Did anyone else know this? I sure didn't...

[Clarkafella]

Saw this on another forum and thought that it was worth sharing. Being that this is Chowhound, I suppose that most on here already knew this, but maybe I'm not the only dummy!

Quote:
"I've been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember.
Great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are
in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and
the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the
box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.
Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out
an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at
the end of the box. And written on the end it said, "Press here to lock
end". Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in
place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked
at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked
at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can't count the number of
times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover
something up."

[iL Divo]

you know what? I am amused. great visual and funny stuff.

[njmarshall55]

Form follows function.

[NonnieMuss]

I've known that since I was a kid. I'm not trying to sound superior, but it just goes to show - it's funny the stuff you've always just known, and the stuff you have to learn along the way.

To prove that I'm not superior, I will add that until my early 20's I thought prosciutto was a kind of cheese. I even left it out of a recipe once because it already had so much cheese that I didn't think the 4 ounces required would change the dish much.

[WNYamateur]

Even Lynne Rossetto Kasper admitted on The Splendid Table a year or so ago that she'd never known it.

[JerryMe]

A local chef was being interviewed by our paper a few years back and was asked the question "Is there anything new in the cooking industry?" and he (chef) came back with "I'm sure there is as I just found out about the tabs you can push in to hold your roll of aluminum foil". I immediately went and pulled out my aluminum and verified that yes indeed, not only do chefs have that option but I do too as well!

The Saran Wrap opening on the other hand - my box is a battered shadow of itself, from simply trying to get it open.

[Bill Hunt]

Years ago, I bought a box/roll of plastic wrap from Costco - enough to last a family of two for maybe three decades. OK, it has a cutter, and not just a serrated edge, but a cutter. It has worked well for us for... well at least two decades. Still works well.

Hunt

[pine time]

Not sure I will last another 3 decades, but I'm going to CostCo today, and I may add plastic wrap to my list, just for the challenge of seeing how long it'll last!

[pamf]

I have a box of plastic wrap from Costco (3,000 sq ft) that has celebrated it's 10th birthday. I do go through the foil much more quickly.

[Bill Hunt]

Never thought of having a party/celebration, but ours is similar.

Hunt

[alkapal]

wha? you never heard of the "plastic anniversary"? i think it is typically year 3.5.

[ItalianNana]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I almost had DH convinced a few years ago that the "modern" 39th anniversary gift was an IPad.

[Bill Hunt]

I just checked my Hallmark Anniversary Chart, and 3.5 was "diamonds and platinum... " "Plastic?"

Hunt

[pine time]

Mr. Pine--engineering computer geek that he is--often writes the date of acquisition on packaging, even mundane things like laundry detergent and Breathe Rights. I can just see him, doing a happy dance, that the plastic wrap is celebrating its decade birthday. Maybe I won't buy the CostCo box after all.

[iL Divo]

driving baby's back home now but when we return to our home, I'm checking my ultra huge-o box for stats regarding square footage :-)

[Bill Hunt]

If you bought the same Costco roll, as I did, many years ago, it should be something like 10K Sq. Yards... After having used it for years, I still think that I could wrap the Empire State Building, and have enough left to last my family of two, for another dozen years.

Hunt

[iL Divo]

to Hunt:
I bought my "6 billion feet" of plastic wrap in that industrial box at the "Wildlife Thrift Store" on Granville Street in Vancouver BC (about 3ish years ago). I couldn't resist the size of it...and didn't.
I've hardly made a dent~
Eugene Cernan and I are going to take it to the moon and back and we'll still have leftover... :)
as you can see by the broken down edge it was probably decades old when I bought it-sure looks like it ;:-/

[Bill Hunt]

Yes, there ARE some "industrial sizes" of such items. At Costco, one has to buy an entire pallet of such a product, so they have enough to give to everyone, that they have ever known, and then have enough left over to completely wrap every pyramid in Egypt, and then South/Central America, and have some left over.

