[pct-l] trail cooking

[Kevin Cook]

Thanks :)

I thought we were talking about the mylar reinforced bags that freeze dried
dinners come in. That's what I use. I don't use a regular zip lock freezer
bag.

On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 9:18 AM, dicentra <dicentragirl at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Since my attatchment apparently didn't go through, I'll cut and
> paste. Credit should also go to Sarah at Freezerbag/Trail Cooking because
> she allowed me to adapt her document. My appologies for the length. This is
> intended to be a hand-out.
>
> ~Dicentra
>
>
> *Are freezer bags safe?
> *
> Concerns over using plastics? Is it safe to use freezer bags?
>
> My personal opinion is yes, but you really should do the research yourself
> and make your own informed decision. I have provided some discussion points
> and links below to help you make that decision.
>
> Freezer bags are considered food grade plastic. While using them for eating
> out of is not a claimed use on the bag's box, most major manufactures have
> microwaving as a use and temperatures easily exceed boiling point in a
> microwave. For freezer bag style cooking, you use water below the boiling
> point and you do NOT boil the bag in water to prepare meals in this manner.
> *As always, the decision to use plastics is YOURS alone.* This information
> and that in my books is offered for informational purposes only. I do not
> take any legal responsibility for the use of any materials or methods
> described her, nor in our books, nor of any products mentioned in them.
>
> There are a number of emails that are constantly sent around the internet
> these days, claiming that plastic bags, plastic containers, Saran® wrap, etc
> are cancer causing time bombs - which of course contain often only a tiny
> bit of truth it seems.
>
> If you would like to read excellent researches on plastics and safety, try
> these links:
>
> http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/99/Microwave-Safe-Containers
> http://www.plasticsmythbuster.org/rumors.asp
>
> For more information, visit Ziploc's website, and go to the FAQ page. You
> will see, all Ziploc® brand items are Dioxin free. Ziploc® freezer bags
> state on their box that they are microwavable safe. Microwave temperatures
> can easily exceed the heat of the water you will use for your dinner on the
> trail. One use for the bags that is not recommended is boiling the bags. One
> of the more popular emails floating around concerns the "Zip loc Omelets"
> where you boil eggs in a bag for 12-15 minutes, in a pan of water. It works
> quite well, but the boiling water can weaken the bag, or if the bag touches
> the hot pan, it can melt. Some confusion can occur with this, until the
> person asking the question realizes that to do "FBC Method" cooking you are
> not boiling food in the bag, but rather, adding hot water to the bag! The
> water cools down below boiling pretty quick as the food absorbs that heat
> and is cooked.
>
> Most major name brand freezer bags are made of 100% polyethylene. Most bags
> are 3 mil thick. As with any question, it does come down to your own
> personal feelings. If you do not like plastics, then look above for ways to
> use our recipes and methods using the one pan method.
>
>
> *http://www.onepanwonders.com* <http://www.onepanwonders.com/>* ~*Backcountry Cooking at its Finest
> *http://www.freewebs.com/dicentra
> *
> * *
>
>
>