Tired of your life being controlled by plastic baggies, cling wrap, and mismatched container lids? There’s hope! The Stasher Bag is an endlessly reusable silicone storage bag with thousands of different uses. But how can a Stasher Bag fit into your life, and is it really safer than using plastic? Read on the blog to find out!
What you’ll learn:
- What silicone is
- Why it is safer than plastic
- Different ways to use a Stasher Bag
What is silicone?
Silicone is a plastic-like substance that can be shaped, molded, and formed into nearly anything! Silicone is created by melting silica, the raw material used to make silicone resins also found in quartz and beach sand, at a very high temperature and mixing it with carbon. It then is bonded together into a polymer to form the final silicone resin that you’ve come to know and love. It can be seen in silicone cooking utensils, ice cube trays, baking mats, and much, much more! Read all about silicone here.
Is it safe?
Silicone rubber does not react with food or beverages or produce any harmful fumes. Silicones are also more stable, meaning they have less potential to leach into your body during use. It is important to make sure that all silicone products you are using are high quality, either ‘food-grade’ or ‘medical-grade’! These high quality silicones do not utilize fillers or chemical byproducts that can leach into foods during use.
Silicone versus Plastic
So, is silicone really better than plastic?
- Silicone is more temperature resistant than plastic.
- When plastic is recycled it is typically down-cycled- recycled into something less useful and more likely to be thrown away. Silicone, however, is 100% recyclable (at select locations and with Terracycle) and does not lose integrity with each use. It also does not produce hazardous materials when burned.
- Silicone is oven, dishwasher, and freezer safe and will not degrade with use.
The Stasher Bag (and 7 ways to use them!)
So, why do we love the Stasher Bag? For all the reasons listed above and more. Stasher provides a compact, reusable alternative to plastic bags and storage containers. They are especially useful because they are easy to clean (dishwasher and hand wash safe) and they can be transferred from freezer to oven to fridge with no fear of breaking or shattering. Check out below our top 7 favorite ways to use our Stashers!
1. Food Storage + Meal Prepping
Stasher is mostly known for their ability to be awesome at holding and storing food, mostly due to the fact that they’re leak-proof, durable, freezer safe, and won’t impart other flavors or colors into your meal. As we mentioned above, they’re made out of BPA-free, non-toxic silicone that is completely safe for use around food – making them our go-to for food storage and meal prepping. Whether that means stashing leftovers in the fridge, or freezing your meals ahead of time for the whole week, Stashers help reduce both food waste and plastic waste that can come from leftovers or meal prepping.
With 3 unique sizes, there’s always an option that will work for your next meal! Plus, freezing your food and leftovers can help you reduce food waste while making mealtimes easier, making this a win-win for you and the planet.
2. Sous-Vide Machine + Steaming
If you’re not familiar (we weren’t…) sous-vide is a method of cooking in which food is put in a pouch or jar and cooked in a water bath for a longer cooking time at a highly regulated temperature. It’s awesome for veggies, fish, meats, sauces like hollandaise, and so much more!
But… most people use single-use plastic sandwich bags with their sous-vide machines… making it not so awesome for the planet. Because silicone has such a high heat capacity, all Stasher Bags are sous-vide compatible, making it easier than ever to try this culinary technique. Test it out with this Salmon Dinner Recipe from Stasher!
3. The Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is the new culinary craze taking over the web, and we’re all here for it. It promises easy recipes, flavorful meals, and an easy experience for inexperience chefs. Want to upgrade your Instant Pot? Use it with a Stand-Up Stasher Bag!
This new Stasher fits perfectly in the Instant Pot, making it even easier to stew soups without having to deep clean the actual pot afterwards. The leak-proof design of Stasher let’s you store the soups easily afterwards, and even bring it to a pot-luck with ease.
4. Marinating
Good food starts with good seasoning, and marinations are one of the easiest ways to do that! Simply put: marinating means letting food sit and absorb a sauce before cooking it. Usually, we rely on single-use plastic bags for this – but these are prone to leaks and spills that make a huge mess in the kitchen.
By using durable, long-lasting silicone bags that won’t impart flavor into food, you can safely and easily marinate your steak, chicken, fish, or veggies for maximum flavor!
5. Microwave + Oven
The microwave has redefined the way we cook… but recent studies have shown that microwaving plastics can leach dangerous chemicals into our food – with a variety of negative health impacts beginning to be studied long-term.
Unlike plastic, silicone is 100% microwave safe for you and your whole family, and won’t leach chemicals or flavors when reheated in the microwave. Whether you’re defrosting a Stasher Bag full of leftovers, or simply reheating a yummy soup you had in the fridge, these bags make mealtime a whole lot easier.
Stasher is also oven-safe up to 400 degrees F – perfect for both your full-size oven, or a counter-top toaster oven, and can be tossed in the dishwasher afterwards for easy to clean up meals.
6. Traveling + Toiletries
Yes, Stasher is great for cooking – but they’re also great for life on-the-go! Because they’re 100% leak-proof, highly-durable, and see-through, they’re the perfect solution for traveling or going about your day with toiletries or makeup.
The pocket-size Stasher is amazing for keeping credit cards, cash, and headphones dry during adventures or camping, while the other sizes are awesome for larger assortments of products. Spills are bound to happen – but with Stasher you don’t have to worry about the rest of your bag getting messy!
7. BONUS: Literally Everything Else…
While these are some of our favorite ways to use silicone bags, there are probably millions of other ways you can use them if you get creative. The tare weights on these bags are easy to find, so they make great storage containers for shopping the bulk bins at the grocery store. If you’ve just gone to the beach or pool, you can use your stand-up Stasher to hold your wet bathing suit so it doesn’t get your bag wet. They also are great for protecting electronics on-the-go, holding first aid essentials, or even pet food when traveling. Get a little creative, and the opportunities are endless!
Ready to start using Stasher Bags in your life? Click here to shop ALL of our assorted Stasher sizes, colors, and types here!
This blog was originally published on December 28, 2021 and was most recently updated on April 12, 2023.
