Hoping I can use these BPA freezer bags to sous vide some ribs?
I’ve never used this before and wanted to try it. I read online I can use freezer bags.
Am I missing anything?
by Tronracer
17 Comments
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Tronracer
Can’t edit, but the freezer bags are BPA FREE freezer bags.
Jprangs
I use Ziploc gallon size with the water displacement method; works great for me! Thought about a vacuum sealer but I don’t do a lot of freezer saving like most other people do to justify another appliance and having to buy the special bags
DamUEmageht
Just get the air out of the bag using the corner and pushing the bag under the water to force the remaining air out – give it a pinch and you’re good to go!
Casketbaby
You definitely can. Just be sure to (mostly) submerge the bag while you’re sealing it up, to effectively push as much air out of the bag as possible. You may want to clip the top of the bag to the rim of the pot too. I wouldn’t trust that kind of seal to be underwater. The kind of freezer bag with the sliding zipper is a bit more secure. Eventually, you may want to get a vacuum sealer. This is the best method, and useful in other ways too.
katsock
Hey! A north easterner! Gotta clip those Digi coups to make ShopRite worth the stop lately.
cheesepage
Ziplock freezer bags seem to work well under all conditions.
Just did a run of store off brand freezer bags that also worked well enough, so a one time sucess.
The vacuum seal bags are very nice, hold up better in the freezer, but I only have a machine at work.
Silver-Piccolo7061
I honestly have tried freezer bags a few times and they have always leaked on me…so I switched to a vacuum sealer.
Inglewoodtestkitchen
FWIW Alton Brown always says to use name brand freezer bags for sous vide.
Extra_Tree_2077
I’m a bit scared with higher temperatures and plastic leaching in the food. So I won’t do it.
almondbutterbucket
I am going to disagree with the rest of the crowd. I work in plastics, and I would ALWAYS use “made for purpose” bags.
There is a lot of oversight (FDA, EU) on plastics made to come in contact with food, plastics made to be microwaved, and the heat stability / frost resistance of bags, and this is for a very good reason.
When you use bags made for the purpose of freezing foods, they have not been tested (and have not been produced for / stabilized to be used) for heating. So unless it is specifically stated that they can be used for elevated temperatures, I would not.
Any brand of sous vide bags you find (vacuum seal bags) will consist of suitable materials that do not break down at these temperatures.
Your concern is leaking or tearing. But before that happens, the polymer chains may break. This possibly causes the release of microplastics directly into your nice warm sous vide meal. So even if the bag stays airtight, it does not mean the plastic has remained intact.
My advice is you do you, but I would add to that – don’t be an idiot and use “made for purpose” materials.
Natural_Analyst5862
I use silicone bags Or use a machine that don’t need bags
HarmNHammer
As a note, there are three main things that cause plastic to leach. Heat, Acid, and fatty foods.
It’s not just BPA, there are other plasticizers. There are BPSs, PFAs, phthalates, and others.
I switched to silicone before scrapping it all together. I’m not saying you need to or should. The gains from cooking soups vide simply did not outweigh the risks for me, especially when taking all the chemicals aside, you’re still getting microplastics. Decide what you are comfortable with, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist. Hell, maybe email your local chemistry professor.
Cheers!
Logikz
Regardless of the bags, am I the only one concerned with food in the water prior to it coming to temperature? I was taught to put it in closer or at temperature to keep the food out of the danger zone for too long.
kins_dev
So while you can use Ziploc bags, I’ve just had them fail on me too many times.
If you like cooking this way on a regular basis, it is worth investing in a good vacuum sealer. I usually take things from the store package directly to a bag, and it works great for me.
That said, since you’re a first timer, and it isn’t something like a 36.hour cook, you’re probably fine, but I would double bag just in case.
ZestycloseTowel2493
Using the wrong type of plastic for sous vide cooking can pose risks due to potential chemical leaching into food, particularly at elevated temperatures. While food-grade plastics like high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP) are generally considered safe for sous vide, some plastics can leach harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates. These chemicals can disrupt hormones and potentially have negative health effects. Therefore, it’s crucial to use only food-grade, BPA-free, and phthalate-free plastics specifically designed for sous vide cooking.
Beoken64
Nope, from my understanding, good to use. On a side note: learned about the danger of prepackaged, vacuum sealed fish. Open them and reseal before sous vide. Without oxygen reacting with the fish, a toxin can develop that is extremely dangerous and deadly. Look more into it, cause I am not a scientist with all the technical details or vocabulary. This is probably already common knowledge for many on here. But a lot of newcomers come here and it’s good to know some food science and safety
17 Comments
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Thank you for your picture post to r/souvide. We want to remind everyone of Rule #5. Posts should be accompanied by something to foster discussion. A comment, a question, etc is encouraged.
