on washing baggies...
One of the disposable convenience items that I am loath to give up are sandwich baggies. Unless the contents of a baggie is completely disgusting, I'll wash, dry and re-use them until they are no longer usable. Over the years I have noticed that some brands hold up better than others. I like ziploc, but they are pretty flimsy and if the water is too hot, you end up with a weird mess in your hands. I picked up some heafty one-zip (the one with the "zipper" mechanism vs. the "yellow and blue make green" strip). These are much sturdier, but the zipper is crap. The only time you get a good seal is if it's straight out of the box, which functionally makes them worthless (not that I won't use it with a rubber band, but that's not the point).
I know that I am not the only baggie washer on this board. What has been your experiences with brands?
I know what you mean about the "zipper-type" bags, and they never seal completely - some air always manages to get in... I recommend getting Ziploc (yes I find those to be the best brand, especially in comparison to store brand) and buying the "freezer" bags. The "yellow and blue make green seal" kind... Those are sturdy (like the zipper ones) but form a tight seal. Just because they are meant for the freezer does not mean you can't use them for other things too, especially since you are re-using them so many times! I recently bought some regular ziplocs not realizing they had a "double seal" which I think is not quite necessary, but if you could find the freezer bags with that type of seal I think you would be all set...
Man I had no idea so much could be written about silly sandwich bags... lol
Call me Mr.Cheapo!
I re-use them as well! I actually do that with anything I have that can be re-used before I have to throw it away (or before it is recycled). I also re-use aluminum foil if I can. :D
My roommates think I'm insane... But unless it's had something moldy in it, I wash 'em and reuse 'em. 'Course, I don't reuse their dairy-tastic ones... But that's because I'm neurotic about germs, bacterias, and other little microscopic entities. :-[
I second the "freezer bag" posts. Those seem to last quite a bit longer, even if you wash tem in really hot water.
I thought I was weird! :P
Forget baggies, I use Hefty containers for everything that leaves the house. They can be put on the top rack if you have a dishwasher (I do not). If they smell, you can use a little bleach in cool water (hot water negates the effects of bleach).
At home, I always store in glass, not plastic. I can't tell you why and I didn't read it anywhere, but I have become neurotic about storage in plastic, so I use glass. I bought some vintage Pyrex refrigerator containers because they were not expensive (although not made anymore), they are Pyrex and can go from the frig to the microwave to the table and they have lids. There aren't many leftovers around here, but if there are I have them for lunch the next day and my Pyrex is perfection for this task.
Count me in on the bag and foil washing. I've done it for years; and actually, I don't pay much attention to the brands. I use whatever we get until they can't be used any more, then I just pull out another one. I've had the zipper kind and the blue-and-yellow-make-green kind, flimsy and sturdy. There are some store brands that are really flimsy and whereas I don't prefer those, if that's what I happen to have (depends on who went shopping, where, and when), I'll use them. They are usually the sandwich size. The only bags I don't like are the fold-over sandwich ones. For sandwiches and "dry" things in lunches (cookies, for example) I use either cellophane or wax paper baggies.
And, you guys, you're not insane and you're not cheap. You are doing something positive for the environment on several different levels--at the very least, keeping more plastic out of landfills, and cutting down on petroleum usage. Makes me feel good, and every little bit helps.
So, yay. :)
I don't cook in plastic, but I do store in plastic because it is lighter and safer (breakage-wise anyway) and usually takes up less space than glass. Plastic can leach chemicals into food but I think it's most problematic when heated or stored for long periods of time. HDPE water and drink bottles aren't the best either. You can tell by just smelling those that they're bound to leach into the contents. :P
You bring up another point that is a pet peeve of mine. When it comes to water, what on earth is wrong with a glass and the tap?
Granted, I live where the water is full of minerals and frankly earthy tasting. I have a Britta for everything we drink or make tea or coffee with.
Someo of that bottled water...you have to read the label. Some of them say "from a municipal source" umm and that is just city water somewhere? What gagged me is that I found some bottled from a municipal source in St. Louis in the US. I happen to know that the water that ran off of the mountains in Colorado goes though an average of 10 people before it reaches St. Louis via the Platte River and that St. Louis has some of the worst water standards in the US.
It IS always something isn't it?
Wow I'm so glad I'm not the only baggie/foil reuser out there!!! Freezer bags are great and hold up well but for smaller items, I'm with bookmama. I don't have a brand I like, I just wash until no longer usable. But I cannot get my DH to bring his baggies home with him from his lunch! Maybe if I tell him I'm washing them because of environmental reasons instead of me just being cheap, he'll be more receptive!! :D
I am also a big fan of plastic containers to store food. Sometimes I save containers (margarine tubs, tofutti containers) and use them to freeze leftovers in for another day. I'm a tad clumsy so glass is not a good idea for me! But I do reheat in glass dishes.
For years I got the zipper-type bags because certain members of my household failed to seal the bags properly and the zipper aided the whole process. However, I agree the zippers are crap and hefty is the worst of the lot. I recently bought some Glad freezer bags and they smelled terrible and plasticky--yuck. Cooks Illustrated actually did a test a while back on freezer/storage bags and I think the ziploc freezer bags came out on top. We do reuse them, but after a while they get little holes and generally icky looking. I always feel bad about throwing them away even when they look gross.
You can still get pyrex bowls with the lids. I got a whole box of assorted bowls with lids from Bed, Bath & Beyond last year. I store beans and grains in large glass canning jars that I pick up at the hardware store. I too have a thing about storing stuff in plastic.
