Is it safe to reuse plastic bags used for sous vide?
And if it's safe, any special measures apart from the obvious need of cleaning them.
PD: I mean plastic bags specially designated for sous vide that work with a manual vacuum pump like that
Is safe to reuse plastic bags used for sous vide
food-safetysous-vide
Related Solutions
I would recommend using Whiskey Stones. They are used in whiskey instead of ice cubes. So they should be heavy, won't rust, and are supposed to be immersed in liquid that you'll consume. I think that probably meets all your criteria.
Another alternative is to use a rack. This comes with the Sous Vide Supreme and I find it quite useful for keeping meat submerged. It does however only accommodate certain sizes of meat. It works quite well. You can buy it separately online for $12.
According to Kenji Alt's experiements (admittedly with beef), the major effect of the bone is insulation, which matters in a high-heat cooking environment, but not in sous-vide. See: Do Bones Add Favor To Meat
For sous-vide cooking, the bone adds little value, other than appearance.
It may also make it harder to put the product in your bag and seal it without a puncture.
Still, there should be no harm in leaving it on if you choose to. In his ultimate steak method, Kenji Alt does leave the bone on for the sous-vide process.
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Best Answer
There is not safety issue as long as you clean well. It shouldn't be a problem after most cooks. If using high heat...or very long cooks, you might check the integrity of the bag. Otherwise, I suppose you could wash and dry. I mainly use zip lock-type bags and discard after each cook, simply because they are a p-i-t-a to clean.