What do you do when you are walking down an aisle in Sam’s and you see a carton of 18 packages of Kraft mac & cheese on sale for $12.46 (.69/box) and you know you just can’t pass up the bargain but there’s only 2 of you to eat it and you don’t know if you can eat all of it before the expiration date? Buy it and plan to dry pack what you can’t eat before the expiration date!
Dry packing is easy. Use pint canning jars. Put the cheese packet in first, then the macaroni, and then the oxygen absorber. Put on a warm dry lid and screw on a canning ring. The absorber will begin to work, and the lid will eventually vacuum down and “ping.”
Don’t forget to include the instructions. Either cut up each box and tape the instructions to the jar or cut apart one box and keep it with your jars for reference. Be sure to write “SAVE” on it so no one throws it away before you use the last jar.
It’s possible to use a vacuum sealer to seal your jars, too. Vacuum sealing will also extend the shelf life of the mac & cheese but, for even longer-term storage, the oxygen absorber is preferred. The absorber will remove virtually all the oxygen, but the vacuum sealer may leave some oxygen behind. The gases left behind with an absorber will have no effect on the food, but oxygen does, so remove the oxygen for longer shelf life.
For more detailed information on dry packing in canning jars, see this page.
