Have you been using zip lock bags wrong?

When sealing a zip lock bag, do you squeeze the air out of it with your hand before sliding it shut?

If you answered yes, you've been using it wrong, according to one woman whose video demonstration has gone viral.

Slate magazine's assistant editor, L.V Anderson, says her trick to using the storage bags to their maximum potential is a kitchen "game changer".

Anderson dubs zip lock bags "one of the great inventions in the history of food storage. But most people are using them wrong".

She explains that the trick, which she learned from her mum, makes for much more efficient use of the bags.

Most people put their food in a bag and press air out with their hand, which means it's sealed with a lot of air still in the bag, which compromises your foods' freshness.

According to Anderson, "The better way of doing it is to put your food in the bag, seal it up most of the way - leaving just an inch of space - and then put your mouth on the space and just suck all of the air out."

On top of keeping food fresher, you'll create much better storage space, meaning "you can start zip locking everything you own".

Some YouTubers were quick to praise her, saying they'd tried her method and loved it.

But others purported to have better methods with one user writing: "Orrrrr...you could just submerge the bag in water. More efficient, no contamination."

Another added: "There's a more sanitary way. Dip the bag partially in a sink of clean water. The water pressure will push all the air out of the bag."

ANDERSON'S EASY ZIP LOCK BAG GUIDE

1. Put the food in a zip lock bag
2. Seal it most of the way but leave a small gap
3. Put your mouth over the gap and suck as much air out of the bag as you can

- nzherald.co.nz