Are there any decent resealable bags (e.g., Ziploc)? (Solved!)

[uncle eddie]

I have been buying Great Value gallon resealable bags to make my jerky in when using a marinade.  I just made a batch tonight and turned it upside down for a minute and a small drop of marinade (soy sauce based) did appear...but it sure looked to be an acceptable test to me for a resealable bag with a slider opener/closer.

 

[johnmeyer]

 
I have been buying Great Value gallon resealable bags to make my jerky in when using a marinade.  I just made a batch tonight and turned it upside down for a minute and a small drop of marinade (soy sauce based) did appear...but it sure looked to be an acceptable test to me for a resealable bag with a slider opener/closer.

I guess the definition of "acceptable" depends on what you are doing. For a marinade, all you need is to have the bag contain the liquid, more or less. If a little drips out, it won't affect anything.

By contrast, for food storage, where you don't want freezer burn or, for the fridge, you want to keep the food fresh for as long as possible, keeping every last bit of air out is mandatory. If the bag lets air seep in, as these Ziploc and Hefty bags do, then you are going to have both of these problems and your food will spoil quickly.

I just received the resealable locking bags from Foodsaver. Their vacuum bags on a roll are several steps beyond anything you can get from Ziploc and Hefty and I hope these will be of similar quality. The Foodsaver bags have a vacuum valve on the face of the bag in addition to the normal Ziploc-style locking mechanism. I also purchased the little battery operated vacuum sealer that goes with these bags, even though I have a full-sized Foodsaver sealer (I couldn't find an adapter for my old unit that would work with these bags).

The bags arrive on Friday, and the little vacuum unit is supposed to arrive today. After I've tried them out for a few days, I'll report back.

Ziploc's parent company has sent me several coupons so that I can purchase replacements for my "defective" bags. (I put that word in quotes because I suspect the problem is a design flaw rather than a manufacturing defect). I'll also report back as to whether the brand new bags work any better than the ones now in my pantry that have caused all these problems.

 

[gr0uch0]

I've never had good luck with any of the name brands:  leak, tear on the seams, etc.  Best results I've had are with Wally's Great Value bags that have the double seal, not the zippers.  They seem thicker than the others, and haven't had a problem with the seals leaking.  Only thing that I have had issues with are when I've brought bagged frozen liquids out of the freezer to thaw:  sometimes they do leak a little, but a well-placed bowl/lipped plate underneath solves that issue.  They're cheap enough that I don't want to run the risk of trying to clean them well enough and compromise their integrity.  My $0.02.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.

Exactly---- I freeze everything in Vacuum Packed bags.

Then when I thaw a pack out, I usually put it in a container with a lid until it's gone.

Or if it's something like Ring Bologna or Dried Beef, I just fold the open end down to the meat & put a Rubber band around it. Then into the fridge.

Any more, I only use ZipLocks for curing things (Bacon, Dried Beef, BBB, CB, etc)

Bear

 

[johnmeyer]

I found a solution!

After trying Ziploc, Hefty, and Lisa's bags (which, BTW, provide a partial solution and are very good), I found a complete solution: Foodsaver resealable bags. Even if you don't use the vacuum feature, they can be used just like ordinary resealable Ziploc or Hefty bags with the difference being that these actually seal and completely hold out air. I did buy the little battery-operated vacuum device, and it is a joy to use.

So, I have completely solved my problem and thought I'd post this in case anyone else has the same problem.

 

[johnmeyer]

Quick update on the Foodsaver bags. The quart size work great, but I got a set of gallon bags that all appear to be defective. None of them will hold a vacuum. I contacted Foodsaver several days ago and no one is returning my inquiry. So I have to back off on my recommendation to go with Foodsaver until I figure out why every gallon bag fails and every quart bag works perfectly.

