Bite of the Best

What it is: Plastic wrap that sticks to most anything How it comes: 40-, 70/75- or 140-square feet rolls Where it is: In food storage aisle of supermarkets, mass merchandisers and at Amazon.com Who it's for: Anyone whose current plastic wrap doesn't stick as well as they'd like it to Suggested retail price: $2.17, $3.28, $5.25 Nutrition notes: NA Category: Kitchen Counter, Drawer & More

Bonnie: I first tried Press‘n Seal when testing it for consideration in Parade’s March “Live Longer, Better, Wiser™” issue a few years ago. It was love at first press.

Seriously. As a doubting Taylor (Thomas is just too masculine) I didn’t think this plastic wrap would actually stick to paper, Styrofoam or wood. But it did…and still does.

I raved about it to a friend, who of course wanted me to bring her a box the next time I visited her in Brussels, Belgium. That box is still above her stove, not because she doesn’t like it, but because she does. She’s hoarding it as she doesn’t want to run out.

It’s a quirk of hers that I discovered when visiting my friend in South America just after her son was born in the early ‘70s. She had moved there after her wedding, but yearned for foods from home. I know I brought a food-filled suitcase, but what I most recall is lugging a carry-on with good crusty New York bread, pickled herring, green spearmint leaves (a soft chewy candy) and M&Ms. Lots of M&Ms.

I remember toting the pickled herring quite clearly: My food-safety hat kicked in as I boarded the plane. Since I had no cold pack to keep it chilled, I approached the stewardess (this was before they were “flight attendants”) and asked if it were possible to keep the fish-in-cream-sauce on ice for me.

“Sure,” she said, as she took the container away from me to nestle it in the ice in the galley, “Not a problem.”

Later, as the pilot announced we’d be landing, I thought it prudent to claim the fish before the “deplaning” rush.

The stewardess had a strange look on her face as she handed me the container, now devoid of liquid. It seems something had punctured the plastic container and all the cream sauce dripped into the ice bucket she’d used for passenger’s drinks.

“Odd,” she laughed, “but no one complained about having cream sauce in the drinks.”

Back to hoarding.

One afternoon while visiting and in the mood for something chocolaty, I scoured my friend’s kitchen to find the M&Ms I had lugged but they were nowhere to be found. Not in the pantry. Not in the closets. Or drawers. Not in the kitchen at all.

When I asked about them, she gave me her classic smirk — flat smile, no teeth showing — and explained she was saving them (aka hoarding).

She still does this, as our eccentricities exaggerate as we get older.

Note to self: Bring her another box of Glad Press’n Seal next visit. M&Ms, too.

Upcoming Contest News: Beginning in April, you’ll have a chance to win a case of Press’n Seal Wrap. Be sure to check back and complete the entry form in the Marketplace.

Bryan: I was pondering what to write about this product for a while before coming up with the following: It really works. I had seen ads on TV for the Press‘n Seal Wrap, but hadn’t bought it yet. I wasn’t averse to the idea, but have a pretty good Tupperware collection that keeps most of my leftovers fresh. This all changed when I recently got a shipment of fresh meats, far too much to eat in four sittings, let alone one. Freezer, here you come. But I had a problem. My freezer was stuffed and wouldn’t come close to accepting a collection of bulky containers. My solution: Press ‘n Seal, a recent arrival at my doorstep. I deftly maneuvered the film around steaks and even rib roasts as it sealed to itself, creating a great barrier to freezer burn. I then had to go on and experiment; I sealed a bowl of noodles, a container of peas and even a glass of water and held them over my girlfriend’s head (my coup de grace).

I do sometimes fall into food comfort zones from which I don’t stray. I wasn’t happy with plastic wrap and sandwich bags, but had become used to their consistent, sloppy performance. I’m not going to lie; I probably wouldn’t have run out to buy Press‘n Seal. But hey, I write a food blog and people send things to me. I tried it, I love it, I’m sooo over plastic wrap. Press‘n Seal is the food-saving industry’s Blu-ray (which recently overcame HD-DVD, DVD, & VHS to trump all video formats); so if you’re not buying GLAD Press’n Seal, you’re buying the plastic equivalent of BetaMax. I try lots of things so you don’t have to suffer the duds. This one is a true winner.

Eric: In my opinion, this is one of those products that can be thrown into the everlasting debate of “What was the greatest invention of the 20th century?” All right, some people may seem a little confused by a comparison between a simple plastic film and, for example, the airplane or the computer, but let’s be honest: How often have you struggled to save leftover food without the convenience of Tupperware? We’ve all encountered the aggravation that ensues from having to clean up the mess with traditional plastic wraps. And no matter who you are, you’ve most likely spilled the leftovers all over the floor while pouring through the fridge for a late night snack. What GLAD has done with Press’n Seal is to redefine what it means to be plastic wrap.

I foresee it within the same context as the Band-Aid:
Band-Aid® is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson for its brand of adhesive bandage, a product the company originated to cover small wounds. However, much of the consuming public in the U.S, India, Canada, Brazil and Australia now use the term band-aid generically to refer to adhesive bandages from any manufacturer.

What amazes me is the durability of the product. Not only is it re-usable, but it can even cover a container with a seal that will keep soup from leaking after being dropped out of a fridge (this theory has been accidentally tested). Simple as it seems, this is plastic wrap.