Guide for troubleshooting possible reasons why a vacuum sealed can looses its seal.
Which Products are Compatible with That Seals It!
That Seals It! is a patented vacuum lid system for sealing #10 sized cans. To use our lids, you will need a #10 can and a vacuum pump. You probably already have both. Let's talk about the products that can be used with That Seals It! vacuum lids.
#10 Cans
Vacuum Lids designed to seal #10 sized cans
The term "Number 10 Can", #10 Can, or “10 pound can” refers to a size of can (See our post about it here). #10 is a popular size for freeze dried food storage products. That Seals It! can be used with any container that is this size. Be sure to check the rim of the container for any nicks, cracks, or debris. Anything that prevents the lid from sealing to the rim will allow air to leak out and the lid won't work. This shouldn't be a problem, but just make sure and check.
#10 cans are also commonly used with bulk foods. Once you have opened that can of nacho cheese, you can vacuum-seal it until next time. Once the cheese is gone, wash out the can and use it to re-seal anything you like (we recommend vacuum sealing brown sugar, it never gets hard!)
Vacuum Pump
This Sucks! manual vacuum pump & electric bag sealer
That Seals It! is compatible with manual or electric vacuum pumps. In order to create the seal, you need a way to remove the air. You may already have a pump, just make sure it is the kind that pulls air out, not pushes it in.
This Sucks! vacuum pump has dual chambers to quickly remove air
That Seals It! vacuum lid, clear canister plugged into electric bag sealer
That Seals It! is also compatible with most electric vacuum pumps that have an accessory port. We personally use the Food Saver brand. We have not had the opportunity to test every available electric vacuum pump. If you have a different brand that you use with That Seals It! lids, we want to hear from you!
That Seals It! vacuum lids work with all products sold in #10 cans
That Seals It! Vacuum Lids were designed with large freeze dried or powdered food storage cans in mind. Our lids seal freeze dried products by the following brands:
Augason Farms
Thrive Life
Morning Moo
Patriot Pantry
Emergency Essentials
Chef-Mate
Mountain House
Nutristore
Saratoga Farms
True Harvest
Nutrient Survival
Survival Cave
Ready Hour
Idaho Pacific
Deseret Farms
Bulk food cans sold at Costco and Sam’s Club (such as Del-monte and Chef-Mate)
Industrial sized cans sold at restaurant supply stores (such as Contadina, Hunt’s, Furmano’s, Heinz, Al Dente, Stanislaus, Escalon, Regal, Port Royal, Sunfield, Celebrity, Musselman’s, Carnival King, Real Fresh, Del-Destino, Del Sol, Bella Vista, Allen’s, Silver Floss, Star Cross, Silver Fleece, Margaret Holmes, Goya, Libby’s, Stella, Lucky Leaf, and more!)
Any No 10 Sized Can!
We are adding to this list all of the time as we discover new brands. So check back or drop us a line if you want to know if our lids will work for you.
How to Rotate Your Food Storage with That Seals It!
We all know that food storage is important, but it is also very expensive. Did you know that food storage has a shelf life and will go bad just sitting in storage? With grocery prices rising, it's a good time to start rotating your food storage into your routine. But how? What on earth are you going to do with a whole container or dehydrated shredded potatoes?
With That Seals It! you don't have to worry about using an entire container right away. You can start incorporating your food storage into meals your family already eats and enjoys. Experiment with replacing ingredients with freeze-dried products. You may only use a tablespoon now, but with vacuum sealing, you can be sure that the powdered milk will still be fresh next time you want to add some to your baked goods (highly recommended by the way!)
Start bringing those #10 cans up from the basement and play around with them in the kitchen. Kids who are resistant to fresh fruits and veggies will snack on dehydrated strawberries and bananas like candy!
That Seals It! vacuum lid is a must have for your kitchen
Vacuum sealing decreases oxygen and moisture which contribute to spoilage. With your open cans sealed and visible on the pantry shelf, you are more likely to use and enjoy the food you have already purchased. With regular use, you will learn which products you and your family enjoy most so you can build a food storage that is perfect for your needs and avoid buying products you won't use.
That Seals It! Vacuum Lid, Clear Canister and #10 Can
That Seals It! offers just a single lid if you are starting out with vacuum sealing or 5 lid pack for regular rotation of your favorite food storage products. Vacuum lids are also great for re-using empty #10 cans (hint, we love to vacuum seal fresh produce in the fridge for extra long life and crisp veggies any time!)
Check out our post on Vacuum Sealing Fresh Fruit to see the results of our experiments with extending the life of produce under vacuum seal in the refrigerator (Spoiler! It’s amazing)
What is a #10 Can?
That Seals It! products are meant to be used with #10 cans (sometimes said number 10, No. 10, or 10 pound can.) So, what is a #10 can and how is it different from other cans? Well, a #10 can just refers to a certain size of can. #10 is the most common size used for freeze-dried food storage products. It's also pretty commonly used for bulk canned foods found at Costco or Sam's Club (think canned peaches or nacho cheese.)
Common Sized Cans. The #10 is the largest can on the left-hand side.
If you already use #10 sized cans, you know how intimidating it is to open one up. "How am I possibly going to use all of this powdered butter?!" With vacuum sealing, you can be confident that the contents of the can will stay fresher longer.
