Plastic Bags

[Little Rickie]

Just so the other thread doesn't drift more, has ther been discussions on heating/cooking in plastic sandwich bags, freezer bags and vacume sealed food storage bags?

I know there is a difference between heating food up at lower temperatures and cooking at boiling point.

or do we need a pole?

 

[Chip]

I've boiled MRE's in water (which is a standard heating method), then drank the water (which probably is not recommended), then peed the water (releasing potential toxins back to environment). Pretty sure Ziploc is more health/hazard conscious than the US Army. I drink boiled MRE pouch water too infrequently to worry about it. But Saint Peter may eventually inform me that I should have .

http://www.trailcooking.com/content/are-freezer-bags-safe

For more information, visit Ziploc's website, and go to the FAQ page. As you can see, all Ziploc® brand items are Dioxin free. Ziploc® freezer bags state on their box that they are microwavable safe. Microwave temperatures can easily exceed the heat of the water you will use for your dinner on the trail. One use though for the bags that is not recommended is boiling the bags. One of the more popular emails floating around concerns the "Zip loc Omelette" where you boil eggs in a bag for 12-15 minutes, in a pan of water. It works quite well, but the boiling water can weaken the bag, or if the bag touches the hot pan, it can melt. Some confusion can occur with this, until the person asking the question realizes that to do "FBC Method" cooking you are not boiling food in the bag, but rather, adding hot water to the bag! The water cools down below boiling pretty quick as the food absorbs that heat and is cooked. Most major name brand freezer bags are made of 100% polyethylene. Most bags are 3 mil thick. As with any question, it does come down to your own personal feelings. If you do not like plastics, then look above for ways to use our recipes and methods using the one pot method. Again we as authors and site owners, do not take any legal responsibility for the use of any materials or methods described on this website, or in our books, nor of any products mentioned in them. It is a personal choice of yours.

 

[Stash]

I know there is a difference between heating food up at lower temperatures and cooking at boiling point.

or do we need a pole?

I think the world is getting a bit too uptight about ingesting trace amounts of this and that. The more we "protect" ourselves the more we expose ourselves to something else that will kill us.

And I am a pole.

 

[DougPaul]

Just so the other thread doesn't drift more, has ther been discussions on heating/cooking in plastic sandwich bags, freezer bags and vacume sealed food storage bags?

Presumably any food bag that is labeled as being microwave safe should be ok for heating food.

As Chip's quoted link notes, if the bag touches the pot it can melt. However, if you nest two pots (such that the bottoms don't touch) with water in between* and put the plastic bag in the inner pot, then the plastic bag should be safe from melting. (Put some water in the inner pot to improve heat transfer to the bag and contents.)

* This is essentially an improvised double-boiler.


And one should be able to drink (or dispose of) any of the boiled water...

Doug