View Full Version : BPA and freezer bag cooking
is it dangerous to use freezer bags to cook meals in?
Dances with Mice
10-22-2009, 22:01
dangerous compared to what?
Depends on which know it all egghead you ask. For most of us, it's reasonably safe. :D
Yet just wonder i was gone to freezer bag cooking at home to see if it would work for me.Do you guys just use the freezer Bags you find in the stores or do you get them some place else. I start my hike on Feb 4 2010 and was looking at these frozen meal that you can buy just put them in boiling
water 4 min you have a meal they have meatloaf turkey ham some others
to. I think they would stay good for afew days and sure would taste good
on a cool day. What to you guys think
:D
Do you guys just use the freezer Bags you find in the stores....... Yep.
.......looking at these frozen meal that you can buy just put them in boiling water 4 min you have a meal they have meatloaf turkey ham some others to. I think they would stay good for afew days and sure would taste good on a cool day. What to you guys think I think they'd probably be ungodly heavy, but if you're willing to pay the weight penalty, then go for it.
Have you seen "Freezer Bag Cooking" video?
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITr1Ht4ndnY
He has it nicely worked out.
Have you seen the Freezer Bag Cooking recipes?
Here is the website: http://www.trailcooking.com/
There are so many good things to put in there.
Here: http://www.ultralightbackpackingonline.info/food1.html
As for me, I use either Whole Foods Market "365" Reclosable Freezer Bags (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/all/index.php), labeled free of PVC and phthalates or the K-Mart Sears Kenmore Seal-n-Save Pre-Cut Quart Bags (http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_9990000005450111P?mv=rr) for vacuum repackaging prepared dried and freeze-dried food, and then, preparing the food in the bag by pouring-in-hot-water.
In addition, Enertia Trail Foods has a stand-up meal pouch (http://www.trailfoods.com/#/products/mealgear/meal_pouch/), specifically FDA-approved to pour boiling water into the bag. Pricey.
Freezer bags do not contain BPA. They are food grade plastic rated for use with microwave temperatures. Not for use submerged in boiling water (Food Vac bags are rated for that). Use only US made bags to ensure proper standards. US plastic food bags do not contain Dioxin either (banned in the US). They are made of polyethylene.
Packitgourmet.com also carries heavy mil bags rated to higher temperatures as well.
We recommend in ALL FBC recipes to use near boiling, not boiling water. Bring your water to a boil then let sit to cool off a bit, then use. They do not need boiling to fully rehydrate.
charlie2008
10-23-2009, 02:04
:mad: Oh God, not again.
Wise Old Owl
10-23-2009, 03:07
:mad: Oh God, not again.
Yup once again... makes you want to chew a plastic melted stirring spoon and spit!:eek:
BPA=burnedout posting again.
Fiddleback
10-23-2009, 10:29
To emphasize,...
There is no BPA in plastic baggies. BPA primarily is used as a hardener. It's in bottles, CDs, and the like...but it's not in freezer baggies.
Further, BPA is rapidly being dropped from plastic items associated with food and drink. Even those items that use to contain BPA are showing up BPA-free.
FB
Ziploc has a new bag.
ZiplocŪ Brand Easy Zipper Expandable Bottom Storage & Freezer Bags
feature a pleated bottom that expands into a flat base,
helping the bags stay upright so they're easy to fill.
http://www.ziploc.com/?p=b3
sarbar,
Thanks, for the clarification.
I had this on my website. http://packitgourmet.com/CookIn-Bags-p324.html
But 60-cents.
I know I appreciate the clarification.
:)freezer bag cooking rocks,its the only way to fly.i mainly freezer bag cook in my jet boil on backpacking trips.and on kayaking trips i also freezer bag cook in my bakepacker.:cool:neo
Wise Old Owl
10-25-2009, 16:10
OLD... WOO Thank's Neo....
http://www.glad.com/pdf/Glad-Bisphenal_A_Declaration.pdf
Blue Jay
10-25-2009, 22:08
No one has the slightest idea as there are thousands of variables and you are the guinea pig.
charlie2008
10-25-2009, 22:36
No one has the slightest idea as there are thousands of variables and you are the guinea pig.
