6 foods you should never vacuum pack

After the invention of refrigerators and freezers, preserving foodstuffs by vacuum-packing them still remains popular practice. In fact, vacuum-packing allows us to keep foods fresh for longer periods than they would keep in a fridge. And vacuum-packed foods take up much less space (which is useful if we chose to use freezer space to freeze them).

Because it is so handy, many people now have a vacuum packing machine at home and they are readily available to buy online. But when and what should we not vacuum-pack? Here are some foodstuffs that cannot be stored this way:

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• Cheeses with moldy rinds: certain semi-mature cheeses and those with a soft texture that have a whitish and slightly moldy rind (think of brie and toma cheese), cannot be vacuum-packed. Doing so would spoil the texture and taste. For these cheeses, you need to use cheese paper, which will preserves them for a week without any problems. The important thing is to ensure the cheese does not dry out through exposure to air.
• Fresh cheeses: it is preferable not to vacuum pack very fresh, wet, soft cheeses (like mozzarella or ricotta). These cheeses must be consumed quickly, generally within 2-4 days from purchase.
• Fresh mushrooms: you wouldn't think so, but mushrooms spoil faster when vacuum packed. It is best to keep them in the fridge and consume them quickly. However, mushrooms can be frozen to preserve them for longer (and should be cooked from frozen).
• Fresh bananas: if you have any leftover bananas, unfortunately vacuum packing is not the solution. Like mushrooms, bananas will rot quickly in a vacuum.
• Whole apples: apples can be vacuum packed, but only if sliced and sprinkled with lemon juice first, which will preserve them better.
• Onions and garlic: as in the case of mushrooms, these vegetables, once vacuum-packed, can be affected by the growth of bacteria. It's best to store onions and garlic in the open air until they're sliced or peeled.

Cold cuts, mature cheeses, certain types of meat and fresh fish - all of these can be vacuum-packed with no problem. How often do you use vacuum-packed goods?