# A secret about aluminum foil and plastic film wrap dispensers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 23, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002 "2009-02-23T02:27:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/1 "2009-02-23T02:27:23Z")
This is from the net but I never know this and have had rolls leapt out of the box when trying to rip off a section. Has anyboby used this tab. Does it work? [Reynolds Wrap Locking tab](http://www.endtimesroundtable.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=8081&p=59627) > [@](#): > > I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself. Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box? You know when you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time. > > Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, Press here to lock end. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can’t count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying t o cover something up. > [@](#): > > “Well, I’m not telling everyone my age … but I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself. Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box? What a fantastic idea. Now, if someone would just make plastic wrap that didn’t stick to itself. > “I’ve been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember. Great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time. > “Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday, I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason, I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end, it said, ‘Press here to lock end.’ Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran Wrap and it had one, too! I can’t count the number of times the Saran Wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up. > “I hope I’m not the only person that didn’t know about this.” ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/2 "2009-02-23T02:36:00Z")
There was a thread about this here on the SDMB within the last month. Maybe even within the last couple of weeks. Obviously its making the rounds. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/3 "2009-02-23T02:41:36Z")
Wait? Those tabs are secret? _And_ there are people who don’t know about them? Mark my ignorance fought. I’d always accepted those tabs as common knowledge, along the same lines as punching a second hole into a can of juice before pouring. ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/4 "2009-02-23T04:51:17Z")
I tried pushing them in for the first time tonight. It was a pain because I didn’t get them perfectly even and now the roll tugs and comes out a bit crinkly. I don’t think that they’re an improvement for foil. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/5 "2009-02-23T05:55:42Z")
I’ve never, not once, been able to push those things in so that the roll still rolls. I end up with a roll of foil or wrap that stays firmly ensconced in the box, and I have to reach in and push out the tabs and end up tearing the box and then I have to go get the tape and the cat is batting at the pieces of wrap and foil and MY GOD WHY DO THESE THINGS EVEN EXIST!? Sorry. I’ll go lie down with a cold cloth on my forehead now. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/6 "2009-02-23T06:23:50Z")
Or you could just hold the top flap so that it puts a bit of pressure on the roll. It’s really not that difficult. ETA: Or pull straight up so the weight of the roll keeps it in the box. It depends on the ratio of mass left on the roll to the friction of the tube turning. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/7 "2009-02-23T09:18:48Z")
Yea, I had never heard of them until a few months ago. I had also never really had a problem getting the plastic wrap out of the box. ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/8 "2009-02-23T14:29:41Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > Or you could just hold the top flap so that it puts a bit of pressure on the roll. It’s really not that difficult. > > ETA: Or pull straight up so the weight of the roll keeps it in the box. It depends on the ratio of mass left on the roll to the friction of the tube turning. Better yet, perhaps the box could be designed by non-engineers. ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/9 "2009-02-23T14:31:41Z")
My problem with plastic wrap isn’t that it’s hard to get out of the box. It’s what it does after it’s out. Life is too short to spend any of it trying to get that stuff unstuck from itself and from me and lie flat so that it’s usable. I tried pushing in the tabs out of curiosity but I’m so used to holding the roll down with one thumb while I pull some out that I won’t try it again. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/10 "2009-02-23T14:48:22Z")
It didn’t work out well for me. It hampers the rotation of the roll. And cling wrap is the Devil’s Playground, if you ask me. There’s nothing that can improve it’s performance. I keep a roll around just so I can be amused by Mr. K’s attempts to wrestle it into submission. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/11 "2009-02-23T15:36:23Z")
Guys - keep your plastic wrap in the freezer. It won’t stick to itself. ---
**Author:** ![Marjorie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@Marjorie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marjorie)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/12 "2009-02-23T20:05:52Z")
I just got up and tried this. My Kroger brand aluminum foil box completely fell apart when I pushed in the tabs. Yay, much better! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/13 "2009-02-23T21:15:11Z")
I saw this in a thread last week. I used some cling wrap over the weekend, and pushed in the tabs. I immediately ran to show my wife. She had never seen them either and asked how long I had been holding out this information! We checked every other box of wrap in the house, and with the exception of the wax paper, they all had one, whether generic or brand name. I wonder how long they’ve been there, and WHY OH WHY, I’ve never found them before. ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/14 "2009-02-23T21:44:38Z")
Hmm… curious. My aluminum foil has them, but my Target brand cling wrap does not. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/15 "2009-02-23T21:47:30Z")
Sad thing is, I went through decades of life frustratedly thinking, “They really need to put something through the roll of foil/wrap so it doesn’t leap out of the box every time I pull on it.” I only discovered the tabs about a month ago. I’m ashamed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/16 "2009-02-23T22:07:39Z")
The thing with plastic wrap is, it’s _supposed_ to stick to itself. When you wrap it around a plate or whatever, it’s the plastic sticking to itself on the bottom that keeps it attached. The problem isn’t that it sticks to itself; it’s that it sticks to itself at the wrong time. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/17 "2009-02-24T09:33:10Z")
Am I the only one that puts the plastic wrap on the thing I’m wrapping before I tear it off the roll? Like wrap one end of the plate, then pull off enough to cover the rest, and then tear? ---
**Author:** ![Backcountry\_Medic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Backcountry\_Medic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backcountry_Medic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/18 "2009-02-24T18:34:38Z")
That was my thought too. I think I might have tried to tear off a sheet of plastic wrap first and then wrangle it onto my food the first time I used the stuff, but it pretty quickly became apparent that the best way to manage plastic wrap is to remove it only as you apply it, then cut at the end. Isn’t that the standard when you are messing with something that sticks easily to itself? I use the same technique with decals, window film, bio-occlusive dressings, wallpaper, ect. No freezing, no frustration, no half-assed cardboard tabs. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/19 "2009-02-25T00:33:09Z")
my mum has a nifty dispenser in the kitchen that all the rolls go on. it has 4 dowels on it, so you take the product out of the box and put it on the dowel. it is loaded with wax paper, cling film, foil, and paper towels. all neatly done easy to use and no slicing of fingers trying to cut the product. boxes are recycled as soon as the roll is taken out. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002/20 "2009-02-25T00:36:58Z")
my mum has a nifty dispenser in the kitchen that all the rolls go on. each compartment has a dowel and 3 of them have cutting edges (the paper towel dowel just looks like a regular p.t. holder), so you take the product out of the box and put it on the dowel. it is loaded with wax paper, cling film, foil, and paper towels. all neatly done, easy to use, and no slicing of fingers trying to cut the product. it attaches to the wall so you can really enjoy a good cling film wrestle. boxes are recycled as soon as the roll is taken out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-secret-about-aluminum-foil-and-plastic-film-wrap-dispensers/487002.md?page=2)