The Best Plastic Bags: Disposable vs. Reusable | Gear Heads

We want a strong, leakproof bag—reusable or not—that closes securely without a fuss and keeps food fresher for longer. Lisa and Hannah break down the differences between disposable and reusable bags to see which performs best.

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[grannyfranny]

I very much like the Stasher bags. I have a ton of them. I buy bulk boneless chicken breasts and press all the air out of the bags (quart size, mostly) so they do touch the food. I use the gusseted Stasher bags for large roasts such as pork shoulder or chuck. They are great for this purpose, because I pretty much always have to take the meat/poultry I purchase out of the store packaging or it can't be thawed in cold water. However, I do freeze things that need larger, flatter bags so I will purchase some of the Rezip. BTW, I do also keep the disposable bags and each box lasts me a year or two.

[willgraves]

Not turning inside out was a shocker. Also no to silicone. This was a good lesson. Kudos once again to the team.

[RamonaAnne]

You can wash plastic food containers with lids, like yogurt containers, that sort of thing. They are reusable and don't cost anything. You don't have to save ALL the plastic containers that come into your house, but keep enough on hand so you don't have to buy plastic bags for the freezer. They aren't see-through, but that's easy to handle, too. Just use a marker and write the name of the contents on the lid or side of the container. You can use them quite a few times before discarding, which is much more sensible for the planet.

[DragonPenny]

Thanks Hannah for being that bug in Lisa's ear! I've been washing my zip bags for a long time, and I avoid using them that much in general. (When Lisa said she goes through a box in a matter of weeks, my mouth dropped open! I think I go through a box a year.) I've always been a bit bothered by the amount of plastic and paper towels that ATK goes through on their shows. Keep looking for alternatives and showing them to your audience.

[kathymathiesen]

Thanks to Hannah for keeping the environment in the forefront of her mind.

[DrWarbird]

The zip slider is a must for someone with arthritis. Manually trying to squash them closed is a non-starter.

[TheLukemcdaniel]

Be ware, while companies claim recycling is an option, not all plastics can really be easily recycled, and sometimes other parts included with those plastics mean they can't be recycled. There's a reason why reduce, reuse, recycle is in that specific order.

[lisat]

I use Freezer bags and wash and reuse them. Ziploc. I also use the 1 and 2 gallon bags to store my wool yarns to discourage moths. and projects.

[suzisaintjames]

I wash "single use" bags for meat as well. However, I mark the bags meat and only reuse them for meat products only. That way, if any meat bacteria remains after a good wash, I know the second product is going to be cooked well, so I'm not worried about cross contamination. Cooked meat is usually stored in glass. Another thing I do to reduce bacteria growth in used bags is to store clean washed and thoroughly dried bags in the cheese drawer in my refrigerator. 💖🌵🌞😷

[angelbulldog]

Been washing and reusing my freezer bags for a long time. I rarely ever put raw meat directly in the bag. It gets wrapped first (a llittle extra assurance against freezer burn). ZipLok is my brand for all sizes, except snack nags. All of them are long and skinny. Good for no more than M&Ms and goldfish crackers. I buy the snack bags at Family Dollar because they're small squares and I can store half a cut onion in them.
Turning down the top part is also something I've been doing for years. It just makes sense. Who needs reusable when these already are?

[TheMrFarkle]

Such a delight to see Hannah & Lisa and their testing reports.

[edeyden]

I use one use bags, and reuseable. I also use vacuum seal bags for most of my product that will be frozen. The vacuum bags are hands down the best solution keeping items eliminating freezer burn and oxidation and freshness!!! We've all lost things in the freezer. After over a year I found a ribeye steak at the bottom of my freezer. When thawed in the bag inside the fridge, it looked dresh and tasted excellent

[marianparoo]

I almost always wash and reuse. But I am old enough to remember washing aluminium foil!

[jeanettanorton]

I have dexterity problems and I prefer the bags with the "slider", . It's a good idea for me.

[MistressOnyaCox]

Good2kno. I store in glass as much as possible. Fit 6 burger patties in a wide mouth and vacuum it before freezing.

[gubieone]

I wash and reuse my ZipLock brand gallon bags unless I stored raw meat. I did get a tip to wrap meat in cling film first before putting it into the bag and I do see that tip here in the comments so more re-enforcement there. I don't wash and reuse 10 times but I may start reusing more after your info that it is ok. Great informative video, like always.

[onerainiday]

I sincerely appreciate these well tested well thought out videos.
Excellent presentation!❤

[Dontmakemereregister]

You two are the best!! I reuse small bags for freezing bagels until they rip, probably get 20-30 uses each

[angelvilla]

You guys are my favorite You Tubers! I started off as a die hard Lisa fan, but Hannah has really grown on me. You guys are the the best!! I'm gonna try out the rezip bags.

[LuminairPrime]

Giant freezer bags are my favorite general organization tool!!!