The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Shoo]

How on Earth to people get Saran wrap (cling wrap, plastic wrap, whateveryoucallit) to actually stick?  I can never do it consistently and even when I do get it to stick, it is so rare that I can't figure out how I did it.  If I had my own place, I would have Press'n'Seal, but I'm using what Mental Mother has.  Someone please help!

Use enough of it that it goes around and over the edge of the dish by a significant margin and sticks to itself.  You don't always have to wrap the whole thing top and bottom, but getting at least 270-degree coverage helps a lot.

This is why I never buy Saran Wrap.  It's so wasteful.

Well, I shouldn't say never.  I sometimes buy the colored Saran Wrap at Christmas time to make little pouches for treats.  It's kind of like using cellophane.  But that's the only thing it's good for, IMO.

[Slartibartfast]

The "press and seal" kind is worth it, IMHO, because even though it's more expensive per foot, you don't need anywhere near as much of it - plus you can re-use it, unlike saran wrap where you give up more often than not when it gets all balled up and stuck to itself.

[RingTailedLemur]

The "press and seal" kind is worth it, IMHO, because even though it's more expensive per foot, you don't need anywhere near as much of it - plus you can re-use it, unlike saran wrap where you give up more often than not when it gets all balled up and stuck to itself.

Have you been in my kitchen?!

I hate cling film and cling film hates me 

[wheeitsme]

Just an FYI, the formulation for most household cling wraps has changed in recent years.  The new formulation is supposedly more environmentally friendly and less likely to have plastic ickies transfer into certain foods, but the change has made them less clingy.

[2littlemonkeys]

I also think it just doesn't stick to plastic.  When I use it on glass dishes/bowls, it works perfectly.  When I try to use it on plastic, it just sort of sits there.

I like the press and seal too.

[jpcher]

I also think it just doesn't stick to plastic.  When I use it on glass dishes/bowls, it works perfectly.  When I try to use it on plastic, it just sort of sits there.

I like the press and seal too.

^Agree 100%. Plus, like a PPer mentioned, giving it a gentle pull while it's touching the glass bowl helps a lot.


For plastics, try: http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Elastic-Bowl-Plate-Covers/dp/B000RCHF40

[Diane AKA Traska]

I also think it just doesn't stick to plastic.  When I use it on glass dishes/bowls, it works perfectly.  When I try to use it on plastic, it just sort of sits there.

I like the press and seal too.

^Agree 100%. Plus, like a PPer mentioned, giving it a gentle pull while it's touching the glass bowl helps a lot.


For plastics, try: http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Elastic-Bowl-Plate-Covers/dp/B000RCHF40

Y'know, all my bowls are glass, so I'm sitting here wondering "why the heck is everyone have problems with cling wrap?!"

[Dindrane]

I do fine with cling wrap on glass, but it doesn't work for plastic at all, and i don't think it's all that great on metal, either. Fortunately for me, most of the things I'm likely to want to put cling wrap on are glass. For the things that aren't, I use tin-foil or find a different container.

What works even better than cling wrap is containers that come with lids. I have a number of Pyrex storage containers, and I use those whenever I can. I also have a lot of the Ziploc and Glad plastic containers, and those come in handy, too.

[Shoo]

I also think it just doesn't stick to plastic.  When I use it on glass dishes/bowls, it works perfectly.  When I try to use it on plastic, it just sort of sits there.

I like the press and seal too.

^Agree 100%. Plus, like a PPer mentioned, giving it a gentle pull while it's touching the glass bowl helps a lot.


For plastics, try: http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Elastic-Bowl-Plate-Covers/dp/B000RCHF40

Y'know, all my bowls are glass, so I'm sitting here wondering "why the heck is everyone have problems with cling wrap?!"

Not cling wrap, Saran Wrap.  Cling wrap clings, and stretches to fit.  Saran Wrap doesn't cling really.  Not even to itself very well.

[Sirius]

I take it from when my water breaks. In my case it seems to be getting shorter and shorter 12 hours with my eldest, 6 hours with my middle and 1 hour with my youngest. I swear if i have another i'm camping out at the hospital for the last month. 

I've heard that each subsequent baby takes about half the time that the previous one did, so don't choose a hospital more than 15 minutes away!   15 for DD1, about 6 for DD2 here.

My grandmother had 19. She must have in labor about 3 seconds by the last one!

When I was a teenager we had a neighbor who had had a very short labor with her first baby, and the doctor was predicting more of the same with her second; if she said, "It's time!" It was time right then, and her husband had better drop everything and run.  For her second baby her husband pounded on our door one afternoon, as my mother had agreed to watch their little boy when the time came, and he told me they couldn't wait for my mother to get out of the shower.  So, I followed him over to their house still carrying my guinea pig and stayed with the little boy until my mom got there.  I heard later that within a half hour after they left the house their little girl was born; they barely made it to the hospital that was less than 5 miles away. 

