Tips

Six ways you probably weren’t using cling wrap

Jul 17, 2016

While cling wrap is everyone’s favourite go-to for wrapping leftovers, this multitasker does a lot more than just keep food fresh. Here are some alternate ways to use your cling wrap:

1. Keep your cut flowers fresh: Never again will you have to give someone a wilted bouquet of flowers, thanks to this freshness trick. Take a small rectangular piece of paper towel and get it slightly damp under the faucet. Place it in the middle of a small rectangular piece of cling wrap that is bigger than the damp towel. Place the bouquet on top of the rectangle of plastic wrap/damp towel and wrap the bottom of the stems with it tightly. Wrap it in colourful paper to make for a gorgeous bouquet to gift.

2. Get rid of freezer burn: If you keep ice cream or meats in the freezer around long enough for it to crystallise, keep it tasting better longer by simply pressing cling wrap across the surface, and then pop it into tupperware or its original container, forming a barrier against freezer burns from occurring.

3. Keep bananas fresh: Keep a bunch of bananas fresher for more days by covering the stem in cling wrap.

4. Ripen your fruits more quickly: On the other hand, cling wrap can help you encourage ripening too. Next time you have peaches that you can’t wait to eat, simply place them in a bowl with some avocados and cover with cling wrap.

5. Poach a perfect egg: Drape a few inches of cling wrap over a ramekin and grease with cooking spray or butter. (Make sure to push the wrap down into the ramekin a bit.) Crack an egg into the depression, gather the corners, twist and tie into a knot, then drop into simmering water. After five minutes, remove and reveal your perfectly poached egg.

6. Prevent bottles from exploding while travelling: Tired of opening your suitcase after a flight to find your toiletry bag full of shampoo spillover? Just remove the cap from the bottle, place a small square of plastic wrap over the opening, and replace the cap. Changes in air pressure during travel can expand and contract plastic bottles. The plastic wrap acts as a seal to prevent leaks.