I found a roll of cling-wrap (specifically, Saran-Wrap) in the back of a cabinet. At a guess, I think it has been there for 2-3 years. But it’s plastic…can’t go bad, right?
But, when I used it, it really did not cling very well…almost not at all. And that is on a few tries on different containers. It was still its usual film but but completely lacked the almost crazy amounts of “stickiness” I am used to.
I can’t imagine how this could happen though. There is no glue on Saran-Warp. It relies on its nature to be clingy but…it doesn’t cling.
I would venture to guess that it’s not this particular package that you’re remembering used to cling better, but just Saran Wrap in general. Saran Wrap used to be made with polyvinylidene chloride but in 2004 the formulation was changed to use polyethylene for “health and environmental” reasons. Polyethylene does not cling as well as PVDC nor is it as impermeable.
I use Freeze-Tite which is recommended by Cooks Illustrated. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it clings much better than the modern Saran Wrap formulation, and is thicker.
For years now I’ve been buying large rolls of plastic wrap intended for the food service industry, partly for convenience and partly because indeed Saran Wrap doesn’t cling worth shit. The packaging on the large rolls doesn’t indicate what it’s made of other than saying “food grade”, but it definitely clings, and it doesn’t age – my current roll is more than a decade old and the plastic still clings just fine. It does lose its cling if you try to reuse a piece many times, but fresh off the roll it clings fine, no matter how old the roll is.
Regarding health and safety, I think it’s a good idea to prevent plastic wrap from contacting hot foods regardless of its formulation. If using plastic wrap to cover a dish that’s being microwaved, I stretch it tightly and then quickly remove it when done to prevent it sinking into the food. Or else I just use a casserole dish with a glass cover instead.
Yeah, I agree with this. I don’t heat any kind of plastic in the microwave at all. Freeze-Tite works great for sealing food in the refrigerator. Before heating it I remove the plastic wrap and cover with a plate or something if I want to cover it while it heats.
Many moons ago (years) I tried reheating things in the microwave with plastic wrap on. The plastic wrap melted every time. Not sure where it went to so the food went in the garbage.
