Goatrider:
I doubt that you could boil water over a direct flame in a plastic container because the water does not seep into the fibers like it does in paper. The plastic would melt until a hole appeared at the hottest point and then the melting would occur at a different place until all the water leaked out or the water put out the fire.
I would be leery about boiling a lunch in a regular ziplock that was not made for water immersion cooking as the plastic components could leach into the food even if the bag were not visibly melting.
Brad:
I don't understand how you can fry bacon in a regular paper bag over an open flame. While the explanation of a fat soaked bag not burning seems feasible on the face of it, it would take a while for the fat to melt off the bacon and any part of the bag that was dry would flame up over an open flame. The other thing is that pork grease once melted and partially vaporized is highly voliatle. If you have "PERSONALLY" done so successfully, please give us details as I would like to try this on my grill for safetys sake. If you have not done this "PERSONALLY", please question your source for details as I find it hard to believe.
Thanks!
Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />