OXO Good Tips Blogs: Cooking & Baking

There are many ways you probably avoid single-use products throughout your day. Maybe you have cloth grocery totes in the car to cut back on the number of plastic bags you take home from the store, or perhaps you carry a thermal mug for coffee on the go, rather than get it in a paper cup at a cafe. And you probably own an insulated water bottle or two, one on the kitchen counter to remind you to hydrate and the other in your gym bag so you’re never thirsty during a workout.

And yet, it may be hard to break up with those plastic snack and quart-size bags that you’ve relied on for years. But now it’s time to consider a set of reusable silicone food bags. This four-in-one option offers just the right sizes for your busy lifestyle, including snack and sandwich bags and a larger half-gallon one for heftier leftovers.

Silicone is far and away a superior material to traditional plastic baggies when it comes to packing snacks and storing leftovers in the fridge or freezer. And these OXO products are made from LFGB-certified silicone, which means they meet the highest of safety standards.

Read on to learn more about the many benefits of reusable silicone food bags and then try a four-piece set in your kitchen and when you’re on the go.

Silicone is eco-friendly

Some stores, like Target, Safeway and Kroger, take back their plastic grocery bags and send them to a recycling center. But this isn’t the case for single-use food bags. Instead of purchasing these plastic products that are then tossed away quickly only to languish in landfills, the greener option is silicone since it can be used again and again with little to no change in construction.

Silicone reusable food bags are made without BPA or bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic food containers and bottles that may be linked to health concerns in infants and children. And some plastics shred into tiny particles called microplastics which are hazardous to our oceans, marine life, and even people—but this is avoided with silicone as it doesn’t deteriorate in this way.

Durability equals savings

The beauty of strong silicone reusable food bags is that they’ll last and last, which means you’ll save money at the store. The same snack and sandwich bags can be pulled from the drawer every day to hold nuts or carrots sticks or a turkey and Swiss on whole wheat. In fact, you might even be encouraged to pack your own food from home since these bags are so convenient (and cute).

Silicone offers solid construction

OXO’s silicone reusable food bags come with a finish that makes them dust-resistant—and that matters because they’ll look and feel better when you handle them (no sticky residue). A tight seal secures the bags to help prevent leaks, giving you peace of mind when packing snacks and leftovers. And built-in tabs make it quick to find and grab the bags stored deep in your purse, backpack, or tote.

Silicone is also well-known for its ability to resist extreme temperatures, which is why muffin cups, baking mats, and ice cube trays and molds are often made from it. Reusable silicone food bags are ideal for storing leftover stew in the freezer and then defrosting it in the microwave.

Space-saving storage

Truth: We all have that one drawer overflowing with mismatched plastic containers and lids that’s often hard to close or loose, slippery baggies that are floating all over the bottom of a shelf. This age-old kitchen issue is solved since OXO’s reusable silicone food bags sport a slim profile. They not only lay flat, making them stackable in the drawer with your foil and wax paper, but they can be folded to squeeze into even tighter spaces.

This space-saving four-in-one set also comes in handy when you want to use it in the fridge or freezer. Keeping leftover drumsticks or several slices of pizza in the half-gallon bag takes up much less room than a big container or a half-empty pizza box. And when packing snacks for the office or a strip, the smaller bags slip neatly into any bag.

Bottom line: If you’ve been making strides to switch from single-use items to reusable products, try adding these silicone food bags to your line up. We have a feeling you won’t even be tempted to go back to your days of plastic baggies.