-
Now, come on, I been FBC for years and years, even before FBC was popular and I see nothing wrong with it at all. :eek:
-
Really in all seriousness if your worried about it that much. :-?
-
Just "Don't Do It." :welcome
Dances with Mice
10-25-2009, 23:06
To emphasize,...
There is no BPA in plastic baggies. Exactly right. Did you also know that bottled water contains no caffeine?! No, seriously, I saw bottled water labeled as being caffeine-free. So I guess some part of the population doesn't know that. Well, I thought it was funny.
BPA primarily is used as a hardener. Plasticizer. It makes things softer not harder.
Not that anyone cares. I've proven to my own satisfaction that on W-B I can post incorrect basic chemistry information (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=909200&postcount=24)and nobody will catch it.
Fiddleback
10-26-2009, 11:57
Yup.:o
I was thinking of shatter proof/impact resistant polycarbonates where much of the BPA is used...as that in baby bottles, water bottles, CD/DVDs, lenses, sports equipment, aircraft canopies, 'bullet-proof' glass, etc.
But polycarbonate is not 'hard' and, in fact, coatings are used to reduce/prevent scratching.
FB
Dances with Mice
10-26-2009, 12:39
But polycarbonate is not 'hard' and, in fact, coatings are used to reduce/prevent scratching.Right. It would be more correct for both of us to say that BPA makes polycarbonate tougher. It can bend some without breaking. Without it the polycarbonate would be brittle.
Polyethylene is already very flexible and doesn't need plasticizers. It's so flexible it could be used for, oh I dunno.... bags?
Polypropylene and polyester (PETE) used for things like drink bottles also don't need or have BPA.
skinewmexico
10-26-2009, 12:56
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!!
sheepdog
10-26-2009, 13:49
No one has the slightest idea as there are thousands of variables and you are the guinea pig.
gotta die of sumpin
worry will probably kill you faster
To answer the original couple of questions: I just used the "freezer" type bag (Glad Bag brand) that I bought at the super-market and had no problems with FBC. I did find that the kind with the little zip closure sometimes broke and those type did tend to leak a bit, but the kind that you just pressed together to seal, did not.
Both kinds held boiling water/hot foods without any noticeable problems and clean-up was a snap. FBC is the only way to go on an extended hike :D.
Blue Jay
10-27-2009, 20:45
Really in all seriousness if your worried about it that much. :-?
-
Just "Don't Do It." :welcome
Who's worried? I don't conduct blind science experiments on myself to avoid washing a pot that does not need washing in the first place.
Blue Jay
10-27-2009, 20:54
gotta die of sumpin
worry will probably kill you faster
I have nothing to worry about however your "argument" rules out looking before you cross the street, drinking random liquids you find in an alley or any other reasonable self preservation activity. Drinking boiled plastic residue may be perfectly safe and it may not. To do so to avoid washing a pot many people don't bother to anyway is simply a stange risk you truly don't have to take. Why bother in the first place, wash the pot when you get home.
Whiskey Ninja
10-27-2009, 20:54
You can use the little zip locks also. Eggs, cheese, bacon, and a tortilla. Zip Lock bag cooking makes a nice omelet but melts quickly if it hits the open flame. It will definitely taste like **** after that, but even then, the plastic just passes through and probably still worth it.
sheepdog
10-27-2009, 21:03
I have nothing to worry about however your "argument" rules out looking before you cross the street, drinking random liquids you find in an alley or any other reasonable self preservation activity. Drinking boiled plastic residue may be perfectly safe and it may not. To do so to avoid washing a pot many people don't bother to anyway is simply a stange risk you truly don't have to take. Why bother in the first place, wash the pot when you get home.
I guess we all decide what kind of chances we want to take. I'll roll the dice I don't think the odds are that bad.
Wise Old Owl
10-27-2009, 21:05
What chances? - posted that Glad bags do not have BPA, I looked it up.
sheepdog
10-27-2009, 21:06
What chances? - posted that Glad bags do not have BPA, I looked it up.
I know, he doesn't like the idea of some unknown chemical attacking him.
