How do you get ahead in food prep!?

[yasi]

I am feeding 4 on raw and I really have a hard time making enough to get ahead. I can make 3 or 4 trays of thick crackers and they will only last 1 or 2 days. I can make double recipe of the Sweet and Sour Neatballs from The Complete Book of Raw Food and they will last for dinner and lunch the next day. If I make onion bread, it is gone right away. I can't seem to make enough of something to actually store to have on hand. I am getting frustrated!

[exurb]

I feel your pain! I find that for myself I would just eat simple things to not have to go through all that prep. To feed others on raw seems to necessitate getting close to the satisfyingness of their previous diet.

Two things help me. I get up early on Saturday morning in solitude and make a few recipes for later in the week. Crackers, pizza crusts, raw bread, etc. I know it sounds like your brood will munch through all those as soon as they get up.

The other thing that helps me is I have in addition to an inexpensive American Harvest, I have an oven that actually has a built in dehydrator feature, temp controlled and all with fan convection, so I have some overflow "dehydrator" space.

I would suggest to try to fill them up with recipes that won't always require your dehydrator, then maybe they'll be easier to make in higher quantities. Things that prepare faster. Some things like this may be guacamole and cut veggies, sprouted barley chili, or sprouted lentil dishes, waldorf salad with walnuts, apples, celery, raw mayo... etc...

Maybe count your blessings: at least you don't have a brood that goes "ew, I'm not going to eat that" where it's a struggle to get them to eat.

[Rubyred]

Well, it sounds like you're doing something right if your food is disappearing so fast!

I don't cook for so many, but, I used to use a system from a cookbook called Once a Month Cooking. You basically spend one or two days making recipes and freeze. Why the system doesn't work as well for a lot of raw recipes it does pretty well for others. I will often make a double recipe and freeze most of it. While it may lose some nutrients at least I always have healthy food on hand, and I don't notice any difference in taste from a thawed recipe in most cases. (Sometimes a texture may change)

[spiralgirl]

yasi,

I had to make a week worth's of meals for 3 at a camp I was at and I spend many days prepping things. If I'm making crackers for a lot I make 9 trays worth as I have the 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator.

Finding recipes that don't involve dehydrating would help though. I'm hoping to get Alissa's book soon and have heard she has several recipes that don't involve the dehydrator.

[yasi]

The non-dehydrated recipes are our staple, but my kids (mostly the 5 yr old but a little bit the 3 yr old) and my dh sometimes want things that are reminiscent of their old food. My kids miss bread (PBJ) and crackers. They do spend most of their eating time eating salads, whole fruits, and green smoothies, but being kids, I haven't to have quick easy to grab and take with us to the park foods, pack in the lunch foods, etc. I just can't keep up! There are only so many incarnations of salad for dinner that they will tolerate!

[crystalmoon]

Hi how about making your own larabar type bars & storing in fridge individually wrapped, these dont need a dehydrator. Hummus keeps in fridge for about 3-4 days maybe a batch of that with already cut up crunchy veg would please them as a snack? Seed pates also keep well.
I also keep some of the prepared snacks out of sight until Im ready for my 'locusts' to finish them off LOL

[baltochef]

Yasi

I commented on another thread about the complete lack of sample workflows in every raw cookbook that I have read as regards to prepping food for ones self, or for a family..

I am a single professional chef who to owns most of the appliances & tools mentioned in raw cookbooks..I have given considerable thought to how to feed more than myself eating 100% raw..

I live in a row house in Baltimore with a 1952-era kitchen..One designed by a male architect with (in my opinion) NO knowlrdge of what cooking for a family of 4-6 (average size of families in those days) entailed!!..In other words, a poorly designed kitchen with minimal workspace, & inefficient workflow..

I would compare the size of this kitchen to that typically found today in many smaller homes & apartments..

If I was a stay-at-home mom (or dad) who had to cook for myself & a spouse & 2 kids I would find it difficult to put the kinds of meals on the table that are published in all the cookbooks on the market..And I have way above average skills when it comes to organization, knife handling, etc..

The older the kids were, the greater their appetites, & the more that they ate, the harder I would find the job of feeding them to be..When you take into account that several generaions of kids (adults) have been raised to eat with little or no restraint, until they are sated, a cooks job is that much harder..

I have read thousands of posts on various raw forums, & a constantly echoed theme / complaint with mothers seems to be how quickly things coming out of the dehydrator are devoured..

