Oh, you know all the fun things that can be done with this machine!
Have you heard the cries about plastic and how terrible it is? This post presents the opposite opinion. Plastic is good, here is why:
I received this contraption as a Christmas present. I have had my eye on that sous vide machine for a long time, but never got around to buying it. It looks like my days of plastic zipper bags are over. Usher in the vac-pac age.
I have read in some places that these items are terrible on the environment, that they take thousands of years to deteriorate in landfills. Perhaps that is true.
I can tell you though that a lot can be said about actually respecting your food. A lot of the anti-plastic people would have me wrapping my food in re-usable containers. No plastic, no paper. Just a glass jar or something.
Tell me now, how would that help against freezer burn? Freshness of my stuff?
well, back in the old days they did not have plastic. For sure. in the 1700′s, they did not need plastic. They didn’t have to worry about freezer burn. So, they packed their stuff n slat, fat, cooked it, or dried it.
Today we have the freezer technology, and with that comes the ever present danger of frost burn. To me, it is a lot more wasteful to have to throw out a chicken leg because it got burned in the freezer. That piece of plastic can serve to keep that leg fresh, and make it so I don’t have to throw it out. Plus, it can even extend the shelf life of the item for months.
That plastic can also be reused. (As long as the bag was not used for meat.)
I use my food saver on coffee beans, meat, sauces. It saves on a lot of cling wrap, and freezer burnt madness with those zip-top bags.
What is your take on plastic?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My take on plastic is that it is hard to avoid – it’s everywhere. The best I can do is to try to reuse and recycle what I can, throwing away as little of it as possible. Which is what I do.
@Jan – True! Plastics are everywhere. The worst offenders seem to be that which is NOT local. An example is New Zealand lamb. It comes wrapped, then cryovaced. Then it comes in a cardboard case. Ridiculous.