If you’ve posted a picture of something you’ve prepared, please explain why in a comment so people can have some sort of conversation. Simply dropping a picture of food in the sub isn’t really fostering any discussion which is what we’re all aiming for.
Posts that are a picture with no discussion can and will be removed by the mods.
Thank you!!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/sousvide) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Can’t edit, but the freezer bags are BPA FREE freezer bags.
I use Ziploc gallon size with the water displacement method; works great for me! Thought about a vacuum sealer but I don’t do a lot of freezer saving like most other people do to justify another appliance and having to buy the special bags
Just get the air out of the bag using the corner and pushing the bag under the water to force the remaining air out – give it a pinch and you’re good to go!
You definitely can. Just be sure to (mostly) submerge the bag while you’re sealing it up, to effectively push as much air out of the bag as possible.
You may want to clip the top of the bag to the rim of the pot too. I wouldn’t trust that kind of seal to be underwater. The kind of freezer bag with the sliding zipper is a bit more secure.
Eventually, you may want to get a vacuum sealer. This is the best method, and useful in other ways too.
Hey! A north easterner! Gotta clip those Digi coups to make ShopRite worth the stop lately.
Ziplock freezer bags seem to work well under all conditions.
Just did a run of store off brand freezer bags that also worked well enough, so a one time sucess.
The vacuum seal bags are very nice, hold up better in the freezer, but I only have a machine at work.
I honestly have tried freezer bags a few times and they have always leaked on me…so I switched to a vacuum sealer.
FWIW Alton Brown always says to use name brand freezer bags for sous vide.
I’m a bit scared with higher temperatures and plastic leaching in the food.
So I won’t do it.
I am going to disagree with the rest of the crowd. I work in plastics, and I would ALWAYS use “made for purpose” bags.
There is a lot of oversight (FDA, EU) on plastics made to come in contact with food, plastics made to be microwaved, and the heat stability / frost resistance of bags, and this is for a very good reason.
When you use bags made for the purpose of freezing foods, they have not been tested (and have not been produced for / stabilized to be used) for heating. So unless it is specifically stated that they can be used for elevated temperatures, I would not.
Any brand of sous vide bags you find (vacuum seal bags) will consist of suitable materials that do not break down at these temperatures.
Your concern is leaking or tearing. But before that happens, the polymer chains may break. This possibly causes the release of microplastics directly into your nice warm sous vide meal. So even if the bag stays airtight, it does not mean the plastic has remained intact.
My advice is you do you, but I would add to that – don’t be an idiot and use “made for purpose” materials.
I use silicone bags
Or use a machine that don’t need bags
As a note, there are three main things that cause plastic to leach. Heat, Acid, and fatty foods.
It’s not just BPA, there are other plasticizers. There are BPSs, PFAs, phthalates, and others.
I switched to silicone before scrapping it all together. I’m not saying you need to or should. The gains from cooking soups vide simply did not outweigh the risks for me, especially when taking all the chemicals aside, you’re still getting microplastics. Decide what you are comfortable with, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist. Hell, maybe email your local chemistry professor.
Cheers!
Regardless of the bags, am I the only one concerned with food in the water prior to it coming to temperature? I was taught to put it in closer or at temperature to keep the food out of the danger zone for too long.
So while you can use Ziploc bags, I’ve just had them fail on me too many times.
If you like cooking this way on a regular basis, it is worth investing in a good vacuum sealer. I usually take things from the store package directly to a bag, and it works great for me.
That said, since you’re a first timer, and it isn’t something like a 36.hour cook, you’re probably fine, but I would double bag just in case.
Using the wrong type of plastic for sous vide cooking can pose risks due to potential chemical leaching into food, particularly at elevated temperatures. While food-grade plastics like high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP) are generally considered safe for sous vide, some plastics can leach harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates. These chemicals can disrupt hormones and potentially have negative health effects. Therefore, it’s crucial to use only food-grade, BPA-free, and phthalate-free plastics specifically designed for sous vide cooking.
Nope, from my understanding, good to use. On a side note: learned about the danger of prepackaged, vacuum sealed fish. Open them and reseal before sous vide. Without oxygen reacting with the fish, a toxin can develop that is extremely dangerous and deadly. Look more into it, cause I am not a scientist with all the technical details or vocabulary. This is probably already common knowledge for many on here. But a lot of newcomers come here and it’s good to know some food science and safety