natural, and allowed by Federal Regulations to be used for food) The noodles came with explicit instructions as to the washing of the noodles then rinsing for 5 full minutes. Yes you needed to do that, because the natural liquid that is used in the noodles….is the nastiest smelling stuff you can imagine. Rinsing under cold running water for the full time is required if you intended to eat the rubber noodles. Lots of plus’ in the type of noodles sold as Miracle Noodles, but we couldn’t get thru the rubbery texture. No calories, or cholesterol was why I bought them. I made my husband eat them 3 times before he said no more, send them back.
Good luck, as you have an excellent idea.

Comments on: Can You Vacuum Seal Cooked Rice And Not Keep Refridgerated?

By: hachiko

By: Toffy