 

[johnmeyer]

Actually, even the quart Foodsaver zipper bags fail. It is a known problem. Read the first of 1,000+ Amazon reviews and you will see that even the positive ones talk about the high failure rate:

Foodsaver Zipper Bags Reviews

 

[stainless]

Sorry.. I've been meaning to ask this but have held back..  Are you hiding weed in these bags or something? lol j/k

 

[johnmeyer]

 
Sorry.. I've been meaning to ask this but have held back..  Are you hiding weed in these bags or something? lol j/k

1. If I were to do that, I'd use a Baggie not a Ziploc, since Baggies are the "official" weed bag.

2. I live in California, so if I were to be putting weed in these, I no longer have to hide it because, in their infinite wisdom, the voters in our state legalized it four months ago.

3. And no, just so I don't create any confusion, I don't use them for weed.

Mushrooms, yes; weed, no.

OK, that's a joke.

Better stop now ...

 

[geezer]

 
Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.

This! ^^^^^^^

 

[johnmeyer]

 
Buy a vacuum sealer and start using vacuum bags. Over the long run they're cheaper and your food will remain in much better shape.

This! ^^^^^^^

Well, as I said in my original post, and as I also said when I replied to SmokesOnTuesday, I already own a Foodsaver vacuum system. The point of wanting to use resealable bags is for things like whole wheat flour, which doesn't keep that well, and which I don't use that often. I want to extend its life, and then re-vacuum the flour without constantly making the plastic vacuum bag shorter, which is what happens if you cut it open and then re-seal it.

Foodsaver is sending me a new set of quart and gallon bags. This whole exercise has been a very useful way to find out the difference in quality between different plastic bag storage systems.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Well, as I said in my original post, and as I also said when I replied to SmokesOnTuesday, I already own a Foodsaver vacuum system. The point of wanting to use resealable bags is for things like whole wheat flour, which doesn't keep that well, and which I don't use that often. I want to extend its life, and then re-vacuum the flour without constantly making the plastic vacuum bag shorter, which is what happens if you cut it open and then re-seal it.

Foodsaver is sending me a new set of quart and gallon bags. This whole exercise has been a very useful way to find out the difference in quality between different plastic bag storage systems.

Why not use the vacuum canisters for your whole wheat flour. That is what we use and it works great. Dry goods in vacuum canisters is the best way to store them.

 

[johnmeyer]

Why not use the vacuum canisters for your whole wheat flour. That is what we use and it works great. Dry goods in vacuum canisters is the best way to store them.

I have a lot of canisters, as well as various-sized canning jars. We save a lot of stuff in them. However, I only have a few canisters that would be big enough to hold a 5-pound bag of flour. The big ones are expensive, and they take up a lot more space than just the bag. I need to store some of these things in a drawer that is really crowded.

Also, I need to have a LOT of storage bags or canisters because I try to keep a bag of both all-purpose and bread flour in the pantry; masa harina for the Mexican dishes; whole wheat flour; bread flour that is opened; and more. I need to store at least ten different things, which would be a lot of canisters. Also, as good as canisters are, the vacuum bags do a better job of preserving things, or at least that is what I have found. I don't know how many molecules of oxygen are left in a canister, but my sense of things is that there are far fewer molecules left in a properly evacuated and sealed bag.

BTW, if you use canisters, and if you have a Sodastream carbonation device, one trick I came up with, which works amazingly well, is to fill the canister with your food, and then squirt a little carbon dioxide from the Sodastream into the canister. If you do a little research, you'll find that a lot of produce companies use CO2 (as well as nitrogen) to extend the life of their product. I have used this for strawberries, and the results are absolutely amazing. I can keep them for several days with only a minimal loss of product quality. Strawberries are among the most perishable of foods. For strawberries, I simply add the CO2, and then evacuate the canister for less than one second, just enough to keep the lid on, but not enough to disrupt the strawberry's cell structure (i.e., not a full-blown vacuum). I've done this with lots of other things, and it often works better than creating a vacuum.

I haven't come up with anything for storing bananas for any length of time.

