I Stopped Buying Zip-Top Bags Thanks to This $12.99 Kitchen Find

I can’t remember when I last bought a box of plastic zip-top bags, even though I use them constantly. Every year, I freeze more than 200 pounds of homegrown produce in gallon and quart freezer bags. Other bags hold cheese in my refrigerator and dry goods in my pantry. I fill them with sandwiches and snacks for lunches, hikes, and road trips.

My best guess is that I buy plastic zip-top bags once a decade. That’s because every time I empty one, I hand-wash it and let it dry on Lehman’s Plastic Bag Holder and Bottle Dryer to be reused—again and again. (Good news, experts say that this habit is safe.)

LEHMAN’S PLASTIC BAG HOLDER AND BOTTLE DRYER

• Why I Love It: I’ve stopped spending money on food storage bags and drastically decreased how many I toss out. After I wash them, they air-dry on this collapsible wooden stand, which remains sturdy and effective after nearly 30 years of steady use.

Why I Love Lehman’s Plastic Bag Holder and Bottle Dryer

I’ve owned this bag dryer since the late 1990s, when I found it at a natural food store. I liked that it was made of wood rather than plastic, had a stable base, and collapsed for tidy storage when not in use.

This kitchen accessory instantly reduced the number of plastic bags I was buying and throwing away. I only buy freezer zip-top bags because their thick plastic resists tears and rips when washed, air-dried, and reused repeatedly. Even if I conservatively estimate, based on my freezer storage and kitchen needs, that I pack food into 300 plastic zip-top freezer bags in a year, I’ve saved roughly $1,500 by not buying and tossing out more than 7,000 food storage bags since I discovered this wooden drying rack.

I often gift this handy tool to others, such as my sister, my parents, and friends who are marrying or having babies. My local natural food stores stock it, and Lehman’s website offers the best online price. Amazon and other online retailers also carry this eight-arm bag holder and bottle dryer.

How I Use Lehman’s Plastic Bag Holder and Bottle Dryer

The eight dowels that flare from the rack’s flat base hold bags of all types and sizes, from zip-close and vacuum-sealable gallons to silicone snack holders. In canning season, I use this holder to dry dozens of canning jar rings at a time after processing large batches of salsa and applesauce. In summer, it airs out lightweight water bottles after a hike or sail.

My parents’ version remains permanently open on the countertop beside their kitchen sink, draped in dishcloths when it’s not full of bags. My sister and I fold ours away until needed. Slide the round piece near the base upward, and the rack collapses for compact storage in a drawer or cupboard. Easy.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes