Never Waste Plastic Wrap Again With These 2 Easy Tricks

We’ve all had a bad plastic wrap moment. All you want to do is cover your leftovers, but the plastic wrap gets stuck to itself and shrivels into a small wad of plastic. Based on how well our TikTok on how to use Saran Wrap performed, we’re going to go out on a limb and assume you’re probably using plastic wrap wrong. Luckily, we have a couple of tricks to solve any aversion to plastic wrap you may have developed.

First, we start with a large roll of plastic wrap, which is typically used in professional kitchens. The small roll you probably have in your kitchen will work, but is more ideal for small containers and not large bowls. (Pro tip: get your next roll from Costco if you want to wrap bigger bowls.) You’ll want to keep the plastic wrap close to you and whatever you’re wrapping. Now, watch our video and read about our two methods for properly using plastic wrap.

Hotel Wrap

The first is referred to as the hotel wrap, which involves wrapping the entire container in plastic wrap—not just the top. Roll out a large sheet of plastic wrap (without cutting it!) and lay it flat on the countertop. Place the bowl or container in the center and pull the end over half of the container’s top. Pull out a little more wrap from the roll, cut it, and than place it over the rest of the container to completely seal it.

We recommend using this technique for food that needs to stay fresh for a few days because it’s fully wrapped with a tight seal.

Stretch & Seal Wrap

Our second method requires less plastic wrap because it doesn’t fully encase the container or bowl. It still gets an air-tight seal by stretching the plastic wrap tightly over the container, but it’s more ideal for wrapping food that doesn’t need to be stored for long.

Start by placing the container close to the roll of plastic wrap. Pull out the wrap and place it over the top of the container. Cut the plastic wrap and stretch it tightly over the container so it’s tight and pull the wrap over the edges. The tension creates an air-tight seal and a sturdy top that can hold other items stacks on top of it—we’re all for saving room in the refrigerator.