I also have purchased the oxygen depletion packets, but don't yet have mylar bags. I know a few survivalists, and they use the combination of dehydration, vacuum, gas, mylar, and oxygen depletion packets to store their stuff for years at a time.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I have a lot of canisters, as well as various-sized canning jars. We save a lot of stuff in them. However, I only have a few canisters that would be big enough to hold a 5-pound bag of flour. The big ones are expensive, and they take up a lot more space than just the bag. I need to store some of these things in a drawer that is really crowded.

Also, I need to have a LOT of storage bags or canisters because I try to keep a bag of both all-purpose and bread flour in the pantry; masa harina for the Mexican dishes; whole wheat flour; bread flour that is opened; and more. I need to store at least ten different things, which would be a lot of canisters. Also, as good as canisters are, the vacuum bags do a better job of preserving things, or at least that is what I have found. I don't know how many molecules of oxygen are left in a canister, but my sense of things is that there are far fewer molecules left in a properly evacuated and sealed bag.

BTW, if you use canisters, and if you have a Sodastream carbonation device, one trick I came up with, which works amazingly well, is to fill the canister with your food, and then squirt a little carbon dioxide from the Sodastream into the canister. If you do a little research, you'll find that a lot of produce companies use CO2 (as well as nitrogen) to extend the life of their product. I have used this for strawberries, and the results are absolutely amazing. I can keep them for several days with only a minimal loss of product quality. Strawberries are among the most perishable of foods. For strawberries, I simply add the CO2, and then evacuate the canister for less than one second, just enough to keep the lid on, but not enough to disrupt the strawberry's cell structure (i.e., not a full-blown vacuum). I've done this with lots of other things, and it often works better than creating a vacuum.

I haven't come up with anything for storing bananas for any length of time.

I also have purchased the oxygen depletion packets[/COLOR], but don't yet have mylar bags. I know a few survivalists, and they use the combination of dehydration, vacuum, gas, mylar, and oxygen depletion packets to store their stuff for years at a time.

So if the concern is spoilage and you don't have room to store even vac packed dry goods, is a 5 pound cheaper purchase better than buying smaller quantities and using them before they go bad?

In the end if you buy larger quantities and don't use them, you end up paying more.

 

[dward51]

So what about the wide mouth jars?  A set of 6 of the 64 ounce (half gallon size) is only $20 on amazon.   If you don't have a foodsaver wide mouth jar adapter, its only another $10 on Amazon (and they also make a standard jar size).  Ace Hardware has them for $12.99 for 6 and free shipping to a local store (if you have one).  Amazon will ship for free from the vendor linked below. Those would be the ultimate in reusable containers for dry goods.  I use the smaller jars for spices and have both the wide mouth and regular jar adapters for my foodsaver.


Not my jars, but you get the idea.

img_1594.JPG

• dward51
• Feb 25, 2017

 

[johnmeyer]

I do purchase really small amounts of whole wheat flour and masa harina, but I still sometimes don't get through it very fast. Whole wheat flour is really delicate and goes "off" pretty quickly.

I have a huge range of wide-mouth canning jars, including some 4-oz jars. I didn't know about half-gallon jars. I definitely need to look into getting some.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I do purchase really small amounts of whole wheat flour and masa harina, but I still sometimes don't get through it very fast. Whole wheat flour is really delicate and goes "off" pretty quickly.

I have a huge range of wide-mouth canning jars, including some 4-oz jars. I didn't know about half-gallon jars. I definitely need to look into getting some.

Okay I'm confused above you say you buy in 5 pound quantities and canisters won't work. Now you say you buy in small quantities and jars would be fine.

If that's the case you can buy vacuum lids for wide mouth jars.

 

[johnmeyer]

Okay I'm confused above you say you buy in 5 pound quantities and canisters won't work. Now you say you buy in small quantities and jars would be fine.

If that's the case you can buy vacuum lids for wide mouth jars.

Nothing to be confused about: I keep a lot of stuff on hand, and I buy in different sizes depending on the cost and on my likely usage. The whole wheat flour is a two pound bag; the all-purpose is five pounds, as is the bread flour. I also have cornmeal as well as masa harina.