To those not actually using the dehydrator, they seem quite large, especially the 9 tray models..Until you start to work with one & realise how much food really fits in them, & the limitations of using one..

For those foods that are shallow enough to allow the use of all 5, 7, or 9 trays, the entire inside of the machine is being used..Some creations will only allow the use of 2-3 trays in a 9 tray dehydrator in order to have proper air flow around the food..This limits how much a cook can produce at one time..

I am certain that most people have little idea how many potatoes are required to create a large sized bag of potato chips..A lot!!..We all know how quickly a large bag of chips can dissappear..Now consider how much time & work is involved in filling that same bag with a high-quality raw cracker..About the same amount of, or perhaps slightly less work, but WAY more time..Perhaps as much as 10-15 times as much time depending on the moisture content before dehydration starts..

As far as I am concerned, virtually all of the meals in these books were created to mimic as closely as possible the very raw foods that we raw foodists are trying to eliminate from our diets..

I believe this to be because of the difficulty involved in transitioning from a 100% SAD diet to a raw diet that is from 80% to 100% raw (every raw foodist's supposed goal?)..Because our brains & bodies are craving those foods high in sugar, carbs, & fat with which we are familiar; most of the recipes reflect similar levels of sugar, carbs, & fats..Healthier versions of sugar, carbs, & fats, but sugar, carbs , & fats just the same..

In creating raw versions of the foods that we are trying to give up the raw chef is adding time, usually substantially more time to the creation process..

If I was the personal raw chef for a family of 5 with 2 adults (moderately active to active), and three kids aged 5 (active boy), 11 (active girl), & 17 (active boy playing sports) who craved & or demanded at least 50% of their raw diet to mimic high carb SAD foods (pizza, breads, crackers, etc. along with luscious desserts) I would want the following equipment list..The following equipment would be utilized from 4-8 hrs a day, 5 days per week..

I won't take the time to list all of the small hand tools, knives, etc. just the large pieces of hand & electrical equipment that will save a lot of time if properly utilized in a kitchen large enough to take advantage of them..

1. Two spice grinders--one for spices, one for seeds, nuts, grains
2. 3-cup food processor
3. 7-cup food processor
4. 14-cup food processor
5. 21-cup food processor
6. Vita-Prep 3 blender w/ spare 64 oz. jar, 32 oz. jar, & scrapers
7. Breville Citrus Juicer
8. One of the better twin-screw juicers (no preference, I don't own one)
9. 3-5 Excalibur 9-tray dehydrators w/ extra screens & non-stick sheets
10. Small & large Japanese mandolines
11. Japanese horizontal turning slicer
12. Bamboo rolling mat for sushi
13. Ceramic knives
14. Large ceramic ginger grater
15. Ceramic hand slicer & hand julienner
16. Fine & coarse Microplane hand graters
17. Tortilla press
18. Large granite mortar & pestle
19. 4-8 Easy Sprout sprouters
20. Soehnle kitchen scale
21. Pasta machine
22. Table-top electric slicer (quickly slice veggies w/less damage than F.P.)

This probably seems like a dream, luxury list to most people..I own everything but the two largest processors, the slicer, the ceramic knives & julienners, the Japanese mandolines, & the twin-screw juicer..With the exception of the slicer & the two largest processors I have tools that take the place of the resr..For those items listed in multiples, I own a single unit..Most of this equipment is the result of 25 years of X-Mas presents (how long I've training to be or been a chef), inherited, or tools I've bought myself as technology has progressed..

I would consider only the slicer, the 21-cup processor, & the pasta machine to be "luxuries"..But, I'd consider everything else mandatory in order to maximize time spent & to improve workflow so as to be able to feed this many people as efficiently as possible..Still, if I could have them I'd defineatly use them regularly..

Of course, with smaller families less equipment would be needed..

Believe me, if you want to save time in the kitchen I see only two choices..

Invest in every labor saving tool that you can afford or, as has been already mentioned, simplify the raw food creation process..

To those women (and it seems to be predominantly women) making raw for themselves, while cooking SAD food for other family members, you have my deepest respect & sympathies..I fully understand how hard it is to be in that situtation..

To my way of thinking, without help from spouses & children to either help prepare the raw food (ideal, then they can eat it too & will appreciate all the work that goes into fixing it), or not to eat what YOU absolutely need to eat in order to stay raw (less ideal as most mothers / fathers would want their spouses & kids to eat raw), the difficulty of switching to a raw diet will be much harder..Overwhelming sometimes, I would guess..

