I go shopping. I plonk most of the food and drinks into my 12-volt camp fridge. Then I tootle off into the bush. What can I say? I am a simple travelling man! That works for me most of the…
I go shopping. I plonk most of the food and drinks into my 12-volt camp fridge. Then I tootle off into the bush. What can I say? I am a simple travelling man!
That works for me most of the time. But, sometimes, I tie my food into those thin plastic freezer bags. Sometimes those bags rip, tear or get pierced. Then the food juices enjoy a free-for-all torrent to the bottom of my now sloshy fridge… yuck!
Over the years, I’ve found butchers that cryovac meat purchased at their store. This allows unfrozen meat to be kept for many months if needed. This has worked a treat on my extended travels, negating the need to freeze the meat. Also, given those plastic wrappings are much sturdier, I’ve not had any juicy accidents with that method.
About 12 months ago, I purchased a KickAss Outback Proof Gear 12/240-volt wet and dry vacuum sealer. It essentially does the same job as the butcher’s industrial cryovacing machines in that it sucks all the air out of the plastic bag; then heat seals it completely. Given the vacuuming effect, meats and most foods will last an extended time unfrozen in a fridge. In addition, the thicker, sturdier plastic ensures no leakage from torn bags. With a permanent Texta and scribbling on each bag, I can quickly locate whatever meal I want without too much fridge opening times.
I’ve used my KickAss vacuum sealer mostly at home via 240volts. But it’s equally as handy on the road with its 12-volt ciggie socket. The unit comes with both leads. I find this exceptionally handy when restocking partway through a trip. With the ability to suck down the contents, the system, in effect, allows more compact storage of food, or entertains more food into the same available space, given you are not losing space in semi-filled plastic containers.
With its wet and dry sealing function, premade meals of soups, curries or any other sloppy, liquid meals (you can tell I’m no gourmet cook, eh), as well as smelly fish, meats or fruits, are conveniently packaged into a minimum volume and easily laid flat and stacked in my fridge. Dry foods like nuts, trail mixes and the like utilise the ‘dry’ mode with an equally easy sealing to keep the contents fresh and crunchy.
I also ticked the box for a roll of plastic bagging, compared to specific-sized bags. This returns less bag waste, given I can cut the bag roll into smaller sections to seal any sized piece of food, then heat seal as needed.
So far, the wide heat-sealing system has proven leak free, the vacuuming effect… well… really sucks, and the ease of use means I use it more often.
While a freezer section of a fridge may well, in part, negate the need for a vacuum sealer, there are still plenty of reasons to utilise it; plus, I have only had a single zone fridge with no freezer section. So yep, it may be considered just another gadget to cart around, but given the benefits of using it on longer road trips, I reckon it’s one well worth packing.
For more information, check out www.kickassproducts.com.au or call (07) 3063 4211.
