Actually, these transparent films are great. With their excellent adhesive effect, they wrap around all sorts of things in the household – preferably food. This keeps food fresh for longer and makes it look more appealing. If only they weren't so difficult to handle. First, there is the annoyance of the packaging to deal with and the infamous "beginning" of every piece of cling film. It doesn't just stick super well to plates, cups, and cans, but also to itself. Which, of course, leads to the next problem: the film is often very difficult to separate, and once you have torn off a decent piece, it even tends to stick to itself.
Cling film comes off more easily
Freezer helps
When once again the Plastic wrap is sticking to the rest of the roll, simply place it in the freezer for a few minutes. Afterwards, the film will come off more easily!
More tips for perfect unrolling
Once you have cleared the first hurdle – finding the beginning of the cling film after unpacking it – the next problem arises: how can I continue to use the cling film without having a nervous breakdown every time?
- Besides the tip of storing the film in the fridge, you can alternatively pin or tape the cling film packaging in a suitable place. This method leaves both hands free, instead of holding the packaging with one hand to untangle the film with the other.
- However, the best thing is a proper cutting dispenser. Here you can store the cling film – as shown in the picture above – simply alongside aluminum foil and paper towels. Special blades ensure a smooth separation of the film and a clean cut edge.
Small tip: Cling film should not be reused indiscriminately. If the piece removed has been used for food once, this film should subsequently be disposed of. Attention: Risk of bacteria and salmonella!
Finding the beginning of the cling film
Wrap a piece of adhesive tape around your finger with the sticky side facing out and feel along the roll with it. This way, you can find the beginning quickly and can also unroll the film very well.
Why does cling film stick at all?
To ensure the cling film adheres optimally, no glue is used, because strictly speaking, cling film does not stick, but adheres due to adhesion. This occurs when two smooth surfaces meet. The cleaner and smoother the respective surface, the better the film adheres. Thus, one can observe that cling film sticks better to glass surfaces or porcelain than to metal or plastic surfaces.
What is cling film?
Cling films are actually nothing more than melted and thinly rolled polyethylene (PE for short) – essentially a plastic pulp that is pressed into a breath and rolled up to result in cling film. The film thickness is (depending on the manufacturer and brand) approximately 10 micrometers or 0.01 millimeters. A human hair, on the other hand, is about five times as thick. Besides the plastic, the film also contains some additives, so-called plasticizers, which make the cling film more supple and softer. The rule seems to apply here: the thinner the film, the better it can be torn off in one piece.
According to some secret tips in numerous help forums, especially the expensive, well-known films seem to keep their promise and can be peeled off without problems every time. Here, a self-test would naturally have to show one's own experiences.
The fact is: whether expensive or cheap – as a rule, all films fulfill their purpose. Namely: to seal food airtight so that it does not dry out and the aroma is preserved. Whether manufacturers will ever succeed in creating the unique, perfect cling film that can also be peeled off without effort? That remains to be seen.
Read also:Â Storing and reheating spinach?
Photo by Janine, meinhaushalt.at
