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Oxygen Absorber Sizes

"What oxygen absorber sizes are right for me?" is a question often asked.

The Most Often Used Size: 100cc

The answer: It depends primarily on what size container you're going to be using to store your dehydrated foods in. 100cc is by far the most often-used in my kitchen.

Read more about Oxygen Absorbers here.

Oxygen Absorber Sizes Range from
a Tiny 50cc to a Whopping 2000cc!

These Mason jars each contain an oxygen absorber. Look closely at the orange (carrots) jar.

You can just about see the blue and white oxygen absorber!

Oxygen absorber sizes range from 50cc, to 100cc, to 300cc, and to a whopping 2000cc! Why is there such a big size range? When using smaller Mason jars, a 50cc oxygen absorber will suffice.

For a larger quart-size Mason jar, a 100cc size will be fine.

I have noticed that a 400cc oxygen absorber is more readily available on Amazon than the 300cc oxygen absorber. Both sizes will work for Mylar bags!

50cc Oxygen Absorbers

100cc Oxygen Absorbers

300cc Oxygen Absorbers

2000cc Oxygen Absorbers

What Size Oxygen Absorber to Use
for Vacuum-Sealed Bags?

When using the quart-size vacuum-sealer bags—which I recommend you purchase from Amazon, see their image ads below, I recommend the 100cc oxygen absorber. Amazon has different oxygen absorber sizes available (as you might have guessed!)

The two sizes recommended are thicker bags and don't puncture as easily as the "regular" vacuum-sealer bags. We always add a 100cc oxygen absorber in the bag PRIOR to sealing the bag.

Yes, don't forget to ADD the oxygen absorber into the bag that contains your dehydrated food PRIOR to removing the air out of the bags!

It's a step easily forgotten in your haste to get to the fun part of using the FoodSaver Food Vacuum sealer!

100 Pint Size (6"x10")
Vacuum-Sealer Bags

100 Quart Size (8"x12")
Vacuum-Sealer Bags

* As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay doesn't increase.

For 300cc Size for Mylar Bags—
Semi- or Long-Term Food Storage

When storing the vacuum-sealed pouches in bunches for long-term storage, we use Mylar bags. These shiny un-rippable bags are perfect for keeping goodies dry, out of daylight, and away from insects.

When you've put in three or four of your vacuum-sealed packages (that have their 100cc oxygen absorber tucked in each prior to sealing, don't forget), we then put these packages inside a Mylar bag. We then pop in a 300cc oxygen absorber into the Mylar bag (along with our dehydrated food packages) and then SEAL the Mylar bag.

Do NOT attempt to draw the air out of a filled Mylar bag.

Can't be done. Why? Because both sides of the Mylar bag are smooth, making it difficult, if not pretty impossible, to suck the air out!

The Mylar bag's job with the 300cc oxygen absorber inside it is to protect the three or four packages we have put inside them.

THEN these Mylar bags go into plastic lidded bins and buckets for long-term storage.

For Long-Term Food Storage,
use 2000cc in Bins and Buckets

Now comes the part where the 2000cc oxygen absorbers come into play. We only use these whoppers for completely AIRTIGHT bins. No point in putting in a 2000cc oxygen absorber in some bins that do not have snap-on lids. If those lids have handles, you can tell by looking closely around their handles that they are NOT really airtight, then DO NOT waste a 2000cc oxygen absorber inside it.

So the best way to be absolutely AIRTIGHT is to use feed buckets with lids.

When using the feed-grade buckets, you absolutely can use the 2000cc oxygen absorbers; they're perfect for this as they really ARE air-tight!

To read more about storing dehydrated food, read Storing Dehydrated Food and Storing Dry Goods such as flour, salt, and sugar.

Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010. Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."

She is featured on Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It (SBI) who host this site. Read her first SBI interview, and her second SBI interview.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create a "review site" of products related to the publishing industry. Visit ePubTechReviews today, also hosted by Solo Build It. Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It that showcases the books she has written since 2010.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!

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