To feed the family listed above in my current kitchen I would need to take over the dining room for sprouting & appliance storage, & set up multiple dehydrators in the basement..And I would insist on the cooperation of my family as well..If I worked a 8 hour job with a 1/2-1 hour commute on both ends, I would be exhausted at the end of every day trying to do so..

Cheers & Good Luck!!!!

Bruce

[shine72]

I don't have everything Bruce listed, and I am feeding a family of five with VERY active 11 yr.old, 10 yr. old, and 8 yr. old. All three of them eat practically ALL of the time. There are days I WISH I had everything Bruce listed though.;) I have been able to make do with one 9-tray dehydrator. I do plan on getting another one though, I'm trying to wait until Alissa comes out with hers. Although, dh has said he has NO problem with us having 3. I do have 3 food processors though, but that's more because one was in storage when I got another one and then got the second one as a backup for classes. If there's a busy food prep day for me though, all three of them are out and in use.

I found for me, I've had to hide some foods after I make them. I know it sounds bad, but if not, my one with autism really would devour it all in one day. I also have a child who doesn't eat what the rest of us eat, so I'm having to make separate raw for him. I have found it helps to make a triple batch of crackers at a time (8 trays worth, cause I like mine thin), at LEAST a triple batch of onion bread (6 trays worth), and the like. Another thing you can do is see which recipes will easily feed a multitude. Alissa's chili and calzones come to mind. Make a double batch when you make these and you have food for days when coupled with fruits, smoothies, veggies/dips, salads. I always try to have a dessert of one form or another ready to go too. That can be as simple as making ice cream in the FP, which takes minutes, really, just a few minutes.

Try to make things that are filling when you do the dehydrated stuff. The calzone is very satisfying. Also, you can make Alissa's HM dressing and BBQ chicken fingers and wrap them in the onion bread and that is VERY satisfying. Try to serve a couple of flaxseed crackers WITH the salad, so they aren't just eating the crackers by themselves. Oh, and the eggless egg salad on the onion bread is divine!:D

I hope some of this helps. It's what came to mind immediately. Also, it helps if you get one of your kids to start making stuff too. My oldest now makes our Date Nut Tortes, our Taco Meat, and loads of other foods too.

HTH!:D

[justinesmith]

Listen to Ms. Shine ~ she knows of what she speaks (and I've seen her in action)!! :D

[exurb]

Bruce, thanks for your brilliant post.

Also, in thinking of 1952, think about how different their food was!!! My god, they had almost none of the foods we eat today, no sundried tomatoes, no lemongrass, coconut, etc., no balsamic vinegar, no nothing, basic, basic, basic.

Roast beef, potatoes, a frozen veg on the side, that was it. An iceberg lettuce if you were lucky!

I am in the process of installing a full fridge beside a full freezer. Even when I have no "food" in the house, my current normal fridge seems all full of all these "ingredients." I have cupboards galore full of all sorts of gourmet stuff, a ridiculous amount of dishes, prep stuff, etc...

Geez, this is making me long for the simple days!!

When I lived in LA, I lived in a big 1930s-1940s era mansion, and in it was this tiny old unit which was a sink, small fridge, stove, all in one. The whole unit measured 6 feet from left to right, about 3 feet tall, 2-1/2 feet deep, and that was your whole "kitchen" in a gorgeous three story 6500 square foot house. I loved that thing, hope it's still there!!! I think that's just reflective of the way people cooked, not like we cook today, eating at all these great restaurants and different world cuisines and expecting to replicate that at home.

Now I'm pining for that simplicity!!

LOL, since I have a pasta machine, (the one that goes on the kitchen aid), you've got me intrigued, what would you do with it, actually fabricate some raw pasta other than spiralized veggies? OOOHH please do tell!

Also Bruce's post re-iterated that yasi possibly needs more than one dehydrator, if she's complaining of not having enough crackers and bread.

I like my American Harvest, It is inexpensive and maybe it's not a bad idea for yasi to pick up another one and have the "dueling dehydrators" going all the time.

Oh, and Bruce, When is your Raw cookbook coming out, put me on the list to get one!!!

