Tesco Value Freezer Bags

I tend to use freezer bags quite freqently for a variety of purposes, and I think that they're very handy things to have in the kitchen. I like to have a variety of sizes of freezer bags in my kitchen cupboard, so I've ended up buying lots of different brands and varieties over the years. However, if you were to open my 'useful things' cupboard at any time, I can guarantee that you'd find a pack of Tesco Value freezer bags.

Packaging

As with a number of the items in the Tesco Value range, the packaging that these freezer bags come in is minimal. I have no prioblem with this though, as in my eyes the lack of packaging keeps prices low, which is always a good thing. The freezer bags come rolled together, with a simple sleeve holding everything together. The label comes in the Tesco Value range's signature colours of white, red and navy and contains basic information including the product name and size, contact information for Tescos, directions for use and warnings to keep them away from babies and young children.

Using These Freezer Bags

These freezer bags are very easy to use - you simply remove the packaging sleeve and then rip bags from the roll as you need them. Though the material is quite thin, suggesting that they'd be liable to splitting when ripped apart, I've never found that this has been a problem and the perforated edges of each bag make them easy to tear apart.

I find myself using these freezer bags all the time, and I think they're a really useful item to keep in the kitchen. The most common things I use them for are for wrapping up sandwiches (although only if I've run out of foil or cling film, as I find that my sandwiches tend to fall apart if I bag them rather than wrap them) and for freezing meals for later consumption. As part of my attempt to save money, I've started making meals in bulk and then freezing them in single portions. The small size of these bags (22cm x 28.5cm) makes them ideal for freezing single servings of liquid-y foods like soups, curries, stews and casseroles. As a bonus, these bags can also be used in the microwave, so I can simply pop a bag of frozen food into the microwave and zap it for a few minutes until it's defrosted and then transfer it to a microwaveable container to finish cooking. One warning if you do chose to do this: as food is cooked in the microwave, water tends to leak out of the bag, so I'd recommend placing it into a microwaveable dish for the entire cooking time.

The fact that these freezer bags are transparent is something that I find advantageous, as it means that I can easily identify the contents. Each bag also has two white panels on it, one labelled 'contents' and the other 'date', which means that if you're more of an organised person than myself you can write down what's inside the bag and the date it has been frozen, which I'd imagine would be incredibly handy if you tend to cook and freeze lots of similar-looking foods as you'd be able to identify the contents of each bag very quickly and easily.

In contrast to some more expensive types of freezer bags on the market, these bags don't have a seal at the top of the bag. However, they come with a sheet of 50 wire ties which can be used to secure the bags once they've been filled. I don't tend to use these ties, however, as I find them a little fiddly to use, and I simply twist the top of the bag and tie it into a knot, ensuring that the contents will not leak into my freezer.

Disadvantages

Though I use these freezer bags frequently and have generally been happy with their performance, the material is noticeably thinner than that of more expensive freezer bags, making them feel a little flimsy. A couple of times they've split on me, although thankfully they split once my food had frozen, meaning that there was very little mess in my freezer. As I've already mentioned, water also tends to leak out of them if you reheat frozen food in the microwave in them, so it's best to allow food to defrost and transfer it to a suitable container before heating it.

Price and Availability

As the name suggests, these freezer bags are sold in Tesco stores. They seem to be a popular and well-stocked item, as I've never had any problems picking them up and I've seen them both in large Tesco superstores and in smaller Tesco Extra stores.

At £1 for a roll of 50 bags, the price of this product has increased substantially over the years - I remember paying around 60p for the same product just a couple of years ago. Nonetheless, at 2 pence per bag, I still consider these freezer bags to represent good value for money, and I'm happy to pay the increased price. The price of £1 still makes these the cheapest option in Tescos - I visited my local Tesco store today and the next cheapest variety of freezer bags cost £1.50 for 50 bags - a whole extra penny per bag!

Conclusions

As I hope my review has made clear, I think that these freezer bags are a great staple item to have in the kitchen. I use them frequently for a variety of purposes and have only been let down by them a couple of times over the years. Though their quality is not as good as that of more expensive versions and the plastic is noticeably flimsier and thinner than others, they do the job and freeze food well. It is worth noting that these freezer bags are quite small in size - they're ideal for freezing single portions of food but I doubt you'd be able to fit in a meal for an entire family, for example. Nonetheless, at just 2 pence per bag, these are significantly cheaper than larger freezer bags available on the market and I think they're great value for money.

4 out of 5 stars from me - I'm deducting one star as these bags have split on me a couple of times and because they only come in one (small) size, but other than that I think they're a great budget option and a product that I know I will continue to buy for years to come.