https://www.yahoo.com/news/ziploc-hit-class-action-lawsuit-003500387.html
Just as a data point, the complaintant in this case files class action suits for a living, including recent actions against Ghiardelli Chocolate, Walgreens, Nestle, Mars Chocolate, and Symantec, among others.
What to use in the freezer then?
I use glass and tempered containers in the freezer a lot. Or foil containers.
I am not too worried about microplastics from freezer bags.
I won’t reheat anything in a plastic bag or freezer bag.
Hmmm, I always lack space for the freezer, so bags fit like Tetris.
I hear you!
Funny, until I saw this thread\link it never occurred to me to reheat anything in the plastic and I freeze everything in Ziploc (though usually wrapped in press-n-seal first). I generally don’t heat anything beyond water in my microwave, but I didn’t even realize Ziploc was marketed for that.
Some people use ziplock bags for sous vide, or bain marie cooking.
But how do get the air out - at least vacuum sealing seems to be critical to be able to store things for a longer period of time without having quality issues
I don’t get the air out. I use most of what I freeze within 6 weeks to 3 months.
I don’t get air out of my Ziploc freezer bags, either.
I don’t own a vaccum sealer.
If you fill a pot or can do with water and immerse the ziplock with an open top, the water will push the air out. Just don’t let water get in and seal. Viola! Heck, the whole string section!
I know how to get air out of the bag without a vacuum pump but my question was more about my surprise to store things in the freezer with full exposure to air. In my experience meat and seafood suffers quite a quality drop after a short time, e.g. 2-3 weeks under such conditions in the freezer
My local market vaccum seals shrimp on styrofoam trays covered in plastic, before freezing. With whatever equipment they use, it would be possible to vacuum seal over the foil or glass tray, but of course, that film involves plastic. I have no idea if there are any biodegradable films or any non plastic wraps that could be used to vacuum seal.
I know some health food stores sell beeswax cloth wraps as an alternative to plastic wrap, which might be somewhat more protective or sealed, although not vaccum sealed, than a glass container or foil container. I haven’t used them.
For my fruitcake, it’s not a vaccum seal, but it’s protective. Parchment wrap, then aluminum foil wrap.
I have freezer paper but I don’t use it often.
Many people who don’t want a vacuum sealer do indeed recommend ziploc bags as a better alternative, but I wonder if there is even any difference. Whatever issue they are reporting with ziploc bags, I doubt there is a significant difference in what might be happening with plastic sous vide bags too. For the most part, I assume cooking/heating with plastic is going to be a risk you are willing or not to take (outside of egregious pollutant or chemical leaching, that is). I’ve already switched to using glass for a lot of leftovers, but I still put individual portions of rice in clear/white plastic containers. I avoid heating the black plastic whenever I can.
Same here, using glass for most leftovers.