[Dj 247]

When my kids were home we had meals and snacks. They did not eat all day long. I have to admit it was mostly SAD food (did not know about eating raw). I really think that this worked well and could work for the raw food diet. I know that most people say eat what you want when you want as long as it is raw, but I think children and even some adults need a more scheduled eating program. Some times eating all the time has more to do with entertainment than a need for food. Also if people eat a lot of dehydrated food they are more thirsty and need to take in more water. I wonder if they might be mistaking hunger for thirst. I understand that some times people have special needs, but most people do not have to graze all day. I believe people need to feel hungry. Food taste so much better when we eat when we are hungry.

[shine72]

When my kids were home we had meals and snacks. They did not eat all day long. I have to admit it was mostly SAD food (did not know about eating raw). I really think that this worked well and could work for the raw food diet. I know that most people say eat what you want when you want as long as it is raw, but I think children and even some adults need a more scheduled eating program. Some times eating all the time has more to do with entertainment than a need for food. Also if people eat a lot of dehydrated food they are more thirsty and need to take in more water. I wonder if they might be mistaking hunger for thirst. I understand that some times people have special needs, but most people do not have to graze all day. I believe people need to feel hungry. Food taste so much better when we eat when we are hungry.


I know for my kids, and I can only speak for mine, they truly ARE hungry even on the days where it seems like they're eating all day. Heck, I've been raw for almost 9 months and I had a day the other day where I was seemily eating all day long! Those days aren't very often for me, but I had one nonetheless. Oh, and given how kids bodies grow and develop, grazing all day or having days where it seems all they do is eat, is common whether raw or SAD. I would rather for my kids, it be raw.;) Most kids actually do do better with grazing all day, the ones I've seen anyway. The two times Miss Justine was at my house with her two darling girls, they didn't sit down to a big meal at any time. They played their little hearts out, would come and eat until they were satisfied, not stuffed, and then go back to playing. I see that as being a more natural order for children to eat. Cause they actually LISTEN to their body cues much better than we adults tend to.

I say this, not to start a debate, but to just point out what I've seen not only in my own children when eating raw, but in others also.

HTH!:D

[Allison]

I think I can speak to this somewhat, as I have twelve children, some who are all raw and some who are high raw. We own a Vitamix, food processor, and dehydrator and mangage just fine.

I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but it does get easier. We do have rules in the house, and everyone has to follow the rules, or there is chaos. When we first went raw, yes, we did nibble all day long, but now that they have been doing this a while, we have set meal and snack times, and no one goes hungry. Snacks are always fruit or maybe carrots and a few nuts if someone is particularly hungry. Dehydrated foods and "recipes" are for meal times. We eat fairly simply and greens fill us all up. If we have leftovers, such as breads and crackers, it is put away, and no one snacks on it until the next meal time. As I said, snacks are almost always fruit.

It does take a while to get to this point, so try not to feel frustrated as you work it out for your family. We have been doing this for years now. Having various cases of fruit around helps a lot. Don't worry so much about the recipes. Green smoothies and veggies with dip can fill anyone up.

You can read our family's blog to find out what our meals are like at
http://rawtribe.blogspot.com/

Hope this helps some,
Allison
http://rawtribe.blogspot.com

[exurb]

Hey Allison!!! Wow 12 kids!!!

My friend's aunt had 13 children in 12 years. I get tired just thinking about it!!

Allison, I went to your blog...


The bread is an oil-free adaptation of Energy Flat Bread from Rejuvenate Your Life, our most used raw recipe book by far.

do you think you could post your adapted recipe? (It's ok from a copyright point of view if you've adjusted a recipe BTW)

I could use a good bread recipe, especially one with energy!;)

Thanks for your recommendation of that book, it's one I don't have, I will have to look into it!:D

[River Mom]

Yah, I'd like that too.

Bread- Bread substitutes are my hardest thing to replace. NEVER ENOUGH

Rm

[salsababy]

Wow. 12 children! :eek: I had to check out your blog. You guys eat soo healthy. Kudos to you for being such a good cook (or "uncook" ;) ) for your children. Many people have a hard time making healthy options and they have only 2-3 kids! lol. I'm a nanny for a junk-a-holic family and I feel proud that after 2 1/2 years of working there, I finally have been able to influence them to get the girls fresh fruit, baby carrots, tomotoes, broccoli, whole wheat bread, and sunflower butter. :D



I think I can speak to this somewhat, as I have twelve children, some who are all raw and some who are high raw. We own a Vitamix, food processor, and dehydrator and mangage just fine.

