How do you make homemade omelets as a kid's project in a Ziploc baggie?
By Dona from Richland, WA
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It is not recommended to use regular ziploc or other zip top bags in boiling water. From the Ziploc faq:
# Can I boil in Ziploc® Brand Bags?
No. Ziploc® Brand Bags are not designed to withstand the extreme heat of boiling.
Ziploc does however now make a microwaveable bag called Zip 'n Steam. They have a similar recipe using those bags on their webpage...the only difference is you do it in the microwave instead of boiling water. (They don't recommend boiling those bags either.)
My niece described it for me a few months ago. You Prepare whatever items you want included in your omelet: diced or sliced green peppers, onions, cheese, mushrooms, bacon, etc. Crack two or three eggs, depending the size omelet you want, into about a quart-sized Zip-Loc baggie. Add your other ingredients.
Ziploc Omelets
This works great! This is good for when you're alone or when all your family is together. The best feature is that no one has to wait for their special omelet. Have the guests write their name on a Quart Size Ziploc Freezer Bag with a permanent marker.
1. Crack 2 eggs into the quart size Ziploc bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.
2. Put out a variety of ingredients such as: Cheeses, Ham, Onions, Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Hash Browns, Salsa,
3. Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake the bag to mix them well.
4. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
5. Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. If you have more omelets, make another pot of boiling water.
6. Cut the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be pre pared for everyone to be amazed.
7. Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and it becomes a great conversation piece.
Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready. And in just 13 minutes you have a nice omelet for a quick breakfast.
The challenge is to not let the baggie touch the side of the pot, it will melt onto the pot, and then you have a nasty icky mess in the water, or water in the omelette.
We've done these for years in the past and now we do regular breakfast burritos scrambled eggs, with all the "goodies" in bowls that each person can add to their egg which is on a flour tortilla. Works great, and you don't have the boiling water stuff to deal with.
I would suggest making the omelet in an approved microwave steamer bag in the microwave. Here is a press release from the University of Illinois that Ziploc omelets are not recommended to submerse in boiling water to cook:
It is important to respond to a questionably safe Food Fad, the ZIPLOC OMELET. It is the latest NOT recommended fad. Please... DON'T try this at home and we will tell you exactly why. This is not recommended until further research is done on cooking with plastics. There is still question about the cancer causing breakdown of plastics and their contact with food during cooking.
We have contacted the Ziploc company and they replied by telling us that ZIPLOC® brand Bags cannot be used to boil food. They also told us that they do not manufacture a "boilable" bag.
They do not recommend using any ZIPLOC® brand Bag in boiling water, or to "boil" in the microwave. ZIPLOC® brand Bags are made from polyethylene plastic with a softening point of approximately 195 degrees Fahrenheit. By pouring near boiling water (water begins to boil at 212 degrees) into the bag, or putting the bag into the water, the plastic could begin to melt and leach toxins. Might I add that eggs and cheese have fat which gets much hotter than water thus the likelihood of melting the plastic increases.
It is so easy to start something unhealthy like the idea of a ZIPLOC OMELET. All you have to do is type it up and send it out to everyone you know via e-mail.
The specific concern centers on the possible contamination of foods with known carcinogens that may be present in plastic containers and wraps.
According to SC Johnson's Frequently Asked Questions page:
Can I boil in Ziploc® Brand bags? No, Ziploc® Brand bags are not designed to withstand the extreme heat of boiling. While we appreciate hearing about new and innovative ways to use our products, we must be cautious that these new ideas follow label directions. Ziploc bags are not designed or approved to withstand the extreme heat of boiling and therefore, using Ziploc bags to make any recipe that requires the bag to be boiled is not recommended.
Please share these facts with others who may have this misleading information. We also encourage people to go to www.ziploc.com for more information on the proper use of this product.
Ziploc is a registered trademark of the SC Johnson Co. If you have concerns about cooking with Ziploc bags, you can call the SC Johnson Product Safety Department at 1-866-231-5406. They will address any questions you may have.
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