LAMORINDA WEEKLY | New cooking product offers 'in the bag' simplicity


Photo Susie Iventosch

I was in my local Ace Hardware store when Cassidy, who runs their amazing kitchen department, called me over to see her latest, greatest inventory item. It is call Stasher, a reusable platinum silicon food storage bag that can be reused over and over again, and washed in the dishwasher. These bags can cut down on the use of disposable baggies, but they are significantly more expensive, too. The great thing about them is they are not just for storing food, but also for cooking food! They can be used in the microwave or oven, in a pot of boiling water on the stovetop and in the freezer for making frozen concoctions, like sorbet. As of now, they come in several color options and three different sizes, 9.9, 15 and 64.2 fluid ounces.

I intended to try baking Stasher salmon in the oven, but ran out of time and so far have only gotten as far as my egg scramble on the stovetop. It was quite the experiment, because you must push out the excess air before sealing the bag and dropping it into the pot of boiling water. On my first attempt, I apparently did not remove enough air, and what resulted was a messy pot of egg scramble mixed with boiling water. I could see the bag getting very puffy, but by then it was too late. The next attempt worked like a charm, because I removed most of the air before sealing the bag. The eggs were fluffy and delicious, and all the veggies were cooked just right.

The eggs take much longer to cook than in a frying pan, roughly 15 minutes for four eggs, but the idea is a low maintenance meal, where the ingredients are mixed right in the Stasher bag, and you can actually eat right out of the bag, if you want to minimize dirty dishes. Then, place the bag upside down on the top rack of the dishwasher for thorough cleaning.

The verdict is still out, and I'll report back as I use the Stasher bags to cook more dishes, but for now, I'd say it is a fun kitchen item and fun to experiment with the different uses. They are available online through Amazon and at Target, and most likely you can find them in a local cooking shop, or a hardware store with a good kitchen section. This scramble was made with what I had on hand, but as you can imagine, the kitchen is the limit in what you'd like to add to your scramble!

For more information about Stasher, visit https://www.stasherbag.com.