I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but it does get easier. We do have rules in the house, and everyone has to follow the rules, or there is chaos. When we first went raw, yes, we did nibble all day long, but now that they have been doing this a while, we have set meal and snack times, and no one goes hungry. Snacks are always fruit or maybe carrots and a few nuts if someone is particularly hungry. Dehydrated foods and "recipes" are for meal times. We eat fairly simply and greens fill us all up. If we have leftovers, such as breads and crackers, it is put away, and no one snacks on it until the next meal time. As I said, snacks are almost always fruit.

It does take a while to get to this point, so try not to feel frustrated as you work it out for your family. We have been doing this for years now. Having various cases of fruit around helps a lot. Don't worry so much about the recipes. Green smoothies and veggies with dip can fill anyone up.

You can read our family's blog to find out what our meals are like at
http://rawtribe.blogspot.com/

Hope this helps some,
Allison
http://rawtribe.blogspot.com

[baltochef]

Greetings everyone!

Since I only alluded to it in my first post , I'll come right out & agree with Allison & Dj247 in stating that I don't feel that either adults or children NEED to eat constantly..When you are truly hungry, food DOES taste better!!

I fully realise that the transition from SAD to whatever percentage of raw that is ones goal seems to trigger near uncontrollable urges to eat..In addition growing children ALWAYS want to eat, regardless of the type of diet that they are on..

However, all children need rules & limitations in order to grow up into responsible adults..In a household where some or all of it's members are to one degree or another eating raw, there must be rules limiting the amounts that can be eaten for a snack, & the number of & times of the snacks for those raw foods that are the most time consuming to make, ie. foods made in the dehydrator!!

Kids need to see the adults around them setting the example so that they will feel okay about following the example..

That is why I had 3 9-tray dehydrators listed for the sample family, & had them in use pretty much all the time..In my mind as I composed the post & made the list, I was assuming that the kids would not exercise much restraint when it came to the crackers, breads, etc..

Truth be told, 5 dehydrators wouldn't be too many in a situation like this..

The awful truth of it is that in our 21st. century society the adult or child who understands & exercises restraint while eating is the exception to, not the rule..

I also think that it is important to KNOW the caloric content of the raw foods that you or your family are consuming each day / week..

That way you can plan out how much to purchase to satisfy the family's daily needs, with some fudge factor for the hungry kids, spoilage, etc..

Overeating, even on a raw diet is still not good for the body..

Even saying that, I feel that all raw families would benefit from having more than 1 dehydrator to use if feeding the family dehydrated starches was required / desired..

As I read more & more about long-term raw foodists, I realise that most of them have severly reduced or eliminated the amount of dehydrated foods that they eat, especially starches..One of the reasons given seems to be that most people DO NOT care for the taste of dried starches w/o SALT..This seems to include most raw foodists eating the so-called healthier dehydrated raw snacks & "breads"..

Since carbs are necessary for the human diet, & since there are no long term studies on whether children can be raised on a 100% raw diet w/o feeding them dehydrated crackers, breads, etc for the carbs in the diet, it is probably wise to do do in moderation, keeping the salt to the minimum..

Exurb--No cookbook coming from me, at least not until other things in my life come into order first!!

Bruce

[justinesmith]

Alison ~ you are a raw hero for sure. WOW. All these magnificent raw mommies, I am humbled. Thank you for sharing your info and your blog is great too! :D

[Allison]

Here it is:

Energy Flat Bread
from Rejuvenate Your Life by Serene Allison

7.5 c. sprouted buckwheat
3.25 c. soaked flax seeds (measured after soaking)
3.25 c. carrot pulp (or can use beet for pink bread)
4 T. honey
.75 c. olive oil (we just leave this out)
1 - 1.5 T. sea salt

Blend all together in processor, spread on about 4 teflex sheets and dehydrate for a few hours; flip over and finish dehydrating, about 12 - 16 hours.

Making the bread with the oil yields a softer bread. Without the oil, it is very crisp and firm.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Allison, you are definitely the hero raw mom. Bless your heart.

I work full time and only have to care for me, my husband and my little 21 month old little girl. I cannot imagine to manage 12 children.

I am looking forward to try this recipe with your flat bread.

Bruce, yes thank you for all the recommendation with the kitchen equipment. I agree, we need space to work. I find my kitchen not very well designed and it cans get on the nerve to work inside of this. I usually do most of the meal of weekend and during the week we just make easy stuff and don't go too nuts.

