Freezer Bag Cooking

I'll review the book when my copy arrives

BGW I did order the book and after it comes in I'll be happy to send in a review for it.  According to their site, the book has 95% different content from the site ... in other wise 95% of the 160 recipes in the book are different from those available on the website.  The book has already been shipped, so I'm just waiting on ol' Mr./Ms. Mail Person.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Sun Jan 14, 2007 at 20:57:16 PM CST

Safety of using freezer bags to cook

I wonder whether hot foods can react with the bag material to either leach out chemicals or degrade the bag enough so that it leaks.  I would feel much better pouring hot food/liquid into a bag intended to get hot, like an oven roasting bag.

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by: Mari @ Mon Jan 15, 2007 at 20:12:56 PM CST

I should put more in the introduction about the method.

The site and cookbook have been put together by backpackers. There is no actual "cooking" done in the bags. Boiling water is simply poured into the bag and added to dry ingredients already in the bag. The bag is then zip-sealed and wrapped inside a fleece cozy for insulation, then left for a certain amount of time, depending on the recipe.

Freezer bags should be food grade, anyway. They are made to receive hot food, and I believe they are also made to be reheated. Check out the Glad website.

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by: bgw in MT @ Mon Jan 15, 2007 at 20:36:44 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I should put more in the introduction about the method.

The site and cookbook have been put together by backpackers. There is no actual "cooking" done in the bags. Boiling water is simply poured into the bag and added to dry ingredients already in the bag. The bag is then zip-sealed and wrapped inside a fleece cozy for insulation, then left for a certain amount of time, depending on the recipe.

Freezer bags should be food grade, anyway. They are made to receive hot food, and I believe they are also made to be reheated. Check out the Glad website.

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by: bgw in MT @ Mon Jan 15, 2007 at 20:37:37 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The recipes can be mixed in an insulated mug, instead.

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by: bgw in MT @ Mon Jan 15, 2007 at 20:40:20 PM CST

[ Parent ]

or a thermos n/t

If I had done this on my own, I would have done most of it incorrectly.

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by: Hillbilly Bill @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 05:23:52 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Freezer Bag Cooking

I received my copy of the book a couple of weeks ago and the recipes were tempting enough that I opened up a couple of my #10 cans of freeze-dried preps (turkey shreds as well as vegetable mix) to use in making my own canned chicken and f/d turkey MREs. 

I measured everything as given but in some cases I added a few more dried items, such as sun-dried tomatoes, or adjusted the spice mix to our tastes.  Then I put the MREs together -- for entrees such as Curried Vegetables with Chicken, I vacuum-bagged together the freezer bag with the entree mix, plus a 5 oz can of chicken breast, plus a snack baggy with salt & pepper packets, an instant coffee packet with creamer and sweetner, a plastic spoon and a plastic fork, and a couple of pieces of hard candy.  I printed out mailing labels with the name of the dish, how much boiling water to add, and how long to wait before eating.

It sounds like a lot of work, but I found it was amenable to a production line -- the bags would sit up by themselves once I added the instant rice or couscous (I was concentrating on these dishes).  I was able able to assemble 30 meals in an afternoon.

These are easy enough to throw together in a small pan if you want to try the recipes out first.

ChrisC

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by: ChrisC @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 19:14:37 PM CST

That's what I've been doing with some of my soup mixes

I have some soup mixes that I do in this same "assembly line" fashion.

Its great ... and talk about convenient under many different circumstances.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 20:57:00 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Warning about freezer bags

Warning about cooking with ziploc freezer bags:

http://camping.about...

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by: Irene @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 20:41:43 PM CST

The bags aren't boiled

Please note, the bags themselves are not being boiled ... hot water is poured into the bag and then the ingredients in the bag then absorb the water ... or other fluid.

The ingredients in the bag are mostly not fresh.  OK, bad grammar, sorry about that.  The ingredients are dried or instant ingredients that usually only need hot water to rehydrate.

I've seen the directions for making scrambled eggs with ziploc bags.  I've even done it.  You cannot use regular storage bags for this.  You MUST use the heavy-duty, freezer versions.  I understand if someone chooses not to use the plastic due to concerns ... but anytime you cover a casserole dish and put it in the microwave you are doing the same thing.  There are lots of concerns for plastics out there ... we'll just need to weigh our options.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 20:54:54 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Or is one is worried about plastic

a thermos could be used

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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by: mojo @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 21:03:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]

very true ... always have an alternative in mind <grin> ... n/t

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 21:16:15 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Thanks for the link, Irene.

I probably wouldn't use the bags myself, because I'm too cheap. LOL As mentioned before, the recipes can be mixed in a thermos or an insulated mug, too. It might be worth it for an emergency pack or backpacking, though.

Everybody should read the link Irene provided and make their own decision. It's a little fuzzy according to this article (which is about actually boiling the bags). The method calls for putting dry ingredients in the bag and then adding boiling water, which is a whole different process. The author wrote Zip-Lock, and they kind of equivocated in their answer. They did say,

"Thank you for asking about using Ziploc bags to make omelets. While we appreciate hearing about new and innovative ways to use our products, we must be cautious that these new ideas follow label directions.

"Ziploc bags are not designed or approved to withstand the extreme heat of boiling and therefore, using Ziploc bags to make any recipe that requires the bag to be boiled is not recommended.

"Like all of SC Johnson's products, Ziploc bags cam be used with confidence when label directions are followed. All Ziploc containers and microwaveable Ziploc bags meet safety requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for temperatures associated with defrosting and reheating food in microwave ovens,as well as room, refrigerator, and freezer temperatures."

As I said, it's a personal choice and decision. Read the freezer bag site because there's so much good prep information that is not dependent on using the bags. Also read the whole article at the link Irene provided.

The site mentions several safety rules to prevent burns.

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by: bgw in MT @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 21:20:56 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You can also pour the ingredients into a pot with a tight fitting lid ...

and it still works.  I usually double, triple, etc. the recipes to fit our family's needs.  All I do is throw everything into the bag until it is cooking time.  Then I hit up the water in a tight fitting lid until it reaches the appropriate temp.  Then instead of pouring the water into the bag, I pour the ingredients into the pot and put the lid on.

Clean up is not as easy ... but its not exactly hard either because the food is absorbing the water, not cooking.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 21:30:53 PM CST

[ Parent ]

That should be heat up the water, not hit it up. <grin> n/t

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 21:31:25 PM CST

[ Parent ]

That's a good point.

I hadn't thought about how easy washup would be, even if you do use a pot. You would still get super simple cleanup.

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by: bgw in MT @ Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 21:45:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

How to boil water in a plastic bottle

I found this nifty little video on the web the other day. You can actually boil water, on a fire, in a plastic bottle! Here's the video. There are some issues with boiling water being in contact with some plastics, BUT, in an emergency, and in the very minute amounts a person might be exposed to, this might be something to try:

Below is the link to www.Snopes.com regarding one of many urban legends about cooking with plastics

http://www.snopes.co...

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by: Bronco Bill @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 13:24:17 PM CST

Amazing!

BB ... you come up with the neatest things!  I had no idea you could pull something like this off and I've been camping nearly my whole life (40 years). 

Something tells me someone was disparate for their tea time.  LOL!


Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

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by: KathyinFL @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 13:58:13 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I tried it last night on the BBQ grill...

...I made sure I filled the bottle all the way to the top, and the water got hot in about 3 minutes. A great way to get an emergency supply of hot water for that Earl Gray tea that people may have stashed away!!!

I would imagine, though, if a person doesn't watch it closely, after a few minutes they could end up with a hot-water bomb!!

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by: Bronco Bill @ Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 14:20:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]