Do Reusable Silicone Bags Actually Work? (Food Storage Bag Test) | America’s Test Kitchen
Disposable vs. reusable food storage bags: which style actually keeps food fresh and leak-free? We tested top disposable brands (Glad, Hefty, Ziploc) against eco-friendly reusable alternatives like (re)zip and Ello to find the best bags for your kitchen.
Key Testing Takeaways:
Shape Matters: Flat, 10-inch wide bags make filling easier and allow you to press out air, preventing freezer burn and ice crystals.
Drop-Test Strength: Disposable plastic bags from Ziploc and LK passed our countertop drop test with tomato sauce, while reusables burst open under pressure.
Best Reusable Storage Bags: (re)zip and Ello offer sturdy, leak-proof performance with easy-to-use seals that click shut. Plus, (re)zip is dishwasher-safe for effortless cleanup.
Best Disposable Storage Bags: Ziploc and LK aced every liquid shake and drop test, offering maximum seal security and convenience
The Best Food Storage Bags:
Subscribe to America’s Test Kitchen:
Watch full episodes of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country for free on our new YouTube channel:
Buy our Kitchen Gear book here:
Get exclusive access to every recipe, review, and more via our homepage:
Sign up for our free newsletters to receive more delicious recipes, cooking tips, and exclusive content:
Subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated:
Watch More!
In The Test Kitchen:
The Taste Test:
Techniquely With Lan Lam:
Most Popular:
Follow America’s Test Kitchen:
Instagram:
Pinterest:
TikTok:
Facebook:
Twitter:
At America’s Test Kitchen, we investigate every aspect of cooking—recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques—with a goal to empower and inspire home cooks. Since 1992, our team of 50+ cooks, editors, and culinary creatives ask a lot of questions—and do a lot of testing—so that you get dependable, delicious recipes, comprehensive guidance, and thorough and unbiased equipment and ingredient reviews. You can find us in the pages of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, on our television shows America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country, in dozens of best-selling cookbooks, and via the 14,000+ recipes, reviews, and classes available on our website and app. Whether you’re in search of a great weeknight meal or an impressive dinner-party dish, we’ve done the testing to deliver reliable recipes and comprehensive cooking info to your home kitchen. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll make you a better cook.
#AmericasTestKitchen #CookingTutorial #FoodScience
When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission.
source
Reminds me of the "reusable" beeswax wraps designed to replace cling film, they were rubbish and their lifecycle probably used more resources than the cling film the person would have otherwise used.
You fundamentally cannot "replace" something that is disposable with something "reusable". Basic logic dictates this. The product's "disposablility" is its selling point. I think ATK needs to retire this category of testing.
I find Kirkland is pretty good…
I struggle to removev marinade out of the bags
Silicone gets this weird white film on it and taste like soap tho
My only hesitation with reusables is having to clean them. You said it was "easy", but you didn't actually show how easy they were to clean + dry them out… Easy doesn't necessarily mean "fast", that's a huge factor to consider. Also, how do you keep a floppy, reusable, gallon sized bag open and standing fully upside-down in the dishwasher so it get's cleaned out properly?
What is LK?
Compostable sous vide bags for vacuum sealing were a game changer for me.
Actually you can press all the air out, I do it all the time.
I think a lot of the so-called silicone bags are partially plastic. I have some nice thick ones that seem to be fully silicone and seal really nicely. Then I bought some cheaper thin ones off of Temu. they feel very plasticky and the seals failed after a few months. So I’m a little dubious about the thin ones they were showing in the videos, I’m not sure you can get pure silicone that thin.
I use Zip lock FREEZER ones, tough and well worth it!
How do you clean them?
Ha! Awesome – I only have 2 kinds of reusable bags (ello and rezip) – have used them over and over for years pantry, freezer, lunch box, fridge…. zippers still work!
I bought reusable silicone ones, and maybe its just the brand, but food dries out abnormally fast in the fridge. A block of cheese after 3 days started getting crusty like its just been in the open.
I've started getting food-safe silicon Tupperware to replace my older stuff. Microplastics are to be avoided. I wonder how the silicon reusable bags stand up to pounding a chicken breast flat…
I take the dishwasher safe label with a big grain of salt. I would recommend always hand washing if you don't want the bags to warp, and teeth become misaligned.
I’ve always used my Glad bags as reusable- multiple times. I wash them out and if I ever see a leak in rinsing, that’s when they go in the garbage.
I like the idea of the reusable silicone bags but I have pretty painful arthitis in my hands and absolutely cannot close the seals. Until somebody makes one with a zipper-style seal, I have to stick with plastic bags.
why not just clean and reuse the 'disposable' ones until they aren't good anymore? that's what I do.
"Single use" dont have to be. Hand wash them.
I don’t use any of those bags. I put leftovers in a glass bowl with a lid, I can freeze and heat in the microwave.
Dang, I was hoping to see a full video on this. Also, there are definitely uses for those "purse-like" bags. Not all applications will be for freezing something flat. Plus, it's handy for a bag to stand up on its own while you're filling it. I'd like to know how different brands stand up to freezing/thawing, hand washing and dishwasher washing, etc. You only covered the seal here.
I get why you’d test the bag surviving a drop, but why didn’t you fill it with water? Who cleans your floor?
When you include the resources (water, soap, time) needed to clean the reusable bags, they're as bad or worse than disposable bags. And then there's the risk of contamination if you don't clean them properly…
The only reason to get reusable bags is to assuage your personal and very much irrational feelings of guilt. If you really can't get over those feelings, then don't use plastic at all. Metal and glass for the refrigerator, butcher's paper and aluminum foil for the freezer.
My concern would be the reusable silicone bags breaking down over time and leaching into the food contents, especially since the bags are supposed to be dishwasher safe and get repeatedly exposed to extremely high temperatures. This is why I got rid of all synthetic food containers except for glass and stainless steel. I'm sticking with single use plastic bags that I can throw away after a few days.
Still waiting for your Home Grain Milling Deep dive ….. 🕰️
Reusable seems to be hard materials with weaker seams. Their seals aren't as weak as seams, but we'd rather want to wash and reuse the disposable ones until they give up.
I used Ziplock 100000%. And depending on what I store in them, I will wash them and reuse them. YEP!
I reuse ziploc bags all the time with like foods in temperature controlled environments. I think I've been using one bag for cheese for like multiple years at this point. Though the cheese is contained in its original packaging.