I won't keep going, but the point is that I store a LOT of food. We've been down to just the two of us for many years now, and I still try to cook the same meals, as if the kids were still home. This creates a lot of leftovers. With vacuum packaging we have "second helpings instead of leftovers" (that is Foodsaver's tagline), but I still have to store things on shelves, in the fridge, and in the freezer, and space is not infinite.

As I've already stated three times, I have owned a Foodsaver vacuum system since the late 1990s, including the canning jar attachment, and have a range of canning jars from little 4 oz. jars that I didn't even know existed until two months ago, on up to the one quart jars. I have a lifetime supply of lids (I reuse them dozens of times and seldom have to replace them.) I also now own the hand-held Foodsaver vacuum device which is remarkably strong and very useful.

To repeat something I said above, but which may have gotten lost, the vacuum bags do a better job preserving things because they get more air out. With a canister, the food just sits there, with the depleted air all around it (there is still lots of air), whereas a bag shrinks and conforms to the food, so there is literally no air in contact with most of the food. The only way a canister can perform as well is if you first fill it with inert gas and then evacuate it. That is what I've been doing with my Sodastream by introducing CO2 into the canister. It works really well, and I have used this trick with my flour and Ziploc bags until I found out that Ziploc bags are complete garbage because none of them hold their seal.

It was that discovery that sent me on this quest and prompted me to start this thread. Thus, this thread is not just about vacuum packaging and vacuum bags and canisters, but about finding a resealable bag that actually is capable of no leaking air. What I have found is that Ziploc bags all fail; my one set of Hefty bags fail; and the vacuum port on the Foodsaver bags fail on about half of them (something that Amazon reviewers have noted, so it is more than a few defective lots).

Also, just to repeat one other thing from my initial post: the other reason I got started on this search for better resealable bags (not vacuum bags; just regular zipper bags) was my desire to come up with a solution for the eight pound spiral-cut ham that someone gave me. If you've ever had one of these things, it is way too large for any cannister, and you don't want to chop it up in little pieces because part of the allure of the product is the spiral cutting, and the ability to just tear off a piece and use it. The way I've always dealt with spiral hams is to wrap them in aluminum foil and then un-wrap and re-wrap every time I want to use it. Unfortunately the darn things gets really messy, and the aluminum foil -- even the heavy-duty stuff -- gets brittle and quickly develops holes. I've been using a 2.5 gallon Hefty bag, and it at least keeps the juices from running all over the place, but it doesn't preserve anything.

 

[johnmeyer]

Two updates.

1. Foodsaver sent replacement bags for what clearly was a defective set. The first bag from the new set works exactly like it should. This is encouraging. I am really hopeful that these will work because they appear to be much better made than the lousy Ziploc and Hefty bags, all of which fail.

2. America's Test Kitchen tested vacuum sealing systems, and I was intrigued by one of their winners, a valve-bag by Waring -- similar to the Ziploc and Foodsaver valve bags -- but even higher quality than the Foodsaver, and way beyond the Ziploc. I found out that, unlike Foodsaver, which will still be my "go-to" bag if they prove to be relieable, these are available not only in quart and gallon size, but also 2-gallon size. I just ordered some 2-gallong bags and will post my impressions after I've played with them for awhile. Here's a link to the bags:

Waring Commercial 25 Count Vacuum seal bag with Valve, 2-Gallon, Clear

They are incredibly expensive, but since they are resealable, I plan to use these mostly for items where I will be opening and closing the bag many times, like all my seldom-used pantry items, like whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, etc.

Every time I think I've found the most upscale re-sealable bag, I end up finding something even better.

The quest isn't over yet.

 

[dward51]

2 gallon Waring bags are $10 cheaper at the Webstrauantstore.com.  They also have the gallon and quart sizes available

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/14281/vacuum-packaging-machine-bags.html?vendor=Waring