# Do you remember frozen boil in the bag meals?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** food-cooking
**Created:** [February 10, 2021, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565 "2021-02-10T03:54:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/1 "2021-02-10T03:54:24Z")
For some reason, I was just thinking about those tonight. They’d often be turkey in gravy, beef and gravy and I think there was a Mac and cheese one.
Haven’t seen them since the 80s, I’m sure ubiquitous microwaves made them obsolete.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/2 "2021-02-10T04:04:58Z")
I remember those; I might have had a “turkey in gravy” one once. I do remember making Green Giant Niblets sweet corn in butter sauce in a frozen bag like that quite a few times, probably even into the '90s.
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/3 "2021-02-10T04:06:56Z")
Oh, I forgot the frozen veg ones! Broccoli and cheese was definitely one as well.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/4 "2021-02-10T04:27:56Z")
I remember them. From what I recall, they were either curry and rice (in separate bags) or cod in parsley sauce.
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### Author:  [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/5 "2021-02-10T08:37:21Z")
Unless you count the creamed chipped beef that still comes that way, I am not sure I’ve ever had one. Well, the corn with butter and broccoli with cheese vegetable sides and the like - do those no longer exist?
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/6 "2021-02-10T08:39:28Z")
Now with more BPA!
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/7 "2021-02-10T09:09:24Z")
I still have a roll of those bags and a heat sealer. I used to freeze leftovers in them. Works really well with sliced pot roast or meatloaf. I’d come home for lunch and drop one in a pan of water.
They could be difficult to seal. The bag had to be very clean or the heat strip wouldn’t make a good seal. The bags were hard to fill without smearing a little on the sides. A small leak meant seeing the contents leak into the boiling water.
A microwave purchase abruptly ended the need for boiling bags. They’ve been on the top shelf of a cabinet for at least three decades.
I found one very similar to mine on eBay.
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-GE-General-Electric-food-sealer-boil-in-bag-cheff-kitchen-BAG1T/303124256388](https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-GE-General-Electric-food-sealer-boil-in-bag-cheff-kitchen-BAG1T/303124256388)
The sealer is not very useful without a reliable source of replacement bags. They used to come in several sizes. You’d see them on the aisle with ziploc bags and aluminum foil. They disappeared off shelves a long time ago.
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### Author:  [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/8 "2021-02-10T09:25:51Z")
I remember boil in the bag fish - I suspect it was awful quality stuff, but as a child I quite liked it!
Now we just call it sous vide.
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/9 "2021-02-10T09:27:53Z")
For a time there were non-frozen (not even refrigerated) meals in a bag that were very useful for camping trips (I mean real camping trips involving canoeing and portaging, not “drive up to a campsite”). Not something you’d want to serve on gourmet night at home, but pretty good when you’ve worked up a powerful appetite after a day in the wilderness! This was probably back in the 80s. I think beef stroganoff was one of the varieties. The bags were a thick foil that couldn’t be burned in a campfire, but much easier to pack out than a bunch of empty cans.
BTW, your mention of frozen foods in bags reminded me that I have a whole bunch of frozen French onion soup in the freezer. Not really “bags”, but shrink-wrapped frozen cylinders of goodness topped with cheese and croutons. One of them is in the oven right now! 😋
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/10 "2021-02-10T10:09:24Z")
> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> For a time there were non-frozen (not even refrigerated) meals in a bag …
>
> The bags were a thick foil that couldn’t be burned in a campfire, but much easier to pack out than a bunch of empty cans.
I remember those. I’m not a camper, but they were so convenient when I was at my undergrad school, and more concerned with studying than cooking. I’d get home, get a pot of water to boiling, drop in one of those, and in a few minutes, I’d have a meal. Often, I’d make some toast to go along with it, especially if it was chili. This student might not be eating a gourmet dinner, but he definitely wasn’t a starving student.
