Equipment Review
In this equipment review, the editors at Cook’s Country sought out a stress-free plastic wrap, often finding the product difficult to use. After putting eight different wraps through eight different tests, freeze-tite and stretch-tite emerged at the top of their class. Rated high in the categories of cling, seal, durability and ease-of-use, the products ranked #1 and #2 respectively.
See the full product review here.
Equipment Review
The star of the show was the stretch-tite Wrap’n Snap 7500 Dispenser ($22.00), which performed the best in every test. It’s cleverly concealed blade gave us a clean cut every time, the loading mechanism was smooth and tangle-free, we could pull plastic wrap forward without the dispenser falling over, and its height—it stands tallest of the bunch—made it easier to wrap bowls. In sum, it was easier and faster to use than the box of wrap you buy at the supermarket.
Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Episode: Cooking for Jeffrey
Ina’s Professional Kitchen
- All-Clad cookware
- 10- and 12-inch All-Clad saute pans
- 10- to 20-quart stockpot
- Le Creuset Dutch ovens
- Food mill
- Kitchen Aid 4.5-quart electric mixer
- Cuisinart Pro Custom II food processor
- Good knives and knife block
- Kitchen scale
- Oven-to-table beking dishes
- Mini food chopper
- Set of glass mixing bowls
- Electric juicer
- Knife sharpener
- French rolling pin
- stretch-tite plastic wrap
Ina Garten Cookbook: Make it Ahead
10 Tips for Safely Storing Food
- Check sell-by dates on all fresh food, such as milk and yogurt, to be sure you use them before they spoil.
- Put proteins, such as meat and fish, on the bottom shelves of the fridge so they don’t accidentally drip onto things like fruit or cheese that you might be eating without cooking. Place a plate or tray under the packages to catch drips.
- Most meat, except ground meat, lasts for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. Ground meats should be used within a day or two.
- Cool cooked food almost to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing. Storing hot food will raise the temperature of the refrigerator and compromise the other food.
- Test your refrigerator with a thermometer to be sure it stays between 38 and 42 degrees and the freezer stays below 0 degrees.
- Plastic wrap stretches best on the diagonal when you’re wrapping dishes or food. I use stretch-tite plastic wrap, which is available in grocery stores and at Amazon.com.
- Wrap dishes of food both over and under the dish to create a tight seal.
- Air is the enemy of food stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Push excess air out of plastic storage bags and store refrigerated food in properly sized bowls or containers.
- Don’t stack containers or dishes in the fridge so the food cools quickly. 10. Most cooked food can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week, except fish, which should only be stored for a day or two.
Tight and Tidy
We were thrilled to bits when we found stretch-tite plastic food wrap on the shelves. It’s strong, stretchy and really clings well to bowls and plates, metal or glass.
Cheri Swoboda
The Oregonian
Equipment Review
Many brands of plastic wrap clutter supermarket aisles these days. Are they all created equal? We bought five to find out. Stretch-Tite, Saran Premium, and Glad Press’n Seal all survived a microwave test and kept guacamole from turning brown for 72 hours. The real differences came when we tried using these wraps to cover bowls made of glass, metal and plastic. The glad Press’n Seal stuck to all three – but only if the bowls were perfectly dry. A glass bowl kept in a refrigerator for a few minutes gathered enough condensation to render the Press’n Seal useless. We consider this a fatal flaw. The other four wraps performed equally well when used on metal or on glass. Plastic was another story. None of the wraps could cling to the plastic bowl. In every case we had to wind extra wrap around the first sheet. This is where stretch-tite, the stickiest of all the wraps tested, really shines. Stretch-Tite is not as readily available as Saran or Glad products, but mail-ordering big 500-square-foot rolls is an option. Also look for these rolls at warehouse clubs.
Garth Clingingsmith
Cooks Illustrated
Tight Stuff
For some, finding love happens quickly, for others it takes years of patience and playing the field. Plastic wraps aren’t much different. In fact, they may be harder to pin down than even true love. Some claim never to disappoint you, but their strength and reliability aren’t quite there. Most either cling only to themselves or to nothing at all. If you haven’t found love yet, HERE IT IS: stretch-tite® , made by Polyvinyl Films, a family business based in Sutton. The company has been making wraps since 1954 for institutions, wholesale clubs, and discount stores. Now stretch-tite® is in supermarkets, too ($4 to $4.50 for 250 feet). It seals to all types of materials (even plastic) with a super cling, but is still easy to handle. It also goes into the microwave or freezer, though for longer freezing or wrapping silver to prevent tarnishing, try the thicker freeze-tite®.
Jill Santopietro
The Boston Globe
Building a Better Plastic Wrap
Holiday entertaining means lots of leftovers, so stocking up on sturdy plastic wrap is a good idea. Stretch-Tite, which is not sold in supermarkets, is heavier and stretchier than most brands, and 12 inches wide. It comes in a 500-square-foot roll with an efficient dispenser and cutter on the box. At $7.50 it is cheaper than some supermarket brands, which can cost more than $4 for 200 square feet. The company, Polyvinyl Films, in Sutton, Mass., also makes freeze-tite, 15 inches wide and sold in 250-square-foot rolls, which is heavier still and self-sealing, also $7.50. Shipping is extra from stretchtite.com.
Florence Fabricant
Food Stuffs Published
November 21, 2007