Yasi, for what i have learned, that go well, is that you can keep some crakers in the freeser. You should buy Igor bread book from www.rawfamily.com. His bread is delicious and his recipe will fill up the entire 9 trays. The crakers will keep a long time too, and you can always freeze them. Also, you can keep in your fridge some pate which are so easy to do and they can use this as a quick snack.

Hoping you find the perfect solutions for you soon

[exurb]

Thanks Allison! I have some buckwheat just about ready too, so perfect timing!! What a nice sounding recipe.

Especially thanks for taking the time in your busy life!! How blessed you are with such a full house of children!! Love to all!!

[baltochef]

Something that would probably help a lot for those needing to maximise their time when making things in the dehydrator would be some of the lids manufactured by Zepter International..

The system is called Vac Sy, and although most of the items are pretty pricey, they do an incredibly good job of removing the air from a container so as to preserve freshness..The lids listed below happen to be amongst the most reasonably priced..

For crackers & breads the ones most useful would be the 8-16 cm Universal lid (VG-014-16), and any of the three lids designed to fit on Zepter's metric sized cookware..VG-018-16 (16cm), VG-018-20 (20cm), & VG-018-24 (24 cm)..

The Universal lid has a silicone gasket that is wide enough to allow sealing on containers ranging from 8-16 cm wide at the mouth..

The lids for cookware would have to be used on specific sized containers..

I'm thinking that the 24 cm lid for a pot would be the best buy as the container would hold the most..

The glass bottomss for the regular Vac Sy containers have a wide rim which facilitates achieving the vacumn seal..

If it was in ones budget to do so, I would have a local glassblower make me a large clear glass canister to fit the 24 cm pot lid..One that would hold between 1-2 gallons so that I could fill it up with crackers or bread for a hungry family..

Just some thoughts..

Bruce

[pan.droid]

I am feeding 4 on raw and I really have a hard time making enough to get ahead. I can make 3 or 4 trays of thick crackers and they will only last 1 or 2 days. I can make double recipe of the Sweet and Sour Neatballs from The Complete Book of Raw Food and they will last for dinner and lunch the next day. If I make onion bread, it is gone right away. I can't seem to make enough of something to actually store to have on hand. I am getting frustrated!

Yasi... I am having similar issues without family to feed. You mention thick crackers; I am wondering what your recipe is... thick crackers sound good!!

[pan.droid]

Here it is:

Energy Flat Bread
from Rejuvenate Your Life by Serene Allison

7.5 c. sprouted buckwheat
3.25 c. soaked flax seeds (measured after soaking)
3.25 c. carrot pulp (or can use beet for pink bread)
4 T. honey
.75 c. olive oil (we just leave this out)
1 - 1.5 T. sea salt

Blend all together in processor, spread on about 4 teflex sheets and dehydrate for a few hours; flip over and finish dehydrating, about 12 - 16 hours.

Making the bread with the oil yields a softer bread. Without the oil, it is very crisp and firm.

How do you produce so much sprouted buckwheat?

[EZ rider]

I have found that the best way for me to get ahead in food prep is to get as close as possible to just on time. The fresher my foods the better the all raw lifestyle works for me. :)

[CherylC]

Something that would probably help a lot for those needing to maximise their time when making things in the dehydrator would be some of the lids manufactured by Zepter International..

The system is called Vac Sy, and although most of the items are pretty pricey, they do an incredibly good job of removing the air from a container so as to preserve freshness..The lids listed below happen to be amongst the most reasonably priced..

For crackers & breads the ones most useful would be the 8-16 cm Universal lid (VG-014-16), and any of the three lids designed to fit on Zepter's metric sized cookware..VG-018-16 (16cm), VG-018-20 (20cm), & VG-018-24 (24 cm)..

The Universal lid has a silicone gasket that is wide enough to allow sealing on containers ranging from 8-16 cm wide at the mouth..

The lids for cookware would have to be used on specific sized containers..

I'm thinking that the 24 cm lid for a pot would be the best buy as the container would hold the most..

The glass bottomss for the regular Vac Sy containers have a wide rim which facilitates achieving the vacumn seal..

If it was in ones budget to do so, I would have a local glassblower make me a large clear glass canister to fit the 24 cm pot lid..One that would hold between 1-2 gallons so that I could fill it up with crackers or bread for a hungry family..

Just some thoughts..

