I first heard about Stasher bags where I hear about most things I buy lately: on Instagram. After a few weeks of watching a health food blogger I loved use them for basically everything, my curiosity got the best of me, and I looked them up myself.
A quick Google search helped me discover that Stasher bags are reusable bags that act as an environmentally friendly way to store (and cook) your food. Before that, I had never realized there was a plastic-free alternative to food storage bags, and I felt immediate guilt at the thought of the three different boxes of plastic Ziploc baggies sitting in the cabinet under my sink, and how often I used them.
Stasher is a reusable silicone bag that goes the extra mile: not only can you use them to store food and snacks as you would a plastic Ziploc baggie, but they are also heat-resistant, can be washed in the dishwasher, can be thrown in the microwave or the oven, and can even be used to sous vide or boil your food. They’re made with 100 percent pure platinum-grade silicone, a healthy alternative to plastic, and come in several different size options. Unlike some other reusable silicone bags out there, you can seal these on your own and don’t need an additional tool. They almost sound too good to be true.
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So are they really that great? Well… yeah, they kind of are. I decided to start my Stasher journey by ordering two of the sandwich bags, which are about the same size as your standard plastic baggie, figuring I would get the most use out of them. At $11.99 for each bag, the price was a little bit shocking to me – you can get an entire box of 150 Ziploc bags for less than $6 – but I reminded myself that I was doing this for the good of the world. Plus, since Stasher bags are reusable and so easy to clean, the price likely ends up paying off in the long-term.
I quickly started using the two Stasher bags for anything I had previously used Ziploc bags for: I packed my husband’s sandwich in there, I cut up fruit and put it in the bag to freeze for smoothies, I made trail mix and put it in the bag to take out as a snack, and I used them to store washed fresh herbs in the fridge. What I immediately discovered is that it felt like the Stasher bag could hold so much more than a Ziploc bag, even though they seem to be about the same size. I stuffed almost an entire bag of fresh spinach in one of them, it easily fit and closed, and I was pretty impressed.
I also found that freezing with a Stasher bag is much better than freezing food in a plastic bag. My bananas, spinach, and berries hung out in the Stasher bag in the freezer, and when I took them out days later to use them, there was miraculously no freezer burn – they looked good as new. In the fridge, my produce seemed to stay fresher in the Stasher bag than how I normally store them (which is to just dump them in the bin).
It’s also great that these are so versatile. While I didn’t sous vide anything in my Stasher bag (although I would absolutely like to try it one day), I did pop them in the microwave a few times. I was admittedly nervous they would make the food taste weird or get too hot or something like that, but the bag was obviously totally fine, and so was my food.
The other amazing thing about the Stasher bag is how easy it is to clean. I was worried that sandwich meats would leave them smelly, but a quick rinse with warm water and soap in the sink eliminated that issue. It’s convenient that you can flip them inside out to really get them clean, but it’s even more convenient that you can throw them in the dishwasher when you really need to.
After only about two weeks of using my Stasher bags, I knew I was going to order more: they also come in a small snack bag size, as well as a half-gallon that is ideal to use for cooking. I love the clear bags, as they make it super simple to identify what’s inside, but there are also sorts of fun color options for anyone who wants to get a little wild.
On top of the fact that Stasher bags are a lot more efficient than plastic bags, you’ll also just feel good about yourself when you use them, if being environmentally conscious is important to you (and it should be!). Before investing in Stasher bags, I was using one to two plastic Ziploc bags each day. That’s too much plastic use for me to keep track of, and when there’s a better alternative out there, I’d much rather take advantage of it.
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