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Reusable Sous Vide Bags: Sizes, Sealing and Care

Reusable sous vide bags save money and plastic, but only if they seal every time and come back clean. This is the routine we use in our own kitchen.

Pick the size for the food

Small bags hold one steak, a chicken breast or a fish fillet. Medium bags hold two portions or a tray of vegetables. Large bags hold a pork shoulder, a rack of ribs or a week of meal prep. A bag that is too large leaves air pockets; one that is too small strains the zip.

Fill, zip, pump

Fold the top of the bag outward before filling so the zip stays clean. Lay the food flat, press out what air you can, close the double zip, then place the pump on the valve and remove the rest. A hand pump takes a few strokes; an electric pump takes a few seconds.

Stop bags floating

Bags float because of trapped air and fat. Re-pump if you see pockets after the first minutes, and clip the bag down with silicone-coated magnets — against a steel pot from the inside, or through the wall of a plastic container from the outside.

Washing and drying

Turn the bag inside out, wash with warm soapy water or on the dishwasher top rack, and dry it open over a bottle or a drying rack. Bags used for raw meat get a hot wash before the next use.

Beyond sous vide

The same bags marinate meat overnight, keep berries from freezer burn and, as makers have found, keep 3D printer filament dry.

Reusable Sous Vide Bags by Size$25.99