Do you get frustrated wrapping up food with plastic wrap?
- Plastic wrap is an invention that is generally used to cover food objects and keep them airtight, or to bundle loose items.
- ‘Plastic wrap’ is also known as ‘Glad wrap’, ‘cling film’, ‘Saran wrap’, ‘cling wrap’ and ‘food wrap’.
- Typically, plastic wrap is rolled around a cylinder that is purchased in a box, that generally features an attached, toothed metal bar for cutting.
- Plastic wrap was originally made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which is notoriously hard to recycle and its toxicity has been questionable, however low density polyethylene (LDPE) is becoming more common, and manufacturers have been continually improving their products to create totally non-toxic food wraps.
- Plastic wrap is commonly used to cover plates, bowls or other dishes, especially leftovers, to protect and seal the food they contain, often for storage in the refrigerator.
- The accidental invention of plastic wrap in 1933 is attributed to Ralph Wiley from Dow Chemical, and the substance was originally used by the military as a spray on planes and other vehicles, to protect them from rust and other deterioration.
- Plastic wrap usually sticks to itself, and it also generally adheres to smooth surfaces, making it a flexible system for sealing all sorts of items of varying shapes and sizes; and wrap with similar qualities is used to bind items as small as a rolled newspaper, or as a large as a pallet-load of goods.
- Plastic wrap was not developed as a food wrap until 1949, when it was first used in the food industry, and it was not until 1953 that it was available for home use.
- Plastic wrap boxes usually have tabs on either end of the box, that can be pushed inside the box to hold the roll in place as the wrap is pulled from the roll.
- Plastic wrap for home use usually comes in rolls that are 29 to 33 cm (11.5 to 13 inches) wide, and in varying lengths from 15 to 150 metres (16.4 to 164 yards), although much wider and longer rolls are available in the catering industry.
Bibliography:
Plastic Wrap, 2015, MadeHow, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Plastic-Wrap.html
Plastic Wrap, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_wrap
What is Plastic Wrap, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-plastic-wrap.htm
Who Invented Plastic Wrap, 2015, Who Invented It?, http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-plastic-wrap.html