Bruce
Hi Bruce,

I was trying to find out where to purchase these Vac Sy lids. Do you know if there a store that carries them?

Thanks,
Cheryl

[baltochef]

CherylC

The Vac Sy system is not available in local stores..

The Vac Sy products, are manufactured by Zepter International, an Italian company..

I'm not real sure exactly where they are based from, but I think it's Italy, perhaps Switzerland..

Anyway, Zepter does not have much of a market presence here in the USA..

The Vac Sy, & other Zepter products, are sold through distributuorships, similar to the way that Amway is sold..

Unlike Amway, I don't think that there are more that 2-3 people in the US that are attempting to sell Zepter products at the present time..

Vac Sy is not, to the best of my knowledge, sold in any manner other than over the internet or the telephone..

Unlike Amway, Tupperware, & other similar companies, Zepter products are not being presented to possible customers in the home, malls, etc..

One of the reasons that it is not more widely available in the USA is due to it's expense..

They are possibly the most expensive set of storage dishes sold in the states..

It took me over a year after learning about Vac Sy (by reading about it in Carol Alt's first book, Eating in the Raw), before deciding to try them..

I knew in my heart that she would not have reccomended them without feeling that the product was a quality one, but the price was a show stopper for me initially..

You could purchase 7-10 sets of either Fridgovere or Pyrex glass storage dishes, each with fairly tight fitting lids, for the price of the Family Set of Vac Sy..

Both Fridgovere & Pyrex are quality glass storage dishes, but where they differ substantially from Vac Sy is in the thickness of the glass, & the vacumn sealing lids..

The glass is approximately 25% thicker then Pyrex, & 50% thicker then Fridgovere..

Neither Fridgovere, nor Pyrex are slouches in the quality of their glass construction, which says a lot about the quality of the glass in the Vac Sy..

Although the thicker glass in the Vac Sy's is one reason for their higher costs, the real reason is the vacumn sealing lids..

Until you actually see & handle one of these lids, you cannot possibly appreciate the design & construction of them!!..

They are head & shoulders ABOVE any of the other vacumn sealing storage containers being sold at Target, Wal Mart, Best Buy, Home Shopping Network, & QVC..

They truly work to remove, as much as it is possible to do so, the air from within the storage dish, so as to preserve the food in the dish..

If you are cooking for SAD eaters, as well as raw ones, & especially if you have PICKY eaters that don't like to eat leftovers; then these dishes will save you an enormous amount of money over the course of a single year..

They will do so by extending the refridgerated shelf life of foods from 1 1/2 to 3 times what would be possible with even a glass dish with a tight fitting lid..

The drawbacks are the initial high cost, they take up more space in the fridge then non-vacumn glass dishes of similar capacity, & they don't stack as well as I would like due to the design of the vacumn seal on the lid..

As to the vacumn seal valve itself, it is VERY well designed..

It twists back & forth horizontilly over about 100 degrees or so of arc..

All the way to the left is the open position (to release the vacumn once it is established), in the center is the vacumn position (to draw the air out), & all the way to the right is the closed position (to lock the vacumn sealing valve so that you don't inadvertantly twist the valve & destroy the vacumn seal)(which, by the way, is NOT easy to do)(did I mention that these were well designed??)..

The entire lid is made from high grade Lexan plastic, which as plastic goes is about as good as it's going to get (with current technology) as regards to outgassing..

If you do your part to establish a good vacumn seal between the lids' medical grade silicone gasket & the thick rim of the glass container, then foods really do last longer..

The pump & it's DC plug-in-the-wall power converter, are also made from Lexan (not really necessary, but again this gives you an idea as to Zepter's attention to detail); & is as well designed as the glass bowls & the lids..

The lids are where the majority of the costs of manufacturing the Vac Sy occur, & why the system is priced accordingly..

Being made in & imported from Italy also adds to the price..

I believe that I read somewhere recently that the USA's trade agreement with Italy is the reason that goods from that country are priced higher than similar or identical products from other countries..

All-in-all the Vac Sy is a GREAT product that performs better than any of it's competition to date, & is manufactured fron high quality materials..

It performs EXACTLY as Zepter claims it does in it's advertisements; something that IMO the less expensive vacumn sealing storage systems have NOT been able to do for me..

The link to where I purchased my Vac Sy products is www.myzepter.com

You can e-mail them at sales@myzepter.com

I hopes this helps you in some way to decide about the Vac Sy system..

Bruce