You guys, I’ve got the end of summer blues. I know, it probably seems way too early to feel that way, but school starts in just a few weeks here, and that has me feeling like it’s fall already. Growing up we never started school this early. Anyway, it actually isn’t that bad because we’ve been getting a lot done in preparation for the winter months with Food Saver. Which is why we are going to talk about how to freeze corn today. FoodSaver sent over their G3H Vacuum Sealer and it pretty much rocks my world. (This is not a sponsored post, though I did receive the product to review. The opinions and post are completely my own and just something I wanted to share.)
Whenever we hit the end of a season we like to get ready for the next. Like spring cleaning after the long winter, putting away cold weather clothes and getting out summer stuff after spring, and preparing for winter after summer by doing some deep cleaning (like using our fave Soft Scrub Advanced Surface to clean our grill all shiny again, and scrub down the kitchen before and after the cleaning and freezing process so that everything is healthy and safe.) and canning and freezing fresh foods. I’ve kind of become a picky cleaner now that I have kids. I only use certain products and the no name brands just wont do. Soft Scrub is literally the only cleaner I use in my Kitchen and on our grill. I know, picky, but it works the best, doesn’t leave residue and actually cleans the surface so the germs etc aren’t hanging out.
Corn is so delicious all summer long and when winter hits canned corn just doesn’t do it for us. So, instead I like to start freezing my fresh ingredients. Which in the long run actually saves us gobs of money. We buy when produce is fresh and on sale and vacuum seal it for the cold winter months.
First thing, let’s quickly talk about my new obsession. This pretty baby quickly removes the air from their special bags thus helping food to stay fresh 5x longer and because you can quickly save leftovers, fresh foods in season etc you actually end up saving upwards of $2700!!It’s super easy to use, turn it on, put the food in the bag, stick the bag’s end in and it sucks out the air and seals it for you. EASY! You can check out their Facebook Page to see more tips about marinating, making ice packs etc and maybe do like I’m doing this weekend, grab some friends and have a little party getting all of the fresh food ready for the long winter. I know, I sound like I should be on QVC, but I’m serious, I love this thing.
Ok, now I know some of you don’t have a FoodSaver, so you could definitely just suck the air out of the ziploc bags, but clearly it’s totally worth buying this thing.
1. Start by blanching your corn (you can definitely skip this step and just cook the corn all the way when you are ready to use it, but make sure you label which bags you blanch and which you don’t if you go back and forth.) which is heating a pot of water to a boil, and adding a few ears of corn for 4-6 minutes.
2. Quickly take the corn out of the pot and throw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Allow it to cool and remove the corn, drying with a paper towel to remove moisture.
3. Using a sharp knife and a large bowl or bundt pan to catch the kernels, cut the corn off of the cob. Place the corn in a seal-able bag.
4. Place the bag in a FoodSaver and allow it to remove the air and seal the bag, or press out the air yourself and seal shut. Label your bag so you know when you froze the food and you can easily keep track of what needs to be used by when. Ours keeps for up to 12 months!!!
Then you can make delicious meals like…
Honey roasted chicken with a side of corn
Surprise Chili
Loaded Salad with BBQ Ranch
Zucchini and Steak Burrito with Smoky Crema
Fiesta Rice
More CORN RECIPES You Are Sure to Love:
- Secret the the Best Grilled Corn
- Elote Mexican Corn Pasta Salad
- Jalapeno Bacon Elote Mexican Grilled Corn Salad
- Slow Cooker Potato Broccoli Corn Chowder with Bacon
- Cheesy Zucchini Corn Casserole
- Elote Grilled Mexican Corn Salad
- Grilled Corn Avocado Tomato Salad
- Bacon Ranch Corn Dip
- Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
- Mexican Street Corn – Elote
- Fiesta Corn
- Ham Sandwich and Corn Chowder
- Best Creamed Corn
- Cilantro Butter Corn
- Grilled Corn Salad with Black Beans and Rice
- Cheesy Jiffy Cornbread Casserole
- All our SIDE DISHES here!
Ignatius
Hey Carrian and Cade, Your post is really very informative. I love corn but i didn’t know how to preserve it. It’s very helpful for me storing it for long time. Thank you very much for sharing. Thanks Ignatius.
Sweet Basil
You’re so welcome!! Thank you for leaving a comment!
Mariana
This is brilliant. Thank you Carrian for such a great post.
I really like this food saver.
John P. Ihnat
I blanched my sweet corn and placed it into a Food Saver bag and tried to seal with my Model 3800 Food Server Vacuum sealer. The bags did not seal due to the large amount of moisture in the corn. Great idea to vacuum pack all of your corn, but how do you get it to seal with the large amount of moisture in the corn?
Sweet Basil
Are you selecting the moisture option on your food saver? I haven’t ever had an issue, though our corn is always drained so it’s not really as wet as it could be.
John P. Ihnat
I am using the moisture option, but the vacuum pulls the moisture out, fills the sealing unit and leaves wetness on the sealing process. The bags do not seal.
Sweet Basil
Oh no! I’m so sorry John, I’m not sure what the deal is. We haven’t had that issue. The corn must be too wet. 🙁
Haley Miles
Oh really? It’s really can freeze corn and keep it 12 months? How great it is if I can have a vacuum sealer like that. I’ll consider and buying it in this month thanks to your information. It helps a lot.