Blue Jay
10-27-2009, 21:12
I know, he doesn't like the idea of some unknown chemical attacking him.
OMG a breakthrough.
sheepdog
10-27-2009, 21:32
OMG a breakthrough.
;):-?:)........
Dances with Mice
10-27-2009, 21:55
Can we assume Mr. Jay doesn't eat meat that he doesn't kill himself or vegetables he doesn't raise? Because just about everything at the store that's fresh, frozen or dried - meat, dairy and produce, is either wrapped, sealed or has been shipped in polyethylene. Apples to zuchinni.
Canned goods are in direct contact with BPAs.
And all that polyethylene has already been heated to temps a lot higher than you'll ever find in FBC.
sheepdog
10-27-2009, 21:56
Can we assume Mr. Jay doesn't eat meat that he doesn't kill himself or vegetables he doesn't raise? Because just about everything at the store that's fresh, frozen or dried - meat, dairy and produce, is either wrapped, sealed or has been shipped in polyethylene. Apples to zuchinni.
Canned goods are in direct contact with BPAs.
And all that polyethylene has already been heated to temps a lot higher than you'll ever find in FBC.
He only eats organically grown sunflower seeds
at least legend has it;)
Skidsteer
10-27-2009, 21:58
Can we assume Mr. Jay doesn't eat meat that he doesn't kill himself or vegetables he doesn't raise? Because just about everything at the store that's fresh, frozen or dried - meat, dairy and produce, is either wrapped, sealed or has been shipped in polyethylene. Apples to zuchinni.
Canned goods are in direct contact with BPAs.
And all that polyethylene has already been heated to temps a lot higher than you'll ever find in FBC.
Gracious sakes alive! Next thing you know they'll be putting it in personal hygiene products.
Bastards!
Wise Old Owl
10-27-2009, 22:00
uh yea it clearly in Trojan's!
Skidsteer, I read that BPA is in hidden inside Under Armor clothing should I be worried?
Skidsteer
10-27-2009, 22:04
uh yea it clearly in Trojan's!
Skidsteer, I read that BPA is in hidden inside Under Armor clothing should I be worried?
You should be OK if you don't bring them to a full boil.
Dances with Mice
10-27-2009, 22:28
uh yea it clearly in Trojan's!
Skidsteer, I read that BPA is in hidden inside Under Armor clothing should I be worried?Only if you spend any time at all sitting on a bicycle seat. It's well known that bicycle seat covers catalyze the deadly polyethylene reaction.
Skidsteer
10-27-2009, 22:40
Only if you spend any time at all sitting on a bicycle seat. It's well known that bicycle seat covers catalyze the deadly polyethylene reaction.
'Preciate the info.
That's one part of my anatomy I definitely don't want to expose to a plasticizer.
Wise Old Owl
10-27-2009, 22:48
Thank Skidsteer, great topper, OMG fell of my seat. Apparently we now have the solution for bicycle seats, trogans and low sp**m counts... right here at WB!
Dances with Mice
10-27-2009, 22:59
Thank Skidsteer, great topper, OMG fell of my seat. Apparently we now have the solution for bicycle seats, trogans and low sp**m counts... right here at WB!Two words, man: Lance Armstrong.
Do I need to say anything else?
Skidsteer
10-27-2009, 23:04
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd238/acsskidsteer/Smileys/notworthy.gif
Have you seen "Freezer Bag Cooking" video?
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITr1Ht4ndnY
He has it nicely worked out.
If it will help my Mullet grow faster -- I'll do it!
You go, Mullet-head.
Wait-- Hold on-- I'm waiting for a profile -- there it is -- whew. I think it is a ponytail pulled back - for gawds sake, lets hope so.
omg...thanks for the laugh!! i needed it this morning.....
Wise Old Owl
10-28-2009, 13:10
Two words, man: Lance Armstrong.
Do I need to say anything else?
