Vacuum canning powdered milk

[faif2d]

I have some #10 cans of powdered milk but want to do some vacuum caned quart jars using my food saver jar attachment. I fear that the powder would make a huge mess and my thought was to top the almost full jar of powder with a coffee filter. My hope is that this will trap the dust during the draw down and allow me to store this in smaller sizes. The #10 cans are supposed to be good for 20 years so I feel this would be good for at least 10 years. What are the thoughts of the rest of you folks and or have any of you come up with a way to "can" powders like milk and flower?

[Raven21633]

I haven't tried Powdered Milk, but when I vac-can flour I just fill my jar, leaving the same headspace I would if I were canning with my boiler bath or pressure canner. I don't usually have much problem with fogging.

[faif2d]

Thanks for the reply. I will give this a try in the next few weeks when I get back to Sam's Club.

[Raven21633]

The main thing I do is while filling the jar I shake the jar a bit to remove any dead spaces. Once it's as full as I want it, I let it sit for a minute or two to let the flour "settle down" a bit. Again I always leave about 1" of headspace and when I'm vaccing the jar I don't move or shake the jar.

[Raven21633]

faif2d, how did that work for you?

I got to thinking about what you said about coffee filters, and I think the easiest way to do it (though I haven't tried it yet) would be to buy the small round filters, about the size of a mason jar lid, and lay it on TOP of the lid just before you put the jar-sealer attachment onto the jar. This would trap anything that might fog out before it enters the vac-sealer

Edited September 14, 2010 by Raven21633

[faif2d]

Alas, I have progressed not one bit. I was to Sam's only once and forget to get the powdered milk. Since I have the #10 cans it is not a high priority but it does need to get done. Raven I like your idea of putting something on the outside of the lid. I may try cutting one out of the large coffee filters that I have. I have a bunch and plan on using them for a pre filter for the Berky water filter so I can afford to sacrifice a few.

[yorkiebeebs]

My experience with vac sealing my quart jars of anything powdery hasn't been good. When I turn the food vac on it naturally pulls the air out but with it the powder. Even if the jars seal they don't seem to hold it.

added..I've had excellent results with everything else and have just decided to use other methods for the powdery things.

[Raven21633]

Yeah that might work. When you first mentioned it I didn't think about the powder getting on the rim and breaking the seal. I was thinking about it getting into your sealer. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

Yeah I've never tried powered milk but have pretty good success with flour just by leaving about a 2 inch headspace. In fact I'm going to be doing up some more flour as soon as I get my O2 absorbers from EE. :)

[barbiejo1]

I am still pretty new about storing foods in Mason Jars, when you store flour, dry milk doi need to put a O2 absorber in the Jar before i seal it with my food saver vac.

[yorkiebeebs]

From what I understand, you use an oxygen absorber for all dry things except sugar. Sugar products will harden if you use an oxygen absorber. If I'm wrong please someone jump in and let me know. That's what I'm doing.

[faif2d]

I finally got around to doing this. I purchased some 1/2 gal Ball jars and did 17 jars. I left about 1 1/2 inch of head space and used coffee filters on the first 2. They were fine and I could see no fogging so the rest I just left the head space. I did wipe off the rim really good but did not heat the lids. Hope they stay sealed!! 2 days later and they are still sealed.

Edited August 27, 2011 by faif2d
update

[arwenmark]

You do NOT need to use an oxygen absorber if you are sealing your mason jars with a vacuum sealer only if you are NOT using one in which case you put in the dry food, add the oxygen absorber and then put on the lid and ring, once the jar seals tight from the O packet you remove the ring.

Also I have used the coffee filter idea with flour, not milk yet but same consistency and it worked fine. also if your food saver has a dry rather then wet setting use that.