Maybe, sometime around 2050, the members of my estate, will finally run out - but only if they wrap most of the known world.

Hunt

[pamf]

I write the date on pantry items too. Like dried herbs and spices, baking soda, etc.

I didn't date the plastic wrap, but I know that I got a new Costco membership in 2002, and I acquired the plastic wrap soon after.

We haven't yet formally celebrated the occasion, so this weekend we will make sure to open a bottle and drink a toast.

[Bill Hunt]

IIRC, ours was purchased in Denver, so that would be about 1996, or so. We have barely scratched its surface. I am guessing that any heirs to my estate, will use it until 2150, give or take.

Hunt

[iL Divo]

I bought my "6 zillion feet" of plastic wrap in that industrial box like I think I've seen Ina Garten use a time or two at the Wildlife Thrift Store in Vancouver BC about 3ish years ago. I couldn't resist the size of how much cling wrap that ultra huge-o box held plus couldn't pass up price of $4. every single time I use that wrap I'm literally thankful with my smiling face. no pokey holes though :(

[jeanmarieok]

I am on year 3 of the big box of plastic wrap from Costco. It's getting near the end, though. The big Cosco foil goes faster for us - but I am pretty sure it is also less 'feet'.

[iL Divo]

funny about Costco.
a lady that worked there bought me a device for storing 4 rolls. wooden and you hung it on the wall. it had its own medal ripper thingie so the boxes get tossed when
you run out. it's actually pretty dumb but I still use it for foil parchment waxed and paper towels.

[Jay F]

I buy the 18" wide size at a restaurant supply store. Nothing grates me more about home cooking than civilian clingfilm. I replace the roll every ten years.

[Emme]

i get mine from restaurant depot. i can't imagine not having a cutter. (also the real industrial strength wrap... )

[alkapal]

how can we civilians get that restaurant stuff?

[NonnieMuss]

You can get it at Sam's or GFS - they should have heavier-duty stuff than you'll find at a grocery. Even the regular strength stuff stretches and clings much better. I've had mine about 3 years so far and I've barely made a dent in it.

[iL Divo]

I've not dented mine either.
it's not ultra strong though, or maybe it is, not really sure. one thing I do know is Saran was MUCH different in yesteryear.
so incredibly much better then... > stronger > felt different > looked different > smelled different too, nope not kiddin.

[rockandroller1]

I knew it! But to be honest, I only figured it out about 3 years ago.

[sueatmo]

Great tip! Thanks

[pine time]

Another vote for slap-me-silly-never-knew-this. Went to my drawerful of rolled products, and I found that 90% of them had the tabs. Had fun punching 'em all in!

[ItalianNana]

DITTO!

I can hardly believe it. I'm going to ask everyone I know!

[iL Divo]

we'll be poking at our kids' house in a hour. they'll wonder what hit 'em :)

[DuffyH]

I'm so jealous! My Reynolds non-stick won't punch. Reynolds parchment paper and Cut-Rite wax paper have no tabs, nor does Glad Press n Seal.

I feel so left out! Waaa! :(

[law_doc89]

Learn from this that you should always read the directions.

[Will Owen]

Who the heck reads directions on his wax paper/plastic wrap/aluminum foil box? I think to most of us that's like reading the instructions on your Wheaties box about how to eat it. Or on a bottle of dish detergent. We can't believe there's anything about those products we should know that we don't. Well, this old guy just found out how wrong you can be on that.

[law_doc89]

And so, how much wrap have you wasted over the years?

Did you know that more than half of all products returned to stores as defective are fine, the purchaser didn't read the directions and then blamed the product.

If you read what is on your cereal box, you might not eat it.

[iL Divo]

"If you read what is on your cereal box, you might not eat it."

prob correct there

[iL Divo]

oh why bother with that? I don't have time to read 'con'structions :D

[DuffyH]

In this house they're called "destructions" :)

[Querencia]

THANK YOU.