If you don't already use #10 sized cans, there are so many benefits to purchasing in bulk! It is often significantly less expensive to buy bulk and the tin cans make great storage when they are empty.
How much does a #10 can hold?
Our patented vacuum lid system is specifically designed to fit #10 cans. The lid fits right on the can, you pump out the air with a manual or electric pump, and the contents are securely re-sealed and kept fresh for storage.
Vacuum Seal Fresh Fruit
Use That Seals It! to extend the life of fresh fruits
The seasonal progression from Winter to Spring to Summer brings with it longer, warmer days and welcomed dietary options, like fresh fruits! Two of my favorites are strawberries and grapes, which I buy in abundance, along with apples, pineapples and bananas. I make an easy-to-prep fruit salad that has become a mainstay. Simply mix cut fruit (enough for a bowl full) with 6-8 heeeeaping tablespoons of Greek vanilla yogurt (SAM’s Club)!
As may be the case with you, I’ve found that, even keeping the fruit in the fruit drawer of the fridge, most fruits start showing signs of decay after just a week. Refrigeration tends to dry out produce. Awhile back I started vacuum sealing my strawberries in a #10 sized can and storing it in the ice box. Prior to then it was always the case that the last strawberries were pretty leathery, the leaves browned and dried out, often with some mold growing. Since I started vacuum sealing, the berries can easily go 2+ weeks with very minimal signs of aging!
I decided to document the experience. On April 21st I created two test samples using strawberries and grapes. For the first sample I put a bunch of grapes and a few strawberries in the fruit drawer in the fridge. The second sample went into a #10 can, vacuum sealed with my THAT SEALS IT! vacuum lid. Then I waited. Here’s what I found on May 2nd (11 days later):
Vacuum sealed fruit vs stored open in the fridge
Left = fruit drawer in refrigerator Right = vacuum sealed & refrigerated.
You can see the berries on the left are showing signs of age, while the fruit on the right looks great. Check out the condition of the green leaves. Note the blueish mold on one of the grapes on the left and the grape that is obviously shriveled.
Grapes kept in a refrigerator produce drawer
Grapes vacuum sealed with That Seals It!
Strawberries kept in a refrigerator produce drawer
Strawberries vacuum sealed with That Seals It!
Ok, I’ve saved the best for last!
While working on this blog I realized that I had unintentionally omitted what is probably the most commonly consumed fruit - the cherished banana! In fact my daughter told me she recently read an articles that claims that Walmart reports that bananas are it's #1 item sold!
Nanas have so much going for them: They don’t seem to have an off season, as they are available year round at the grocery store; they are the ultimate grab-n-go snack; everyone loves them (well, I can name one person who doesn’t); nanas don’t have an over-powering attitude and get along well with most all other fruits.
However, we all are painfully aware of our little yellow friend’s downside...he tends to brown up and gets mushy quite quickly. Good thing someone invented banana bread and smoothies!
I decided to take a bit more time and test the vacuum process with these guys as well. On May 3rd I quarantined one in an empty plastic grape container with a note saying “Test banana! Please don’t eat !” The other went into a #10 can, under vacuum. Both were left on the counter until today, May 10th.
I gotta say, the results of this experiment were the most striking of all! Here are the before & after beauty shots:
Bananas before aging
Bananas after aging (one was vacuum sealed)
Pretty dramatic results! Right?! Evidence of ripening can be seen with the banana on the right; a bit of a yellow hue starting to develop. The meat is still quite firm, unlike that of the well-ripened fruit on the left.
Guess which one I ate with my Cheerios for breakfast? Nope, the one on the left. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to slice up the good looking one. Though the peel was uninviting and the meat was kinda soft, the visibly aged banana was by no means a total loss. Plus I can’t stand to see food go to waste.
His fresher friend I put back under vacuum. I’m curious to see how long this one will go.
Here's how I went about using the THAT SEALS IT! system to preserve fresh fruit:
#10 can with gallon size baggie as a liner
First, I used a gallon-sized bag as a liner. Most cans are already coated from the factory with a treatment that is used for containers destined for contact with food. I simply wanted to A)- make it easy to get the fruit in/out and B)- I wanted to avoid having to clean up any accidental fruit mess inside the can. As it turned out there wasn't any mess, thanks in large measure to the vacuum preservation.
#10 can filled with grapes
#10 can filled with strawberries
Then I loaded the can with fruit and vacuum sealed it.
The THAT SEALS IT! vacuum system has proven to be an invaluable kitchen tool. I store my brown sugar under vacuum and it never gets hard (I don't even use one of those moisture stones or a piece of bread!).
I have a FoodSaver® bag sealer, so I leverage the auxiliary vacuum port to provide the vacuum pressure. This makes it more convenient and saves time. Connect the vacuum lid to the Foodsaver®, push the button and move on to other things.
There is a manual pump product called THIS SUCKS! that works great and is a good option if you don’t have an electric sealer. 10-15 strokes of the pump produces good vacuum. THIS SUCKS! also works great with the Foodsaver® zippered vacuum bags.
THAT SEALS IT! lids and a THIS SUCKS! pump are no brainers for your semi-long term food storage and e-prep.
Unfortunately, Summer never lasts as long as we wish it would. Help your favorite fruits hang around longer so you can enjoy them more. Prolong their fresh appearance and tastiness by vacuum sealing them.