Plastic wrap is a kitchen essential, usually used to store leftovers. But it’s a little known fact that plastic wrap has other practical uses that will surprise you!
- Controlled ripening
Fruit rarely does what you want it to do. If you like soft, sweet bananas, for example, you’ll have to wait forever for them to ripen. Conversely, if you hate mushy bananas, they may be ripening too fast for you. This is because fruits such as bananas, apples and cantaloupes emit an ethylene gas that speeds up ripening and also ripens the fruits around them.
To prevent your entire fruit bowl from ripening too quickly because of one banana diet, wrap the offending fruit in plastic wrap. For example, if you wrap the stems of bananas with plastic wrap, you can slow down the ripening process! On the other hand, if you have a fruit that needs to ripen quickly, place it in a bowl with a fruit that releases ethylene gas and cover it with plastic wrap to trap the gas and speed up the process.
- Uncork the wine
We’ve all been there. You have a beautiful bottle of wine, ready to be consumed… and your wine has gone off because it was corked. What are you going to do about it? Fear not, plastic wrap has been found to eliminate Trichloroanisole (also known as “cork taint” – it won’t hurt you but it will make your wine taste disgusting) that spoils the taste of wine. Simply put a plastic wrap in the bottom of a wine pitcher and swirl it around. The plastic wrap will absorb the chemicals and you can enjoy a fresh tasting wine!
- Cut it up
Pies look ten times better with those pretty decorative pastry cutouts on top. But these cutouts are hard to make without rough, uneven lines. These don’t look very pretty. Take a piece of plastic wrap, lay it loosely over your cold dough (make sure it’s cold or the dough will stick to the wrap) and press gently with a cutter. You’ll get nice smooth lines with which to decorate your dessert!
- Prevent freezer burn
There’s nothing worse than walking into the freezer to enjoy a bowl of ice cream and finding it covered in freezer burn. It’s disgusting. If you store your ice cream long enough to crystallize this way, simply apply plastic wrap to the surface of your treat and store it as usual. The plastic creates a barrier against the cold, allowing the ice cream to stay fresh and tasty longer.
- Poach a perfect egg
I’ll be the first to say it: poaching eggs is hard. Mine never come out looking as good as they do in cooking magazines. If you want a beautiful, well-contained poached egg, use plastic wrap. Place the plastic wrap in a ramekin, grease it with cooking spray or butter, press the egg into the wrap and twist the sides to seal the egg inside. Then simply dip the wrapped egg into boiling water and remove it five minutes later to enjoy a perfectly poached egg.
- Keep shampoos from leaking
Ever open your suitcase after a trip only to find that all your toiletries are covered in leaking shampoo or conditioner? Say goodbye to sticky makeup with this plastic wrap tip. Place a square of plastic wrap over the opening of your products before you put the cap on, creating a barrier that will keep everything under control during your trip.
