How To Freeze Without Plastic

How to freeze without plastic On our way to a zero waste life we have said goodbye to many single-use plastics, among them we have stopped using bags, film, and aluminum foil. We now use our cloth bags to shop and reusable waxed wrappers to preserve food.

Like many of you, we used to reuse the plastic bags of the fruit to freeze (the thin and transparent ones) and wrap them with film or aluminum foil. But a day came when we stopped buying film, and aluminum foil, and we ran out of plastic bags. That day we were presented with a new problem. What can we use to freeze without plastic?

Every problem has a solution! So we started to investigate and we found all these possibilities. In today’s post, we are going to tell you how to freeze without plastic.

How To Freeze Without Plastic

Our first advice is to use what you already have. It is not necessary to run out and buy new things, we are sure that at home you have everything you need to start freezing without plastic.

Note. All these options that we present below are good but some we only recommend for certain types of food or to freeze for a short period.

Glass Jars

What jars do we use? Any glass jar. We reuse the jars of cooked vegetables, jams, and olives. But you can also buy them, in case you don’t consume anything in glass. They are very practical for freezing sauces, creams, soups, etc.

Some recommendations:

• Do not fill the jar to the top. When freezing foods they increase in volume. It is important to leave a space. If you fill the jar to the limit it may explode.
• It is also important when defrosting to avoid sudden temperature changes. You can let the contents thaw on their own by removing them in advance. Take off its contents bypassing the pot through cold water and pour it into another container to heat. Or if you prefer the Bao Mara.

Tupperware And Lunch Boxes

Who doesn’t have a Tupperware at home? Plastic, glass, or stainless steel. They all count! In our house, as in all houses, we have plastic Tupperware. Now we no longer buy them, but we have them from before. Throw them? That will not be sustainable! The best thing we can do is reuse them as much as possible until they are old: they have been deformed, scratched, or colored by food.

When freezing and thawing in a glass container, we recommend that you follow the same instructions as in the case of glass jars. Avoid filling the container to the top and sudden changes in temperature.

The advantage of stainless steel Tupperware is that there is no danger of it bursting, they are lighter and take up less space. When it comes to defrosting, the only precaution you have to take is to NEVER put it in the microwave.

Be very careful with plastic Tupperware:

• We have to make sure that the plastic containers we have at home are safe. Plastic containers have to meet certain requirements to ensure that they are safe to transport and freeze food. How do we know it is safe? Looking at the symbols that are usually at the bottom. A glass and a fork indicate that it is suitable for food. A snowflake that is suitable for freezing. It is also important to know what kind of plastic it is: avoiding the numbers 03 and 07.

Silicone Bags

If your freezer is not very big, reusable silicone bags are the best option for freezing food. Surely you wonder what is silicone? Isn’t it a type of plastic? Although its appearance is very similar, the origin of the material is completely different. Most plastics are made from chemical derivatives of petroleum. However, silicone is a colorless, odorless polymer made primarily of silicon. Silica is also the main ingredient in glass. It does not react when in contact with food and resists temperatures from freezing to baking.

Platinum silicone is a high-quality silicone, cross-linked with platinum, recommended for cooking, freezing, and in general for use in contact with food. Reusable platinum silicone Stasher Bags seal tightly and are transparent, so you can easily see what’s inside. You can freeze all kinds of food: meat, fish, vegetables, already cooked dishes

When it comes to defrosting, you choose microwave (leave a little open), bao Marie, or oven This bag holds it all! And when you finish you can wash it directly in the dishwasher.

Reusable Wax Wraps

Reusable wax or waxed paper wraps are the ecological and zero-waste alternative to transparent plastic film and aluminum foil. They can be used to freeze: bread, buns, vegetables, etc. In general, everything can be wrapped with a waxed cloth. Keep in mind that it is a breathable material, so a hermetic seal is not guaranteed. Only use for short-term freezing. If it is left for a long time, the food does not keep properly, drying out or burning due to the cold.

To consider:

• NEVER use reusable wax wraps to freeze raw meat or fish.
• When defrosting, it is recommended to remove them from the freezer and leave them out for about 5-10 minutes before opening them, so that the wax does not break.

Paper Bags

They are not the best option, since they are not suitable for all types of food. They are not airtight or waterproof. So many foods are discarded. But for me, they are a perfect option to freeze the bread of the week. Normally, at home, we buy bread on the weekend. We put it in the freezer and we take it out during the week. So we always have fresh bread. I do not recommend leaving the bread in the paper bag for many weeks, as it ends up drying out.

The Skin Of The Vegetable

A tomato that is too ripe for the salad, a pepper that begins to wrinkle It happens to all of us, sometimes we have a clueless vegetable left in the fridge. Don’t throw it away! Although it is not good to eat raw, it could be used for a sauce or a stew. If at that moment you do not plan to start cooking, put it directly in the freezer. Your skin will be different protection.

Eye! Not all vegetables react in the same way to freezing, those that are very rich in the water remain a little pocha. For example eggplant, it is better to cook before freezing.

More ideas on how to take advantage of food: Don’t throw food away!

So far our recommendations for freezing without plastic. We have tried to be brief.