School is back, work is back, and we've got meal prepping on our minds!
Many folks have turned to prepping meals once a week - or even a couple of times a month - in order to have a faster meal heat up on those days where there isn't time for prepping a full meal. After all, a quick 15 minute heatup of a prepared meal is always appreciated after a long day at work or school. Save big on your monthly food budget by avoiding the high costs of take out food.
Often the biggest stumbling block to prepping bulk meals is the storage.
You may look in your cupboards and find you only have one-use plastic freezer bags for storage. These clear, soft plastic bags cannot be used for cooking. Heat causes these bags to transfer their chemical compounds into your food, whether you are boiling or microwaving your food.
They are not made to tolerate heat and will leak/melt when exposed to tempteratures that are needed to reheat effectively. You will need to remove the food from the bag, and if the plastic got into the nooks and crannies while freezing, you could end up with plastic in your meal!
Hardsided containers do not lend themselves well to freezing and reheating a meal. These containers cannot form themselves around the food, leaving air pockets that can affect the freshness and taste quality. Usually these types of containers can be used for a microwave, but oven and stovetop reheating is not an option or they will melt.
This is where Stasher bags come in, as they freeze well and can be put into the oven or the microwave without you having to remove the food from the bag.
From Freezer to Stove, Oven & Microwave
Stasher bags are made of platinum food-grade silicone that does not leach chemicals into foods when it's heated. They contain no BPA, latex, lead, or phthalates. Stasher bags and bowls meet FDA and EU requirements for food contact and safety. Silicone is made from alternating silica and oxygen molecules. The silicone that makes up Stasher bags is made from these foundational elements and combined with carbon to create a raw silicone product. This material is then cured under heat and pressure to create the silicone parts that are sturdy, inert and versatile. This information is provided by Stasher's website.
Stashers come in a variety of sized and shaped bags, which gives you the option of how to portion out the food you will be freezing. You can freeze a meal to feed four, or package out individual servings by selecting a smaller sized bag. The stand up bag is very handy for ladeling in soup or stew, and the seal on the bags is very effective at being leak proof! When putting cooked food into a Stasher bag - or any other container - make sure to cool the food first as any heat in the food could encourage bacteria growth and it effects the fridge or freezers ability to distribute cold. Use a chalk marker to label the bags with what the food is and the date you packaged them.
When you are ready to reheat your Stasher packaged meal, take it out of the freezer and place it in the oven, or even throw it into a pot of boiling water. Keep in mind that the oven temperature should not be over 425 degrees, and if you are reheating meat it is ideal to thaw the meat first. So popping the food in the bag into the microwave to defrost is possible and easy to do!
Make sure to follow the care instructions with your Stasher bags in order to keep them in the best shape, and you will be appreciating the freshness and taste quality of your prepped meals time and time again!
Shop our selection of Stasher bags here on our website, or visit our store in person at 12539 102 Avenue, Edmonton, AB. 