Not sure what exactly created the "Eureka!" moment, but here's the outcome: a 44-ounce plastic soda cup from the local gas station will quite handily hold open a quart-sized freezer baggie, without need for clips or other manipulation. The "how to":
1. Have the 44-ounce cup and quart-sized freezer baggies ready. Check!
2. With clean hand, push the bottom of the baggie into the cup.
3. Example of what the baggie will look like in the cup...
4. Fill with whatever you're processing. Here's a 16-ounce measure cup pouring stock, for a total of four cups of liquid.
Due to being made of thicker plastic, the freezer baggie held up easily without assistance, even while being filled with liquid. I don't know if a thinner sandwich baggie would hold up as well, but maybe one could try using a paper/binder clip of some sort to hold one side (or more) of a baggie to the rim of the cup. I could see this technique being used for any type of filling needs - liquids, solids, etc. Anyhow, though I'm sure someone on the interwebs has to have already thought of and posted this idea, this was the first time the idea occurred to me, and it worked so well I'm passing it on to you. Hope you find it useful, too!
Just a thought: wide-mouth canning jars are freezer safe, stand up on their own, and are reusable. I freeze stock, soup, sauces, etc in mason jars. They require more of an up-front investment than freezer bags, but they pay off fairly quickly.
ReplyDeleteYa' got me laughing at myself! And you've saved a portion of my sanity. So many times I've had to bicker with Dwayne, just to get him to hold the bags...LOL
ReplyDeleteI use the freezer bags, and measure 2c. per qt. size bag. Seems to be the average called for in many recipes. What I like about them, compared to jars - I can cut 'em off the frozen block of broth when it's a last-minute thing. But it takes laying them flat when you go to freeze them.
@Priscilla - I haven't had much luck with using glass canning jars in the freezer. Maybe I've purchased a couple of bad lots, but even with allowing plenty of headroom for freezing, the majority of jars still crack & break.
ReplyDeleteI don't like using plastic at all, so I hope to find something better. In the meantime, I wash & reuse the bags as much as possible, and try hard not to think of the chemicals I may be ingesting... urgh.
@WeldrBrat - glad it gave you a giggle :-). Spouse is usually helpful in these regards, but he's also a foodie and invested in having food put up for quick recipes... hopefully Dwayne will see the light!
ReplyDeleteI've used saved ice-cream containers for the same purpose. Great idea! :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteI love handy tips like this!
Thanks for sharing!