Wow the one nut wonder......:o
Good one DwM!!!
drastic_quench
10-28-2009, 13:17
Cooking day in and day out with plastic bags for six months is retarded. BPA is hardly the only thing in plastic that can leach into your food. Sure, one could take the anecdotal I've-been-doing-it-for-years-and-I'm-fine advice, but who knows if all that long-term exposure is going to ulcerate the hell out of your stomach or you'll end up with kidney problems years or decades down the road. Common plastic baggies aren't engineered for this, so it's your own fault if the practice ends up harming you. Same deal with repeated and long-term expose to using HEET to cook with (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropanol#Toxicology) and using plastic-lined beer cans as pots. Hike your own hike and all, but for me, this is where light weight meets idiocy.
All this, to save yourself one of the most delicious parts of the meal -- sopping up the last of the food in your pot with a piece of bread or tortilla.
Dances with Mice
10-28-2009, 16:44
Cooking day in and day out with plastic bags for six months is retarded. BPA is hardly the only thing in plastic that can leach into your food. Sure, one could take the anecdotal I've-been-doing-it-for-years-and-I'm-fine advice, but who knows if all that long-term exposure is going to ulcerate the hell out of your stomach or you'll end up with kidney problems years or decades down the road. I can't believe you left out brain worms from your well reasoned and researched argument. FBC might cause worms to hatch inside your head. It hasn't happened yet but nobody really knows.
mister krabs
10-28-2009, 16:47
Same deal with repeated and long-term expose to using HEET to cook with (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropanol#Toxicology)
That's not the kind of heet that's recommended for cooking, http://zenstoves.net/MSDS/MSDSHeet.htm
drastic_quench
10-28-2009, 18:06
I can't believe you left out brain worms from your well reasoned and researched argument. FBC might cause worms to hatch inside your head. It hasn't happened yet but nobody really knows.
Enjoy ingesting those plastic. Good luck.
Wise Old Owl
10-28-2009, 18:33
Cooking day in and day out with plastic bags for six months is retarded. BPA is hardly the only thing in plastic that can leach into your food. Sure, one could take the anecdotal I've-been-doing-it-for-years-and-I'm-fine advice, but who knows if all that long-term exposure is going to ulcerate the hell out of your stomach or you'll end up with kidney problems years or decades down the road. Common plastic baggies aren't engineered for this, so it's your own fault if the practice ends up harming you. Same deal with repeated and long-term expose to using HEET to cook with (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropanol#Toxicology) and using plastic-lined beer cans as pots. Hike your own hike and all, but for me, this is where light weight meets idiocy.
All this, to save yourself one of the most delicious parts of the meal -- sopping up the last of the food in your pot with a piece of bread or tortilla.
Unless you can back up the above statement and this one I have to pull it apart, only Keystone Beer had a plastic liner years ago to offset the aluminum taste of a can. Today its a micro amount of SHELLAC that is sprayed on in a tiny amount that makes the liner. After several boils the chemical comes to the surface and then - nothing. My source is "How its Made" on Discovery C.
Did you have to take such an extreme position?
Dances with Mice
10-28-2009, 19:04
Enjoy ingesting those plastic. Good luck.And who said I practice FBC? I am just so glad that we now have a safety expert on-line. It's something this website has been lacking for a long time.
You've clearly shown the dangers of isopropyl alcohol but you failed to recommend a safe fuel. That is quite unfair to all us 'tards. What do you recommend as a fuel proven safe for long-term use? How about insect repellent? Many tenting materials are treated with fire retardants (...Look! There's that word again!!...) which brand tents should be avoided? How about the best water treatment?
Skidsteer
10-28-2009, 19:20
Everclear is quite safe to backpack with as long as you don't drink it or use it around an open flame.
Dances with Mice
10-28-2009, 19:27
Everclear is quite safe to backpack with as long as you don't drink it or use it around an open flame.Exactly right, because everyone knows that if you were to drink Everclear you'd get all retarded and retardants put out flames.
beakerman
10-28-2009, 19:34
Everclear is quite safe to backpack with as long as you don't drink it or use it around an open flame.
Good lord who would drink everclear straight?! Ouch!
Maybe in a nice jello shot or something but not straight...that's jsut evil.
It does make a jim dandy fuel when used straight though.
Dances with Mice
10-28-2009, 19:37
Good lord who would drink everclear straightSkid's sexual orientation should not be a topic for discussion.
