I have known for some time that I needed to reduce my family’s use of single use zippered plastic bags. Our use of them wasn’t egregious, but we could still do better. For the most part, we have been able to swap out reusable containers for zippered single-use plastic bags, but that hasn’t worked well for everything. One example is something to use for freezing ground beef. We buy ground beef in bulk because it is less expensive and then we break it down into amounts needed for meals (typically a pound). In the past, I have used single-use plastic zippered freezer bags. I have also tried hard sided reusable containers, but they take up too much room in the freezer, so I need something that is more compact.
I decided to try some silicone bags to replace the single-use plastic ones. Although it is not the ideal material to use, as it is a manmade material and considered by many to be a plastic, it is a step in the right direction in that it can be reused many, many times before it needs to be replaced.
I purchased silicone bags from 2 different companies. The first bags came in a set of 4 bags of different sizes. They are a thick silicone and have a two-part system. There is the bag itself and the slider that keeps the bag closed. The thickness of the bags leads me to think that they will not be likely to tear and the thickness also allows for the bags to be washed in the dishwasher. The bottom of the bag is pleated, but the bag doesn’t stand up well on its own. The pleat, however, does allow for the bag to hold a larger volume. This set of silicone bags can be purchased here: netzerocompany.com/paula
The second set I got came in a set of twelve bags; 7 were the size of a typical sandwich bag and 5 that were the size of a typical snack bag. These bags were a bit thinner than the first ones, but they were a one-piece system, so no extra piece to keep it closed. The bags are not pleated, but they hold a good amount of food. They are thinner than the first set and I ripped one of them along the seam with my fingernail. These thinner bags are recommended for hand washing, and they are lighter in weight. I think these will be great for using for packing lunches.
I used both sets of silicone bags to freeze ground beef in since that’s what I was looking for a replacement for. Both bags did exceptionally well, and both worked great during the thawing process. Each bag submerged well in warm water to allow the meat to thaw. I was surprised to observe that both bags seemed to allow the meat to thaw faster than it had in the single-use plastic zipper bags. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation behind it, but I don’t necessarily need to know what that is to know that it works. These bags can be found here: http://bit.ly/siliconebagset
So, for me, I’m switching to silicone bags which I enjoy using and which are more sustainable than the single-use plastic bags. I’m likely to continue to use a mix of the bags from both companies as I can see pros and cons for each one.
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