I'm with dragonfly, I use ziplock containers most of the time. I even smoosh my husband's sandwiches in those things. If I do have to use a ziplock bag, I will also wash (if it seems dirty) and reuse it. I've had a box of ziplock bags for years that never seems to get empty!
It's so good to know all of us are taking measures to be less wasteful. Sometimes I feel like people don't really think about this stuff as much as we do.
I take it we're talking here about hand-washing in the sink, with warm sudsy water and a goooood rinse? I've wondered about it. My mother used to throw her extra-sturdy zippos in a gentle washing machine...but she was highly eccentric.
I've wanted to wash but was afraid of not getting all the residue out before I put my fresh veggies in a reused bag. I will try this and leave you know.
I am also not a fan of plastic so the only places I will use it is if I have nothing else that the item fits into or for freezing liquids. I use glass containers for the fridge (all jars I kept from food items I bought), and some metal containers (like the big coffee tubs with the plastic lid) for grains, etc. I also use glass for storing sugar, flour, lentils, and all kinds of other things in my "pantry."
Since moving out of my parents house (who have switched to using ziplocs a lot after we moved to the US), I have not bought any ziplocs. I've just been saving the ones that I got food in (gifts), that I bought foods in (bulk spices if I forgot to bring my own jar), and that my roomies have (who will not re-use their bags so I snatch them for myself once they want to toss them).
Some of them are flimsy thin, some are thick and big. None of them have gotten holes or fallen apart on me yet (and I've used them for months), but I don't use them too often anyway, so it's all good.
I also wash and re-use produce bags, though one day I will invest in a nice pair of those cloth produce bags that you can buy.
I also find that freezer bags of any brand hold up best to washing and reusing, but I usually use plastic containers to put sandwiches and other lunch bits in since they last even longer and none of your food gets squished! I'm very tempted to try throwing my bags in the washing machine now though!!! Only problem is I don't have enough for a full load and washing food bags along with clothes sounds gross!
Hi guys,
Thanks for the recommendations and insight. I have a few thoughs:
- Because our lives revolve around our projects (such is the bane of the small business owner) we cook in dramatic spurts and freeze a bunch, otherwise we run out of food and after a 16 hour day an Amy's burrito doesn't cut it. I am constantly searching for room in my freezer (I also freeze all of my flours, nuts, and grains), so room is tight, generally too tight to stack plastic ware. But a baggie you can shove into very tight spaces.
- I am very intrigued with the possibility of throwing baggies in the washer (Yabbitgirl, I presume you were referring to a clothes washer, not a dish washer, correct?). Sometimes I'll have a stack of 5-6 dirty bags waiting for me to care enough to get them off my counter.
- Regarding bottled water, Lady Dragonfly, for me, I prefer to use my nalgene bottle, but if I am without it, I have no qualms about picking up bottled water. It's not a matter of preferring bottled water to tap, but wanting water when I am no where near home. We spend significant periods of some days no where near any tap water (maybe a hose? yuk :P ) I don't like sodas and can't justify the calories in juice, so if you don't bring enough you end up with plastic bottles. And yes, it is gross to re-use them (from what I hear) I think you just get trained after a while to wash and re-use apparently re-usable items. I do agree with you about the quality of bottled water not being up to par in most cases.
As always, thanks again guys!
I also reuse baggies whenever I can. This is a pretty simple tip, but it took me a while to figure out: They are much easier to clean if you just turn 'em inside out. Swish them around in the water, wipe down, and rinse. And to dry, I usually fluff them out and put them over a wooden spoon so they stay open.
Nutdragon, yes a clothes washer, on the short gentle cycle for woolies and things. She put a small amount of soap right in the drum.
I'm not saying I would do this, but she did. I don't know if my zip-top bags (the kind with a clip and slide) could be turned inside out, otherwise TKitty's idea sounds pretty good.
You bring up another point that is a pet peeve of mine. When it comes to water, what on earth is wrong with a glass and the tap?
Unfortunately where I live I HAVE to buy bottled water. We have radium in the ground water here. W e were a super fund site way back when :D I buy distilled water and refill the jugs at a friends house who has a well when I get out her way. But I can't always do that.
I am also a big fan of glass. I love the fact that it doesn't leach smell into my fridge. I can keep chopped up raw onion in there and it never smells.
I mostly use plastic containers for food storage, but I do use ziplock bags for some things. I tend to have the same left overs day to day (chopped potatoes, onions) and don't always wash the bag with every use ::) When I do get around to washing them, I just wash them by hand in the sink with hot water and a bit of dish soap.
I saw this gizmo on the website where I bought my grocery bags:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/bagewash-p-51.html
I've never tried washing plastic bags in the dishwasher...has anyone else?
Oh yeah, and I saw this thing too. Not sure if I would spend the money on it, but sort of interesting:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/plastic-bottle-dryer-p-187.html
Oh yeah, and I saw this thing too. Not sure if I would spend the money on it, but sort of interesting:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/plastic-bottle-dryer-p-187.html
I am actually tempted to buy this. Our local co-op sells them too, I just haven't had the money lately. we don't have a dishwasher, and the drying rack is always full with the 6 people living here. I dry them with a dishtowel sometimes, but it doesn't get them all dry and it's a pain in the a**. Yes, I think this would be nice to have. Maybe I'll construct my own, might be cheaper. Does anyone own this? Is it helpful? Is it worth the money?