BTW, if you’re really bothered by how poorly the plastic wrap comes out of the box, you can buy dispensers with a better cutting mechanism on Amazon or in a store like Bed, Bath and Beyond.
I think the frustration stems, like a lot of other things, from the fact that we had a product that worked perfectly well and then it was taken from us.
However the more scientifically inclined among us have pointed out that there was good reason for this.
The Glad Cling Wrap that I use sticks very well to glass and smooth glazed ceramic, but not well to plastic.
Something to do with the surface energies involved, I suspect.
I use the same stuff as @wolfpup. It’s huge, but it’s the best stuff out there. I get it at Costco. Or any restaurant supply store has it too. I used to do some professional baking and food product testing from home, so it was a good excuse to buy it. My ex-husband and I used to joke that someday we’d leave it to our kids in our will. After ~15 years, I recently ran out and got a new one. Great stuff!
Just because it’s still online.
Ulli’s Roy Orbison In Clingfilm Website
Hello, and welcome to my homepage. My name is Ulrich Haarbürste and I like to write stories about Roy Orbison being wrapped up in cling-film. If you have written any stories about Roy being completely wrapped in clingfilm please send them to me and I may put them up on the site. If you have a site with stories about other pop stars being wrapped in cling-film mail me and we can exchange links.
The reason most plastic wrap doesn’t stick as well these days is because it is made of low density polyethylene (LDPE), not PVC. LDPE doesn’t stick as well, but it also doesn’t have the health and safety concerns as PVC.
Saran Wrap changed its formula in 2004 from PVC to LDPE. Everyone remembering that it used to stick better is absolutely right.
You can still find PVC plastic wrap, which is probably the stuff wolfpup is saying works better for him. Just be aware that there is a reason manufacturers have been switching. I wouldn’t be putting the PVC wrap in the microwave.
You left out the best part:
Apologies, I have ceased answering mail personally
because of weirdos.
The USDA says it’s safe to use PVC film in the microwave if the package is labeled “microwave-safe”. They also suggest not having it touch the food while microwaving it.
Are there any wraps made with PVC that are labeled microwave-safe? I’ve only seen that label on LDPE.
I’m pretty sure the issue with PVC and PVDC in microwaves is with the plasticizers, not any chlorinated decomposition products. Which are an issue for incineration, albeit not due to chlorine gas, as already corrected. Discussion of chemical weapons is about as useful here as in a discussion of public swimming pools or municipal water sanitation.
It may well be the reason. I was looking at the box today to remind myself how big the roll was (2500 feet!) and noticed that it had a little slogan, “Best cling of any plastic wrap”, so it’s very likely the PVDC formula.
But I like it. I did say that I rarely use it in the microwave, but on further thought, actually I do, but almost always tightly wrapped around a casserole dish (hey, this stuff clings!) to keep the moisture in when microwaving frozen veggies, for instance. I can’t imagine there’s any hazard when it’s far away from the food.
I have on occasion wrapped a dinner dish with leftovers and microwaved that, where it was definitely touching all the food. Probably not the greatest idea, but it hasn’t killed me yet! Definitely not something I recommend or do often.
Yes, mine is.
As an aside…
My late wife was a sucker for people calling from “The Association of Future French Police Officers” or other charities. She usually bought a box of light bulbs or some window cleaner or something similar. The product would be dropped off and they would pick up a check she left in an envelope at the door. The products were always inferior versions.
One day she bought some plastic wrap. I think it was $20, which was a pretty large sum, but the caller assured her that it was a big “commercial” roll. It was indeed a big, anonymous roll in a plain box with a pretty durable cutter. It actually worked pretty well and survived microwaves without a problem. As for the size of the roll…we used it on a regular basis for NINE years before we finally reached the end. It was astonishing. We called it the “magic wrap.”
That says “use in microwave”. It does not say “microwave safe”. Just sayin’.
I find that Glad Wrap is tolerable, tho I often add a rubber band around the rim.
Same difference. It doesn’t have to specifically say that exact phrase.
I realize this is a zombie, but I thought folks would be interested in this aspect of Saran Wrap. It was the only common food wrap that blocked oxygen. When Saran Wrap went away, food storage took a hit. Besides the cling thing.
Zombie? It’s two days old.
Now I really feel old.
The dread discourse ambiguous date format strikes again. You think you’re replying to a post from 2019, but …
Oops. Sorry about that! 
yeah, I still can’t read the discourse dates.
Eventually I will get used to it so that they can change the conventions. I know they are just waiting on me to settle in to the new normal so they can mess with my life. It always happens.
I have something called Saran Supreme that is labelled “microwave safe” and works quite well, if not as good as HandiWrap used to. The product clin\gs tightly to glass and ceramic and that’s good enough.
Box says that the product “contains no chlorine” and the ingredient list is a marvel: “Plastic, cling compound”