Glad Microwave Steaming Bags

I was recently asked to review Glad Simply Cooking Microwave Steaming Bags on my blog, and I was very excited to take them for a spin. Get it?! The turntable in my microwave "spins" the bag as it's cooking?! OK, anyway... I was intrigued by a recent ad for a very similar product (different brand), but their trial offer even seemed expensive. Doing it this way got me a couple free samples, so I was thrilled before I even tried them. There are lots of things you can cook in these bags - veggies (of course), potatoes, fish, chicken, leftovers, etc.

Seriously, though, I really like the idea behind this product. The bags are vented at the very top with tiny holes just below the zip seal, so steam can escape; but the bag stands up, so no liquids will leak out. I love cooking things in the microwave, and this method doesn't require water (so no draining, or messy boil-over puddle in my microwave). They were very simple to use - just dump your food in the bag, seal it, and microwave.

I used the first freebie bag to steam some fresh baby carrots for dinner the other night. The bags are printed with cook times for various foods (so no need to refer back to the box), and it said to cook carrots for 2-3 minutes. I put them in for 3 minutes and checked them, but they weren't quite done yet. So, I put in the butter and seasonings in the bag with the carrots and cooked them for another 2 minutes. They turned out really good, and hey, 5 minutes is still faster than doing it the old-fashioned way. After dinner, there were about 1 or 2 servings left over, so I just put them back in the bag, sealed it, and stored them in the fridge. Then my son cooked them to have with his lunch the next day. Even a kid can steam vegetables.

The packet that I received from the marketing representative had a product fact sheet and a couple of recipes. One recipe caught my eye, and I immediately knew what I would use the second bag for. Breakfast!

Put 2 eggs, cheese and bacon bits into the bag and stir (or squish, if you don't want to get any more silverware dirty). Seal the bag and zap it for about 90 seconds. (I did it for 2 minutes because that's what the recipe said, but it was a tad too long for how I like my eggs cooked.) Still, I had a beautiful breakfast in no-time flat, so I'm not complaining. I was afraid that the cheesy eggs would stick to the bag and be a mess to retrieve, but it was actually quite easy. I just slid the omelet out of the bag and onto my plate.

Voila!

The letter I received said 3 bags would be enclosed, but I only got 2, so I was a little disappointed because I didn't get to try cooking something frozen in the bags. (***UPDATE: The nice lady at the marketing firm sent me a couple more bags with her thank-you note, so I gave them to my brother-in-law, since I'd already bought myself a box of 10 at Wal-Mart this week.) It might be nice if they would make them in a couple different sizes, but this one seems sufficient for most of our family meals.

Oh! I'm really torn, because my FAVORITE feature of Glad Simply Cooking Microwave Steaming Bags is that I'll have NO pans to clean up when I use them! Just throw them away! BUT...Here's the brutal honest part: The only thing that bothers me about this product is that it creates waste.

Overall, I give this product a 9 out of 10. I may not use them all the time, but I'm definitely going to buy some to have on hand when I need the convenience.

Leave a comment to let me know if you've tried this product, and what you think of it too. You should be able to find it in stores now - $2.99 for a box of 10.