The short answer
- Cooked leftovers keep 8–12 days sealed in the fridge instead of 2–3 (LAVA's figures), or months frozen.
- Food gifts made ahead: gravlax, pastrami, coffee, sealed and labelled.
- Cards, children's drawings, photos and silver jewellery stay flat, dry and untarnished.
- In the summer heat: everything into the fridge quickly.
Leftovers
Seal soon, in portions
Once the meal is over, let leftovers cool quickly, then seal them in meal-size portions. In the fridge, cooked dishes keep 8–12 days sealed instead of 2–3 (LAVA's shelf-life figures); frozen, for months.
Helps: R-Vac bags
Gravy, sauces, soup
Freeze them for a couple of hours in a container or the open bag, then seal; or keep them in a vacuum container.
Salads and sides
Into a vacuum container rather than a bag, so they aren't crushed.
Helps: ES-Line containers
Food gifts, made ahead
- Gravlax or cured trout Sealed slices with a jar of honey-mustard sauce. Gravlax
- Pastrami Sealed on a thin board, it travels well. Pastrami
- Coffee Freshly roasted beans in a sealed metallised bag. Storing coffee
Keepsakes
- 1
Cards and drawingsSealed flat, they stay dry and uncreased until next year.
- 2
SilverJewellery and good cutlery sealed away from the air tarnish much more slowly.
- 3
Soft decorations onlyTinsel and fabric decorations pack flat; glass baubles would be crushed by the vacuum.
Summer heat and leftovers. Cooked food shouldn't sit out on a hot day: get it into the fridge within two hours, sooner when it's hot. Vacuum sealing slows spoilage, but sealed food still needs the fridge or freezer.
LAVA AustraliaOfficial LAVA distributor and vacuum-packaging specialists since 2018.
