Boiling water in vacuum seal bags?

[Huntinman57]

is it safe to add boiling water to your vacuum seal bags that have meals in them?

 

[KHNC]

I was planning to find out in two weeks. But i dont know for sure as of today.

 

[MThuntr]

I do it all the time. Most are BPA free. I haven't noticed any extra appendages or growths

I think, not 100%, that it takes much higher heat and/or longer exposure times to release the bad stuff...I've never really read into it so someone that has will hopefully respond.

 

[87TT]

I do the opposite. I put my prepared meals in a pan of boiling water to heat the contents. But I am base camping.

 

[JRMiller]

I do the opposite. I put my prepared meals in a pan of boiling water to heat the contents. But I am base camping.

I do this. Even when backpacking. There are a whole list of toxins that are released from heated plastic. Bpa is just the one we hear about the most.

 

[2rocky]

Believe it or not, one of the great advantages of vacuum sealing your food for storage is that you can take it directly from the refrigerator or freezer to cooking directly in the bag.

• Simmer: Safe to cook at low temperatures (below 180 degrees F) for up to 4 hours
  Simmering in a water bath at low temperatures is also known as sous vide cooking. Although the technique has been around for centuries, it has only began to gain popularity in the US over the last decade or so. Prepare and season your food, vacuum seal and then toss in water bath for desired cooking time and temperature.
• Boil: Safe to cook at high temperatures (above 180 degrees F) for up to 20 minutes
  Boiling in vacuum sealed bags is a great way to reheat food. If you have stored leftovers or done meal prep, this is an easy way to have a cooked meal in a short amount of time. And did we mention, the clean-up is easy too!
• Microwave: Safe to cook when bag is punctured up to 10 minutes
  Similar to the store bought frozen vegetables in steam bags, you can achieve the same results in a vacuum sealed bag. Take your frozen veggies out of the freezer (no thawing required), cut off a small corner for venting and then put into the microwave for approximately 4-7 minutes (cooking time varies depending on vegetable). Once finished, you will have perfectly steamed veggies. If you're really looking to spice things up, prior to vacuum sealing, season your vegetables with salt, pepper, butter or whatever seasonings you prefer and toss in the freezer. Once they have been steamed, you will have perfectly seasoned vegetables.

 

[UpSideDown]

I pour the water into the vacuum bag, assuming we are talking Mountain House and that style of meal. Let the boil stop first, then put the water in, then hope the cold air and high altitude don't stop the reheating process before the red beans are improved from solid bricks to malleable bricks.

 

[WI in the west]

I started doing it this past spring, so maybe a dozen times so fare to dehydrated meals I made at home. no issues so far, I put it in those bubble rap type mailing packages to insulate it and be like a coozie so you can hold it. it works great and haven't got cancer from it yet..... but I only have a couple trips a year so its kinda minimal and to convenient to really care, but im far from a doctor.

 

[Superdoo]

Works great. Buy freezer ziplock bags and make yourself a reflectex coozy. No clean up! Lick you spoon clean and go!

 

[IA Hunter]

it works fo rme!

 

[.270]

I freeze prepared meals in a vacuum seal and then boil them in the bag at camp to reheat them. Never had a problem using this method.

 

[Marbles]

Works well for me.

 

[nettereo16]

I use ziplocks. A good tip for a cozy to help with rehydration is an empty Mtn House bag. Seals up and traps heat. I previously used a windshield reflector taped up into a bag but Mtn House bags are easier and work fine.

 

[Marbles]

I use ziplocks. A good tip for a cozy to help with rehydration is an empty Mtn House bag. Seals up and traps heat. I previously used a windshield reflector taped up into a bag but Mtn House bags are easier and work fine.

Agreed. I normally carry a commercially packaged meal (such as Mtn House) for my first one, rinse the bag after and use it as the cozy for my vacuum packed meals.

 

[OXN939]

is it safe to add boiling water to your vacuum seal bags that have meals in them?

A little late to the party here. Heating food in plastic at all is bad for you, and boiling in it releases a ton of chemicals into your food. You won't wake up and immediately feel bad the next day, but this is a real solid way to increase your environmental exposure to the families of chemicals that are thought to be responsible for the massive increase in cancers we've seen over the past few decades, as well as all the issues men now have with their endocrine systems.

Study: Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Like Chemicals

Concerns about plastics have centered on those containing BPA, a compound that's been widely criticized because it mimics estrogen. But a new study finds that most plastic products, from sippy cups to food wraps, can release chemicals that act like estrogen — even plastics sold as BPA-free.

www.npr.org

 

[87TT]

I read the whole article. No proof yet to any of the so called dangers. I drank from plastic garden hoses and have eaten stuff heated in the microwave since they had microwaves. A few more boil in the bag meals won't make much difference I guess.

 

[OXN939]

I read the whole article. No proof yet to any of the so called dangers. I drank from plastic garden hoses and have eaten stuff heated in the microwave since they had microwaves. A few more boil in the bag meals won't make much difference I guess.

To each their own. The scientific consensus, however, is not divided... eating or drinking out of heated plastics definitely damages your endocrine system. As just one example of how this manifests itself, everyone agrees that the average testosterone level of the population has been falling for decades, and the correlation here is pretty tough not to see. In my mind, it's a very nasty bullet that doesn't really cost anything to dodge.

Just putting out some information I wish someone had told me earlier on.

 

[PNWkid]

Good info here.

 

[Sam Colt]

You say “everyone agrees” a lot. That seems statistically unlikely.

 

[BRTreedogs]

To each their own. The scientific consensus, however, is not divided... eating or drinking out of heated plastics definitely damages your endocrine system. As just one example of how this manifests itself, everyone agrees that the average testosterone level of the population has been falling for decades, and the correlation here is pretty tough not to see. In my mind, it's a very nasty bullet that doesn't really cost anything to dodge.

Just putting out some information I wish someone had told me earlier on.

Assuming you're not a backpack hunter.
Yes I agree there is danger in plastics.
But im not packing any pots or glassware into the mountains 100s of miles a year.