Skidsteer
10-28-2009, 19:39
FYI for everyone. I have hiked with Dances on several occasions and don't ever recall him using FBC.
I suspect he tried it at home and scalded himself in an ill-conceived Mill's Mess (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=15412&catid=searchresults&searchid=28021) attempt.
Dances with Mice
10-28-2009, 20:12
I experimented with FBC once when I was young. But I did not inhale.
Skidsteer
10-28-2009, 20:20
Skid's sexual orientation should not be a topic for discussion.
I don't mind that.
The mullet jokes sting though.
Dances with Mice
10-28-2009, 20:34
Hair jokes? Me?? That'd be like a quadriplegic telling sports jokes.
I don't mind that.
The mullet jokes sting though.
I am sooo sorry. I had to do it - I hoped you would take it well.
You can make fun of my shiny bald head anytime you want.
Dances with Mice
10-29-2009, 20:28
You know that BPA causes hair loss and .... something else, but I can't remember.
Skidsteer
10-29-2009, 20:51
I am sooo sorry. I had to do it - I hoped you would take it well.
You can make fun of my shiny bald head anytime you want.
It's OK. Really. It's not like you made fun of my moustache or anything. :p
You know that BPA causes hair loss and .... something else, but I can't remember.
I'll never kiss another bicycle seat as long as I live.
Dances with Mice
10-29-2009, 21:08
I'll never kiss another bicycle seat as long as I live.Will that be a hard habit for you to break?
Skidsteer
10-29-2009, 21:13
Will that be a hard habit for you to break?
I don't remember.
Wise Old Owl
10-29-2009, 22:50
I don't remember ....I don't recall .... I dont remember anything at all. Who wrot e that song... oh well have a good night folks the Phillies just got interesting.
Blue Jay
10-30-2009, 10:43
Can we assume Mr. Jay doesn't eat meat that he doesn't kill himself or vegetables he doesn't raise? Because just about everything at the store that's fresh, frozen or dried - meat, dairy and produce, is either wrapped, sealed or has been shipped in polyethylene. Apples to zuchinni.
This argument is astounding. No one, not even you plastic eaters, boils meat or vegetables in packaging materials. News flash, packaging is mostly room temperatures, boiling is a bit hotter. True, I should not have assumed you knew that.
Wise Old Owl
10-30-2009, 11:16
Uggg the Phills lost.....
Don't worry about it Blue Jay - Now pass the Bpa encrusted can of Yungling over - hey its warm, what happened to putting the six in the stream?
Dances with Mice
10-30-2009, 11:22
This argument is astounding. No one, not even you plastic eaters, boils meat or vegetables in packaging materials. News flash, packaging is mostly room temperatures, boiling is a bit hotter. True, I should not have assumed you knew that.So you've never heard of microwave dishes and coverings? Do try to keep up with the current literature.
I read that BPA can cause man boobs. Is that true?
I tried to grow a set in the '70s, it would have saved me a pile of time if I had my own pair.:)
Dances with Mice
10-30-2009, 12:00
I read that BPA can cause man boobs. Is that true?
I tried to grow a set in the '70s, it would have saved me a pile of time if I had my own pair.:)Oh, no. But that's a common rumor. Simple misunderstanding.
It's BSA that causes man boobs. Boy Scouts of America. Check out any Scoutmaster and you'll see what I mean.
Wise Old Owl
10-30-2009, 12:03
DwM I will not be "checking" out any scoutmaster any time soon.....
Jonnycat
11-01-2009, 02:54
http://i33.tinypic.com/2wlvj41.jpg
sheepdog
11-01-2009, 08:14
http://i33.tinypic.com/2wlvj41.jpg
good one :D
Wise Old Owl
11-05-2009, 00:56
And the Phillies lost again dang....
Oh its this thread again... Oh well pass the plastic,I need a swig....
http://i33.tinypic.com/2wlvj41.jpg
Nice! I'm going to borrow this for all the other forums this topic comes up on. Thanks. :D
Wise Old Owl
11-06-2009, 17:58
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/owls_pair.gif