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Tame Unruly Cling Wrap with These Plastic Whispering Tips

Raw hamburger patties wrapped in plastic on a tray.

The biggest problem with plastic wrap is also its most useful trait: its incredibly clingy nature. Plastic wrap seems to stick to itself or you before you can get it over the plate, bowl, or food you're trying to preserve. And once you do manage to get it in the right position, it never sticks as well as you need it to.

Plastic food wrap packaging for Kirkland Stretch-Tite.

The Frugal Feeding Frenzy

Fortunately, you can combat these inconveniences with two extremely helpful methods—a change in temperature or a bit of added moisture—as Jenny Stewart of CHOW explains in the video below.

Tip #1: Keep It Cool

Plastic wrap will behave and roll properly if it's kept in the refrigerator or freezer. So instead of stuffing it in a drawer or hiding it on top of your fridge, place it inside one of these two cold zones and it'll be much easier to control and stick to your dishes.

Glad Cling Wrap box inside a refrigerator.

(Also, make sure you're utilizing the hidden tabs on your plastic wrap dispenser to make it even easier to unroll)

Tip #2: Wet Your Fingers

To make sure the wrap adheres well to the plate or bowl you're wrapping, wet your fingertips, then lightly brush water onto the surface you'll be using.

This added moisture will make the plastic wrap stick much better. Just be sure that you're using this trick with a glass or ceramic surface: plastic, metal, or paper surfaces will not work, no matter how wet you get the edges! (In those cases, you may want to use aluminum foil instead.)

Be Smart—Don't Get Stuck

These two extremely helpful tips should make your life a lot easier in the kitchen when trying to preserve leftovers (or keep smelly foods from taking over your fridge). If you want to give yourself an even better chance of wrap success, use Glad Cling Wrap, which was tested and verified by Cook's Illustrated to be the best plastic wrap available commercially.

Do you have any additional tips for working with plastic wrap? Let us know in the comments.

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Cover image via Travis Nep Smith/Flickr

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