How To Properly Use A Ziplock Or Resealable Bag

Take a look at your kitchen and you might find that you have resealable bags in your cabinets, refrigerator, or drawers. 

Resealable bags, also known as zipper bags or ziplock bags, are a great innovation! You can find these types of bags being used in any number of ways in the kitchen and beyond. There are a few reasons why these types of bags are super useful in the kitchen: 

• • The bags can be securely closed.  
• • The bags are durable enough to be reusable. 
• • The bags take up less space than containers.
• • The bags can be used in other ways in the kitchen, such as a DIY piping bag. 

However, did you know that you might not be using the bags properly, especially if you’re using them to store food? 

For most people, all they know is that they should place food inside and just seal it closed. Some may even do an extra step and squeeze out air from the bag. If you do this extra step of pressing the air out of the bag, you’re going in the right direction. 

Preserve your frozen food properly by using resealable bags better.

Photo by Shutterstock

Remember that air is the enemy of food since mold, bacteria, and other microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye are airborne. That’s why vacuum sealers are fantastic to use for storing food and why packaged food such as hotdogs, bacon, tocino, tapa, and ready-to-cook food in the chilled and freezer sections are all vacuum-packed! Since the air has all been squeezed out, there is no danger of that dreaded freezer burn, too. 

While not all food needs the air to be removed from the bag, doing so is a smart food storage tip that can save your raw meat from going bad earlier.

Vacuum sealers can be expensive but the good news is that you don’t have to invest in one to get the same benefits. You can use a resealable bag, a straw, and a bowl of water. This tip is a genius one because it more effectively squeezes out the air in the bag than you trying to press out the air on your own. (You can watch how it’s done here.)  

Here’s how you should be sealing these reusable bags properly: 

1. 1 Place food you want to store in the resealable bag. 
2. 2 Seal the bag closed but insert the straw before completely sealing it. 
3. 3 Submerge the bottom part of the plastic bag with the food inside in the bowl of water. 
4. 4 Squeeze out the air from the bottom up to the seal and the air out the straw. 
5. 5 Remove the straw and seal the bag securely. 

It may sound tedious but once you get the hang of it, these steps become easier to do and accomplish. Once you do this to all your food that needs to be bagged, your food is better able to last longer in the freezer than before! 

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