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Freezer bag alternatives…

 
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With spring planting on the horizon, we are finding it useful to freeze a whole bunch of meals for nice days. My wife likes to do the once a month meals.
The problem is storing them in the freezer. Mason jars are not space effective and take longer to thaw. Same for glass tupperware, with the added expense. Bags really make the most sense.
I really want to avoid plastic, both for the waste and the micriplastics. We have a few silicone bags, but expense aside I worry that nasty stuff might leach from them too (haven’t read anything on that, but I have smelled some silicone lids, and it concerns me).
What are the options? Is there some sort of bag version of a wax wrap that might work? Any thoughts?
 
steward
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If you are handy with a sewing machine you could make cloth bags the size you want and then coat the bags with beeswax.

If you are not able to sew them some companies sell these bags.
 
pollinator
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I know you don't want to use bags.
But maybe saving them from the landfill will work for you.
I buy organic sugar from Aldis.
The bags it comes in are stronger than any freezer bag you can find.
The zip closure is very strong and they have a window in the side.
I'm not sure how many times I can reuse them, because I haven't had one break yet.

I have also found the blue diamond almond reusable zip loc bags are very strong and mylar inside,...
but the zip close will rip away from the bag if you open it in the center.
The habanero barbeque bags are orange so when I look in the freezer I can find the peppers right away.

Maybe there is a product you use that is sold in a strong resealable bag.
 
Lina Joana
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I can definitely sew, but I am not sure straight beeswax would work - it gets brittle and cracks when frozen. Have you tried it? I  wondering if combining it with oil might work.
Reusing bags is good, but I recently have been reading about the shedding of microplastics from plastic containers, so I am hoping to get away from reusing them for food - I use them for wool!
 
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I don't do it all the time, but I have put food wrapped in beeswax-cloth into the freezer. I don't recall whether I've ever opened it right away or just let it thaw, but the cracking wasn't a problem -- either because I waited or because cracks just seal themselves as soon as the wrap gets warm.
 
Anne Miller
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If you are unsure why not try one as an experiment?  Once frozen the bag could be wrapped in butcher paper to be on the safe side.

Then don't defrost it without putting the contents in a bowl or pan.
 
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You could line a container with foil, wax paper, cellophane or  parchment paper, add food and freeze.
Once the food is frozen, remove it from the mold, fold the liner closed, label and stack.
Foil can be recycled at a scrap yard, wax paper used as tinder, cellophane is made from trees and is biodegradable,  I'm not sure about parchment paper...

There are also a lot of square sided stainless steel container's available used, from the foodservice industry.
They make all kinds of lids for them, including silicon.
I have a box of them, purchased as surplus, and they have no off gassing smell.
If you never subject them to heat, I think they would last indefinitely.


 
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Regarding the beeswax in cold weather thing....trappers commonly wax their traps to prevent rust, and we do it using a combination of beeswax and paraffin. It works very well in cold weather, at least on a chunk of steel. It's plain white oderless wax. You can buy trapping wax from any trappers supply place online, such as Minnesota trapline supply. A big 5lb block will only set you back $20ish.
 
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