Pull-n-Pak plastic bags are freely available in supermarkets at produce and meat sections.
When I buy a package of 12 drumsticks or a jar of chicken livers, I plan weeks to eat them. So I use the Pull-n-Pak bags to separate them, either raw or cooked, into portions per meal.
Since the bags are plastic, are they appropriate for storing raw or cooked meat in the freezer? Is it better to use glass food containers such as Pyrex, rather than Pull-N-Pak plastic bags? Are they appropriate for storing raw vegetables in fridge?
Thanks.
Best Answer
I'm not sure if you mean each portion is in a separate bag and then you're placing the entire contents of what you bagged into a heavier plastic bag designed for freezing. If that's what you mean, it's fine but I'd pick up extra unused plastic pull n pak bags so you wouldn't need to worry about cross contamination with used bags. It's what I often do when separating raw meat. It makes it more sanitary for me as I turn the bag inside out, then put it over my hand like a mitten. I grab the meat with my hand in the bag and turn it so the meat's contained in the bag without me having to handle it.
On the other hand, if you're storing the meat in those bags only, I don't suggest it. Other than cross contamination like Alan mentioned, those plastic bags were never meant as a thick enough barrier between food and freezer air and contents. It's easy to get a tiny tear or puncture in the bag and get freezer burn on the meat or the odor of the raw meat to mix with freezer air. You might not notice it at first but over time, your freezer could get a funky smell affecting other food in it.
My aged mother was always freezing meat in these bags and never noticed how off her freezer smelled. She didn't understand why parts of the thawed out meat looked dry, had freezer burn or developed ice crystals in it. I don't say yours would get that bad but don't rely on those bags only.
Nothing wrong with using them to store vegetables in your fridge though. I prefer to wash and dry most of my vegetables when I bring them home. I wrap a paper towel or two loosely around them and put them in the fridge then.