[Diane AKA Traska]

I also think it just doesn't stick to plastic.  When I use it on glass dishes/bowls, it works perfectly.  When I try to use it on plastic, it just sort of sits there.

I like the press and seal too.

^Agree 100%. Plus, like a PPer mentioned, giving it a gentle pull while it's touching the glass bowl helps a lot.


For plastics, try: http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Elastic-Bowl-Plate-Covers/dp/B000RCHF40

Y'know, all my bowls are glass, so I'm sitting here wondering "why the heck is everyone have problems with cling wrap?!"

Not cling wrap, Saran Wrap.  Cling wrap clings, and stretches to fit.  Saran Wrap doesn't cling really.  Not even to itself very well.

Ah.  That would be it, then.  I buy generics often, and I don't use cling wrap enough to really care about the brand. 

[jpcher]

I also think it just doesn't stick to plastic.  When I use it on glass dishes/bowls, it works perfectly.  When I try to use it on plastic, it just sort of sits there.

I like the press and seal too.

^Agree 100%. Plus, like a PPer mentioned, giving it a gentle pull while it's touching the glass bowl helps a lot.


For plastics, try: http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Elastic-Bowl-Plate-Covers/dp/B000RCHF40

Y'know, all my bowls are glass, so I'm sitting here wondering "why the heck is everyone have problems with cling wrap?!"

Not cling wrap, Saran Wrap.  Cling wrap clings, and stretches to fit.  Saran Wrap doesn't cling really.  Not even to itself very well.

Ah.  That would be it, then.  I buy generics often, and I don't use cling wrap enough to really care about the brand. 

But, wait . . . Isn't Saran wrap just a brand name for their cling wrap?

I was curious, so I looked it up.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saran_%28plastic%29

"In 1949, Dow introduced Saran Wrap, a thin, clingy plastic wrap that was sold in rolls and used primarily for wrapping food. It quickly became popular for preserving food items stored in the refrigerator."


Also, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_wrap

"Plastic wrap, cling film (UK), cling wrap or food wrap, is a thin plastic film typically used for sealing food items in containers to keep them fresh over a longer period of time. Plastic wrap, typically sold on rolls in boxes with a cutting edge, clings to many smooth surfaces and can thus remain tight over the opening of a container without adhesive or other devices. Common plastic wrap is roughly 0.5 mils, or 12.5 µm, thick.[1][2] In Australia and New Zealand the genericized trademark glad wrap is commonly used, while Saran wrap has become genericized in North America."

The article does go on to say that Saran wrap changed its formula, "making the new formulation a lower quality plastic wrap" (eta: they still sell their original wrap as "Saran Premium."


I was sure that I've been using Saran wrap for years. I went to look and, nope, I'm using Glad clearly marked "Cling" wrap.


So, I guess, not all plastic wraps are equal.

[Soprych]

Instead of trying to find the perfect cling wrap, I find that what works best for me is the free plastic shower cap ones receives at a hotel.

[Elisabunny]

I do fine with cling wrap on glass, but it doesn't work for plastic at all, and i don't think it's all that great on metal, either. Fortunately for me, most of the things I'm likely to want to put cling wrap on are glass. For the things that aren't, I use tin-foil or find a different container.

What works even better than cling wrap is containers that come with lids. I have a number of Pyrex storage containers, and I use those whenever I can. I also have a lot of the Ziploc and Glad plastic containers, and those come in handy, too.

I've been slowly accumulating lidded containers.  Definitely the way to go!

[White Dragon]

Today's question - peanut butter.

My incredibly generous employer keeps both of our lunchrooms stocked with cereal, instant soups, sandwich supplies, various beverages, frozen waffles and other goodies. (Yes, I know how lucky I am!)

In the pantry is a large container of Kraft peanut butter. (I list the brand because people will be able to picture the texture and properties properly).

This is a big jar - the 2kg (5lb?) size. We're talking a lot of peanut butter.
It is being used, but very, very slowly.

I was worried that it would go rancid, so I went to put it in the fridge.
This triggered a discussion about where the best place to store the peanut butter was.

Some say fridge, because it will stay fresh longer.
Others say pantry, because if it's in the fridge, it will be too hard to spread and no one will want to use it.
(Some people were surprised that putting it in the fridge was even an option. Totally new idea.)

So - where should we keep the peanut butter? We've had the jar for a month now and only two people have used it.
How long will it take to go bad (The expiration date is a very unclear and unhelpful "12Mar13". )
Will this brand be too hard if I put it in the fridge?

There are only 30 of us in the office, and it seems like everyone has an opinion. Thoughts?