[Kholvaitar]

Check out the "Wraptastic Dispenser"--

https://www.buywraptastic.com/default...

[wayne keyser]

I buy foil in sheets from a restaurant supply store. I get huge rolls of plastic wrap there too. The grocery-store prices for teeny boxes are usurious.

[iL Divo]

"usurious"

that had to be the word of the day one day-had to look it up- didn't know what it meant but knew I "like" it.

see I learned 2 things via this thread (clapping hands) :-)

[Stillwater Girl]

I got this tip in an email forward at work a few weeks ago! The first thing I did when I got home that day was pull out my saran wrap to look. I don't even think I set my car keys down before looking. I've told a few friends and my mom about this one and they were both amazed that they had never noticed that.

[CindyJ]

See... you learn something new every day -- at least, I do!

[nofunlatte]

I can't believe I didn't know this (and now I can't wait to tell my friends!)

BTW, my waxed paper DID come with the locking tabs (Marsh brand, a midwestern store brand).

[scuzzo]

THANK YOU!!!! Can't believe I've never seen it either! You rock.

[juliewong]

Holy Cow! you learn something new everyday - that is amazing.. Just goes to show that you can look at something a hundred times and never really see it.

[hellpaso]

i am stunned!!! just went to check. locks on the foil, press & seal, and on the store brand parchment paper. none on the storebrand wax paper. thank you for telling us about this!! maybe it's always been this way, i surely never noticed.

[iL Divo]

"h"ellpaso- now that's funny. hahahahaha
and O SO TRUE

[Afternoon Tea]

What a coincidence; found the push-in tabs a couple of days prior!!!! Had the same reaction as others, "how come I didn't know that," but maybe I did, but just forgot. Also the trick of storing saranwrap in the freezer; it does unwrap easier.

[meatn3]

Thank you! I too had no idea...just goes to show what happens when we think we are familiar with a product!

[Cheflambo]

Well, yes indeed.,... this is surely my spitball of wisdom for the day. I, too, went to the kitchen to check this out and found it on both my Reynolds Wrap and Glad Wrap. But how far in are you supposed to push those tabs? I tries this on the aluminum foil and the roll still comes out of the box.

[BobB]

Yeah, I knew about these. But as my wife likes to tell me, I'm a noticer, I'm always pointing things out to her that she just looked right past.

[iL Divo]

you go BobB

[Catskillgirl]

I can't believe I never noticed this. Thank you so much! It should save me lots of frustration in the future.

Who knew, indeed???

[flourgirl]

Great tip! I had no idea! I also checked my parchment and wax paper rolls and sure enough no locking tabs.

[Linda VH]

WELL DANG!!! Who knew indeed! Thanks (I got up and went and looked too lol)

[iL Divo]

ah huh! no tabs? so it's not every maker than or brand or roll product

[Cheese Boy]

Here's another neat feature a lot of people don't know about on boxes of aluminum foil. It's the locking feature(s) that keep the box lid shut instead of flapping uncontrollably all over the place. Located an inch or so directly beneath the "blade" on the box, there are just two perforations that need to be undone. Undo them carefully otherwise they won't work well. After those perforations are both *carefully* loosened and pulled *slightly* outward, you will have created two locking "tabs". Close the boxtop and secure the boxtop edge inside both of them. You'll see that the box's lid stays shut effortlessly.

[iL Divo]

O M Goddness ! 2 features for the price of one. this is truly for several of us a learning day to remember. :-)

[valerie]

Another one who just went to look and sure enough, I "locked" my Reynolds foil. I didn't want to pull the foil out and waste it, so now I'm curious to see if it really stay in place.

Thanks for the tip!

And separately, not sure if this really works since I don't actually do it, but a friend's mother swears that keeping Saran wrap in the freezer makes it easier to handle.

