I sure didn't mean to stir anything up here...I just thought they were a nice convenience.
Lesseveryday- those look great, I'll have to check into them more.
I think that many people, like Apple Cheeks, who work outside of the home and need a quick & convenient method for steaming their veggies for lunch appreciate your review of the bags. I'll certainly pass these positive reviews on to my Mom, because they would come in very handy for her. And when I did work outside of the home, I would have loved such a product to prepare my lunch in!
Besides the environmental issues of plastic, my biggest concern is the safety of the plastic in the microwave (even if they say it is safe). Of course, this is the fear I have of most anything microwaved...having a 23 year old dtr with brain cancer does cause me to have concerns I would not even have given a 2nd thought to previously. I had thought of getting her these since she is eating lots of veggies but then I remembered all the stuff I've read and seen with plastic in the micro. I do love corn on the cob microwaved, I just leave the husks on, microwave and then husk, the silks come right off (use oven mitts) and it's the best I've ever had!
Last edited by poohshunny; 03-08-2008 at 03:35 PM.
startanew, I appreciate that you introduced these here - I'd never heard of them. I might find a good use for them some day as well. We don't microwave many main dishes, but these offer a way to change that - particularly for single or double servings.
I was able to find them in my store this morning; 10 bags of the medium size for $2.50. So, it's only $0.25 per bag.
I have both of them. You do not get a choice in handles. The smaller one has the long handle while the larger one has the two small handles. Apparently, The Pampered Chef didn't budget for taking TWO pictures! :P
The smaller one measures just under 11 inches including the handle. The larger, with the small handles is just at 11 inches.
You can find a PC consultant on-line or these come up on eBay unused a lot. They're no cheaper, but you don't have to go through the consultant routine. Shipping to a consultant it $4. Shipping direct to you is more. By weird coincidence, I went to my first PC party EVER this morning! I got both of my micro-steamers second-hand, at garage sales, I think.
My method of steaming (also not recycleable) is to use a wet paper towel on top of whatever I'm steaming. It works perfectly.
We can throw our food-soiled paper towels in the green can and they get composted, which is a good alternative to recycling. But I usually just use wax paper (which also goes in the green can), the lid that goes with the container I'm using to microwave food, or my vented plastic disc.
I am waiting for the day when all plastic bags are recyclable (currently we can only recycle #2 and #4 bags). Plastic bags are just about our only garbage in our household--if I could just eliminate them, we would have almost zero waste, which is one of my goals.
Last edited by BlueToBlue; 03-08-2008 at 10:02 PM.
Besides the environmental issues of plastic, my biggest concern is the safety of the plastic in the microwave (even if they say it is safe). Of course, this is the fear I have of most anything microwaved...having a 23 year old dtr with brain cancer does cause me to have concerns I would not even have given a 2nd thought to previously. I had thought of getting her these since she is eating lots of veggies but then I remembered all the stuff I've read and seen with plastic in the micro. I do love corn on the cob microwaved, I just leave the husks on, microwave and then husk, the silks come right off (use oven mitts) and it's the best I've ever had!
Yeah I have that concern with plastic too. I never microwave any food with plastic. I bought ceramic containers for my hot lunch items. At work, I'll usually throw a wet paper towel on top to do the steaming.
Nelie, I wouldn't worry about the paper towel. Those things break down pretty quickly.
I used the bags that I product tested. But, since they aren't safe to reuse and can't be recycled, I won't buy them. I have some containers that I pack chopped fruit or my 2 cups of veggies in. I just stick the veggies in the microwave here at work and I'm just as happy. I just have a container to take home and wash. It's no big deal.
Appreciate learning about these.