Deborah R. Holliman
I do not think can be used so long as an article on.These so great.
Justin Burch
I use it to seal plastic, mylar, and Ball jars. You can seal two point size vertically or a quart size leaned over.
These robotic vacuums can be helpful but their maintenance must be very expensive, it is better to rely on standard cleaners, you can also make use of discount deals which a lot of cleaning companies offer.
Jean McRae
This is such a great post. I get o lot of infromation from this post
Nutmeg Nanny
So helpful! I love finding ways to make my food really last 🙂
christina @ The Beautiful Balance
I NEED this FoodSaver in my life asap! Seriously, I have considered buying one multiple times and always talk myself out of it.
Sweet Basil
oh, you HAVE to get it!!!!
Seahare
Have you looked into other vacuum sealer brands? So many people are confusing their excitement with the vacuum sealer process with the machine that has hired marketing companies to inundate the media. Foodsaver and other external suction machines use special bags. U amazon.ca pricing which is the lowest overall in Canada with its free shipping, I charted via Price Book the cost per bag of each size whether precut or rolls, including multiple buys. The cost starts at $0.60 up to $1.25 per bag. The other consumer mode of vacuum sealer is a chamber vacuum, generally costing many thousands of dollars. However VacMaster came out with a consumer model using heavy duty commercial parts six years agp. I really wish they would do better marketing because most moderate to heavy users of external suction machines like Foodsaver will find the lower cost of the chamber vacuum sealer bags (using amazon.ca to keep the playing field fair) average $0.07 to $0.12 per bag in sizes equivalent to the ‘special’ bags needed for Foodsaver.
Two months ago, I bought a $199 Foodsaver. Within a week I was sending it back for a replacement because the seal had developed a bubble that grew over the next 10 seals until it broke the seal line. While waiting for the replacement I researched what was causing the bubble and discovered the inherent weak point of vacuum sealers. Think of the heat to seal two pieces of plastic together as a coarse long hair or filament. (Murdoch Mysteries opening). Over top of that is a piece of fiberglass-reinforced teflon tape that spreads the heat so the plastics are melted together versus melted apart. Both delicate and both susceptible to moisture, dirt, movement. Foodsaver offers no replacement parts. Foodsaver also has more Authorised repair centres. That $0.03 filament dies and the consumer is left with a door stop.
Unless the consumer has a chamber vacuum sealer like the VacMaster vp112. The heat sealing strip is replaceable by the consumer for $35, literally removing strip from slot, drop in new one. And ending up with a practically new acting machine. A chamber vacuum sealer handles liquids with no special loops or hoops. Same with moist meats, vegetables. Check out YouTube.
And here’s the kicker that stops people from buying. In Canada it costs $799 ($599US). BUT let me show you why the VacMaster is the better buy. At $0.07 per bag, or $70 per thousand (remember I’m talking moderate to heavy user) it will cost $588 in Foodsaver bags, using the lower $0.60 per bag. So there is near $600 savings when taxes are figured in on the $512 difference, in the first year of bags. So, in real money, that $799 machine now costs the same as a Foodsaver the first year (or summer gardening season) and continues to save at least $500 or more each year after that.
I apologise for the length. I’m not affiliated with VacMaster, merely a happy owner of a vp112 who regrets thinking foodsaver was the only consumer ‘affordable’ option.
Sweet Basil
That sounds awesome!! I’ll totally have to look into that. THanks for the thoughtful comment. I love it!
Seahare
The second last line of the second long paragraph should say there are NO Authorised repair centres, not more.
As you might have picked up, I’m ecstatic with the vacuum sealer process. But it didn’t take long before the miser in me wondered what it was costing me to resealing bulk purchases in foodsaver bags. I soon saw not all bulk purchases were an economic saving once I factored in the cost of the bags. A five pound buy of ground beef @ ten cents less for the family pack isn’t such a great deal when I repackage four of those pounds in the cheapest Foodsaver option of sixty cents per bag or $1.25 per bag for the new Liquid Lock. Ouch! The other cost to factor in, to get the lowest cost on Foodsaver bags via the rolls is the double duty sealing at two ends versus the one on bags when it’s the sealing strip that is the most vulnerable to breakage.
By the time I figured out the math, I was three days past amazon’s return period.
Anyway, take a look at the VacMaster on YouTube. Almost better than netflix :-). I’m looking forward to garden harvest. Great site.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
I have a Foodsaver and they’re fantastic! Especially great for freezing pricey cuts of meat and fish without having it ruined with freezer burn. I never considered corn – brilliant!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
I totally need a foodsaver now!! Thanks for sharing the tips on preserving best summer eats, Carrian 🙂
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
I need to get a FoodSaver. This is such a great idea.
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch
Great post! I can just smell that fresh corn after you’ve cut if off the cob. Home grown corn tastes so amazing. This reminds me of those summers as a little girl “helping” my grandmother as she cut off mounds and mounds of corn to freeze! Great memories!
Tieghan
This is such a great post, Carrian!! First of all I need that food saver. What and awesome little machine! And second, freezing corn? such a great idea, especially since I have been all over corn this summer! Thank you this post!