[enbell]

Pretty sure I got up halfway through your paragraph, went to stab the sides of my box, then returned to finish reading the rest of your post and the following comments. Oh, and on my way back to my computer I shook my head in shame ;) In case there is another ah-ha moment to be had, is there a 'right way' to tear saran wrap? I never seem to tear a nice smoothe sheet. It usually clumps or only tears part way.

[Cheese Boy]

The best way to tear Saran wrap is to unroll the amount you need, and then close the lid tight onto the top of the box. Your Saran wrap will be right up against the side of the box, right up against the serrated edge ready for cutting. Hold the box tightly shut (the Saran wrap will have adhered to that adhesive strip thingy under the serrated flap -- you'll see it has once you open the box up again), and just tear the Saran wrap in an upward swift motion for a clean cut. This will work every time as long as you keep the box flap *tightly* shut as you tear and you keep the serrated edge facing *away* from you.

[jfood]

it's been around to jfood's knowledge at least 12 months. His BIL turned him on to it.

Here's another AHA moment. Jfood buys the Kirkland plastic wrap (the one in the yellow-blue box). Last month when he bought it, the box had a new addition, one of the two-sided cutters. Now jfood pulls on the wrap (it stays out on the strip nicely as well) and then slides the dingey-thingey across the wrap and zip, it's cut. No more serrated edge to cut his finger and no more pulling the roll out and try to find the "start".

[kobetobiko]

I have known this for a few years, so this is definitely not new.

[PotatoHouse]

Thank you, I didn't want to sound like a know-it-all because I've known about those for years, although I never think to use them.

[thew]

i second and third the holy crap!!!!

how long have those been there?

[berkleybabe]

Jeez Louise, I had no idea of this..forever! So here's my question. Why don't they just lock it at the factory?

[Liz K]

Wow, new to me!

[hannaone]

You made me look also.
Reynolds foil - Press here to lock tabs.
Kirkland Plastic wrap has the lock but doesn't say anything, just perforated cardboard on each end.

[Fuser]

How about that (shaking head in amazement) ... My parchment and wax papers, however, don't have the handy dandy little locks.

[caviar_and_chitlins]

O.M.G. I also can't believe that I've never seen this before, so off to the pantry I went. I found what Fuser found- they are on the foil and plastic, but not the parchment or wax papers.

That, my friend, is an excellent tip. Thank you.

[diablo]

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! I had absolutely no idea...thanks for the tip, Clarkafella.

[thecountryrose]

OMG!!! I just had to go look to and on my Kroger brand of plastic wrap, it does say it on the front of the box about the lock tabs. I also had to just waste a piece of wrap and it does work. Mine just has push in tabs out of the same cardboard that the box is, so there is no way that you can "lock" the tabs to tight. The lock is just cardboard.

[kobetobiko]

I have known this and used it, but it only worked sometime. The "lock" sometimes will lock the roll too tight and prevent the foils / wrap from rolling out. You can't lock it too tight but then the roll may end up coming out from the box.

[dolores]

Clarakafella -- you made us look!

Kirkland doesn't have it on either the wrap or the foil.

Interesting idea, thanks for the tip.

[Clarkafella]

They have them on my plastic wrap and my aluminum foil (both Kroger brands). On the foil, no mention is made about the tabs- which leads me to believe that they have been on the boxes for so long that they figure that everyone already knows about 'em!

You might want to examine the box ends closely- these things are hard to see if they aren't marked!

[melpy]

Really? I thought it was a universal thing! I never new for years but found out probably 5-6 years ago.

[Miss Needle]

You are definitely correct about that, kobe. After reading this thread, I decided to lock my roll in and couldn't get the foil to come out. I think I'm going to stick to my old ways -- I never had a problem with it before. If it ain't broke ...

[roze]

Holy crap. How have I missed that my entire life.

[gryphonskeeper]

Rose, I looked and found it too, showed it to my mother, who then had this blank stare on her face.... and said "All this time" ......... why did they never show this on a commercial?