# Newbie questions: Fat use and reusable plastic bags
**URL:** https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514
**Category:** Anova Precision® Cooker
**Tags:** safety
**Created:** [December 26, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514 "2016-12-26T00:55:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Vivian](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Vivian)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514/1 "2016-12-26T00:55:15Z")
Hello, just got my Sous Vide for Xmas and have two questions:
1. Do I need to use fat when cooking chicken breasts or fish? I would like to keep my meats lean, if possible…
2. Are there any reusable alternatives to Ziploc bags? I dislike the fact that cooking this way will create unwanted plastic waste vs every other cooking method (baking, searing, slow cooking, etc…)
Cheers!
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### Author:  [@colewagoner](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/colewagoner)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514/2 "2016-12-26T05:17:12Z")
Hey @Vivian! No fat is necessary, in fact there are several beliefs that the fat draws flavor out of the meat similar to how a stock would be made. Liquid+Meat=stock. As far as the plastic goes, not really, BUT the energy use of the Anova is so low, that the total impact is quite minimal. I have seen statements that suggest an entire sous vide cook (2-4 hours) uses less electricity than bringing a pot of water to boil on an electric range.
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### Author:  [@RobertV](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/RobertV)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514/3 "2016-12-26T06:13:36Z")
Hi Vivian - I don’t have personal experience with these, but here are some reusable bag alternatives on Amazon.
[https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb\_sb\_ss\_i\_1\_18?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=reusable+sous+vide+bag&sprefix=Reusable+sous+vide%2Cgarden%2C244&crid=1IVP3XB6X9LE1](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_18?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=reusable+sous+vide+bag&sprefix=Reusable+sous+vide%2Cgarden%2C244&crid=1IVP3XB6X9LE1)
Hope this helps!
Robert
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### Author:  [@RobertV](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/RobertV)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514/4 "2016-12-26T06:15:46Z")
Sorry, not sure this link came through. Just search up reusable sous-vide bags on Amazon. There are a few products.
R
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### Author:  [@HunterC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/HunterC)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514/5 "2016-12-26T21:39:55Z")
Hi @Vivian,
There are definitely some alternatives out there for plastic bags like sillicone reusable bags, and glass if what your cooking works with that. Also check out this thread: [Cooking in plastic bags and health issues - #3 by phoneless](http://community.anovaculinary.com/t/cooking-in-plastic-bags-and-health-issues/825/3) there is a lot of info and advice on there.
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### Author:  [@Vivian](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Vivian)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/newbie-questions-fat-use-and-reusable-plastic-bags/3514/6 "2016-12-27T02:02:40Z")
Awesome - thanks for the answers. Will give the reusable bags a shot. I’m always trying to minimize waste 🙂