Interestingly, the local Safeway has “boil in bag” offerings at the deli counter, though they don’t seem to be complete meals–more adjuncts to what you can do with food. For example, they do have a meatballs in marinara sauce boil-in-bag that, once boiled, goes nicely with spaghetti or penne. Works for me.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/11 "2021-02-10T10:32:06Z")
They still make those, but I don’t think they (or ready-to-eat meals in general) are a particularly inexpensive option for a student. For camping, or again for domestic use, there are also freeze-dried meals, so no heavy cans, but you need a source of clean, hot water. Some (pouch- rather than can-based) military ration kits include a flameless heater along with the pouches; you need some water to activate those. (One way or another, you will need access to water, obviously)
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/12 "2021-02-10T14:14:08Z")
Those were great for hot turkey sandwiches. Boil a bag of turkey and gravy, open and pour over bread. Didn’t even get the pot dirty.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/13 "2021-02-10T14:36:58Z")
> [@dalej42](#):
>
> They’d often be turkey in gravy, beef and gravy and I think there was a Mac and cheese one.
I don’t remember mac & cheese, but I do remember chicken a la king.
Those were dinner occasionally when I was a kid. Thinking back, it must have been when my mom wanted something easy to make. We’d tear up some toast and pour the bag out over it.
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### Author:  [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/14 "2021-02-10T14:58:30Z")
I vaguely recall the vegetable ones.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/15 "2021-02-10T15:05:56Z")
Those things were great when the kids were young. Easy way to deal with the ever changing meals with one or the other sick or having friends over or eating late because of practice or whatever. I guess the microwave meal replaced them. We’d dump out a bag of turkey and gravy on a couple of pieces of bread to make a hot open sandwich and the kids thought it was fancy eatin’.
These things were available way before the 80s although that may have been their heyday. The Banquet meals were very bland save for a large amount of salt.
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### Author:  [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/16 "2021-02-10T15:07:40Z")
I remember my mom using those in the 70s. We’d have the turkey and gravy ones over toast once in a while. My mom liked the chicken ala king best. I can still taste the corn in butter sauce. That was really good. I doubt that my dad was thrilled with any of it. It was probably something we had when he was at the cabin deer hunting. We kids probably thought it was a special, exciting thing like TV dinners were.
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### Author:  [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/17 "2021-02-11T03:14:31Z")
I used to love the ones that had white rice, sweet peas and mushrooms. I remembered those during the fall when I was trying to come up with some new things to eat. I got the ingredients and cooked some up. It was delicious. I eat that every week or so now.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2021, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/18 "2021-02-11T03:24:58Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#):
>
> Well, the corn with butter and broccoli with cheese vegetable sides and the like - do those no longer exist?
It doesn’t look like it – it looks like Green Giant has replaced them with two different types of bags of veggies that steam in the microwave:
> **[Boxed Frozen Vegetables - Green Giant - Frozen Vegetable Boxes](https://greengiant.com/products/frozen-vegetables-boxes/)**
>
> Get your daily dose of nutrients with Green Giant's flash-frozen veggies! Browse our selection of frozen vegetables in boxes, including broccoli, corn, and peas. Easy to store in your freezer!
> **[Frozen Vegetables - Bags | Green Giant Bagged Frozen Vegetables](https://greengiant.com/products/frozen-vegetables-bags/)**
>
> Enjoy the convenience of steaming vegetables right in the microwave! Choose from a variety of sauced, lightly sauced, seasoned, or plain vegetables from Green Giant today.
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### Author:  [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2021, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/19 "2021-03-26T04:17:57Z")
Interesting. I think one of the positive unintended consequences of the shift of frozen meals to having “microwave -only” cooking instructions is that I eat fresher and healthier food now. When my microwave broke a few years ago I decided to see how long I could go without replacing it. I haven’t missed it, but every once in awhile I see a new frozen food item that says not to prepare it in an oven. I can access a microwave at work, but it’s a rare occasion that I come across something I really have to try THAT badly - to plan out purchasing and keeping it frozen transporting it to work to have a “convenience” food.
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-frozen-boil-in-the-bag-meals/932565/20 "2021-03-26T04:40:40Z")
Both Stoufers and Banquet made those single serve boil in the bag meals. Used to have them back in the 70’s when I’d come home from school for lunch (yeah, I would do that). Pour it over a piece of buttered bread and you were good to go.
I wonder how much those single serve ones were back then. They remind me of something you’d see in the freezer case at the dollar store today.