The greatest thing since sliced bread?

[joeekaitis]

 

Well, if it's bread-related, I nominate the switch from cellophane to the plastic bag with its wire tie or small plastic closure device. 

 

 

When you open cellophane, it starts to tear along the initial cut.  Since you can't close it back up, you had to put the rest of the loaf in an air-tight container like a Tupperware or Rubbermaid keeper. 

 

Cellophane is still used to package most store-brand dinner napkins.  You can recognize it by its thinness and texture along with the wrinkly heat seal at both ends of the wrapper.

 

 

Your nominations, world!

 

[ea56]

I’m old enough to remember when sliced bread was packaged and sold in wax paper wrappers, before cellophane, which was an improvement over the wax paper. Some of the kids that I went to school with even used to have their lunch box sandwiches wrapped in the wax paper bread wrappers sometimes if their mother had happened to run out of wax paper.

In about 1958 or so wax paper sandwich bags appeared which were an improvement over plain old wax paper for lunchbox sandwiches. It wasn’t until about ‘61 or so that plastic sandwich bags came on the scene.

Yes I would have to agree with you Joe that plastic bread bags are a great improvement over cellophane bags, and they’ve been around for decades now. I guess bread wrapping has reached it’s zenith.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/27/2024-13:22]

 

[qsd-dan]

Thanks for the history lesson, Eddie. It's interesting to learn how things were done before my time. I only remember my mother using wax paper in very rare instances when I was a kid. She had the same roll for nearly 4 decades.

 

[petek]

the things you forget come back. I do remember those wax papery sandwich bags before Glad sandwich bags became a thing.

 

[ea56]

I still always have wax paper on hand and use it all the time. I personally think that it’s better for wrapping sandwiches because if you wrap them properly the sandwich holds together better because it’s a closer, tighter wrap. A sandwich wrapped in a Baggie has all kinds of room to toss around in and come apart before it’s lunch time or picnic time.

Before I retired I packed lunch for both of us every work night for the next day while I was preparing dinner. I used to eat my lunch in the car and the unfolded wax paper covered my lap so I didn’t get crumbs and condiments all over myself. People at work used to ask me why I never went out to lunch? I would tell them that I came to work to make money, not spend it! Economizations like this is how we were able to pay off our mortgage in 15 years instead of 30 and enter retirement debt free.

I hope that they never stop making wax paper.

Eddie

 

[circlew]

I rarely use wax paper; sometimes I have lined the bottom of a cake pan with it.

Baggies - I remember the first time I ever saw them. It was when I was in first grade, and we were having a Christmas party at school. The night before, my friend Fred's mother brought over some cookies to give my mom - who was one of the room mothers that year - to take the next day. She had put them in Baggies. My mom had never used them, but liked the idea, so bought a box. I've not bought that brand for a long time, as I've been buying Ziploc for several years.

 

[qsd-dan]

"People at work used to ask me why I never went out to lunch? I would tell them that I came to work to make money, not spend it!"

Same here. We had a very elaborate cafeteria at work that was catered daily Mon-Fri. Never once ate there in the 15 years I was employed.

 

[combo52]

Wax paper instead of plastic

I still use wax paper regularly. It’s much more biodegradable than plastic. In fact sometimes I’ll throw water wax paper down the disposer cause it gets ground up and turned into fertilizer.

I also often use it to line tins. I just made peanut brittle the other week and use it to line the cans that I packaged the peanut brittle in to give away.

 

[tolivac]

Bad idea to put paper products in a disposer-can cause clogs further down the line-the large roto-rooter truck maybe needed to clear the clog-paper items GO INTO THE TRASH!.Let the compactor trash truck handle the paper.Also this rule applies if you have a septic tank.The paper waste decomposes too slowly for the septic tanks.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Wax paper is perfect for covering food when reheating in the microwave oven.

 

[whatsername]

I use parchment paper from the big box of individual squares. It's the exact same size as the toaster oven baking sheet and makes cleanup a breeze. Had to google and apparently it's a different thing from wax paper which is not heat resistant while parchment paper is.

 

[ea56]

Two more great uses for wax paper are:

1. Lining the bottoms of layer cake pans, just fold a square of wax paper in half, then in half again into a triangle and then once more into a triangle, turn the pan over and place the point of the triangle in the center of the pan and then mark the edge of the pan on the wider end of the triangle and cut it off at that mark, unfold and voila you have a circle the same size as the inside of the cake pan. Now lightly spray or grease the inside of the pan, lay the wax paper circle in the bottom and then grease and flour or spray the sides of the pan and wax paper. After the cake has baked and cooled the layer will slide right out of the pan when you invert it. No more cake stuck to the bottom of the pan or breaking up while you’re trying to remove it because it stuck to the pan,

2. When shredding cheese or anything else that you will be adding to something you’re preparing shred it on a piece of wax paper. You save having to wash a plate or bowl or having to wipe off the counter. If you are shredding cheese that you’ll be using later on just fold the wax paper to encase the cheese and put it into the fridge then when ready to use the cheese all you have to do is open up the wax paper and toss the cheese into the pan, bowl or onto the cooked food and throw away the wax paper. No more mess to clean up. This works great when making tacos, burritos or anything that calls for shredded cheese.

Wax paper is less expensive than parchment paper and can be used for lower heat cooking, but not to line cookie sheets or bread pans, but for cakes it is fine because the uncooked batter keeps it from getting too hot and possibly burning.

Eddie

 

[circlew]

Eddie, that's exactly how I do it for round cake pans. I always do it when making a German Chocolate Cake - I just peel the wax paper off each layer. I also used it with rectangular and square pans when I want to remove the cake from the pan.

 

[johnb300m]

#9

Uhhm, what????
That's how you get melted wax on your food.
But you do you boo.
Better than melted plastic in food i guess...

 

[ea56]

Re:#13

When you cover a container of food with wax paper and then microwave it the wax stays on the wax paper, it doesn’t drip onto the food. It’s perfectly safe, unlike covering food to be nuked with plastic wrap. Wax paper is by far the safer choice.

Eddie

 

[combo52]

Covering food for the microwave, etc.

I would never use plastic or wax paper for that purpose. It’s so easy just to cover food with another dish, no trash to throw away nothing to buy, I guess that’s the advantage of using the dishwasher. There’s nothing to wash either.

I do use wax paper for a few things, but never anything that involves heat as I don’t really want to eat the wax although it’s probably not that harmful.

John

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Wax paper in the microwave?

Try it, you'll like it.

Reheating leftovers covered with waxed paper in the microwave is the #1 use of waxed paper in my kitchen.

I save the expensive parchment paper for the cookies. Sure makes cleaning the cookie sheets easier. (Hell no, cookie sheets don't go in the dishwasher!)

 

[ea56]

Hell no, cookie sheets don't go in the dishwasher!)

I completely agree with you on this Ken. Putting a good quality cookie sheet in the DW is a great way to ruin it.

Eddie

 

[combo52]

Cookie sheets in the dishwasher

I can’t imagine how stainless steel cookie sheets would be hurt by the dishwasher, yes, I would not put aluminum or plain steel ones in of course.

These stainless steel cookie sheets were actually made by my brother Phil as a shop project when he was in high school, they should last forever and they work great.