"Open Here" "Tear Here" "Push Thumb In..&quot

[maggiethecat]

Wraps in general and plastic wrap in particular. God, I hate them all.

Rick Bayless's shilling for the BK sandwich is as nothing compared to the horror Mario Batali's (who I worship as a cook as much as I do Bayless) hawking for that crappy stick-to-anything wrap he whores for. Won't cut properly, sticks only to itself and does not seal around an open container any better than the house brand plastic wrap. It's horrible.

So I thought: Ok, this new plastic wrap with the little guillotine built in will work better than the claw-tooth monster attached to all those long rectangular boxes. It doesn't. Foil generally sucks too.

Back to the future, folks: the only wrap that cuts neatly is the wax paper my mother used in the early sixties. I'm thinking that butcher paper and plastic bands are the only way to go.

I feel better now.

[Pan]

Rick Bayless's shilling for the BK sandwich is as nothing compared to the horror Mario Batali's (who I worship as a cook as much as I do Bayless) hawking for that crappy stick-to-anything wrap he whores for. Won't cut properly, sticks only to itself and does not seal around an open container any better than the house brand plastic wrap. It's horrible.

Are you gonna tell that to his face?

[bloviatrix]

And packages of pretzels or chips.  The two sides don't separate at the top.  The entire package tears open.

Have you tried to open the new foil bags of Cracker Jacks yet? They're a total pain in ass to open. Flying caramel popcorn, anyone?

Edited July 6, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[andiesenji]

And packages of pretzels or chips. The two sides don't separate at the top. The entire package tears open.

That's another reason I have several of these

letter openers from Staples

[chefs13]

I have to agree that many packaging is hard to get into. But what I found weird and this has nothing to do with food. Was the bottle of bleach I purchased the other day. Not only did it have a plastic wrapper around the lid, but once I struggled to get that off, there was one of those paper thingys under the lid that I had to peel off.

Why would they do that? Its not like people are going to consume bleach and one would have to worry about others putting something poisonous in there. Its already poisonous.

[sparrowgrass]

I think the bleach is sealed to keep the bleach from getting out, not to keep folks from putting things in.

I would hate to be loading those jugs of bleach onto the shelves and have them dripping in my store or on my customers clothes.

[lesfen]

Wraps in general and plastic wrap in particular.  God, I hate them all.

Let's start with the fact that you could lose a finger on the cardboard trying to open the box to expose the jagged blade of death. Then you get to the delightful contents... One brand sticks to almost anything, but also sticks to itself, rendering it impossible to work with. Plus if you don't align the product with the blade at the right angle, with the wind blowing from the South, it will stretch and you'll be left with this odd tail hanging off of your bowl. Another brand sticks to glass, and only glass. Don't even try it. Foil is ok, as long as you don't drop the roll and dent either of the ends. I've gotten to the point where I put almost everthing into those sliding zipper bags, just so I don't have to deal with those tubes!

[tommy]

Let's start with the fact that you could lose a finger on the cardboard trying to open the box to expose the jagged blade of death. Then you get to the delightful contents... One brand sticks to almost anything, but also sticks to itself, rendering it impossible to work with. Plus if you don't align the product with the blade at the right angle, with the wind blowing from the South, it will stretch and you'll be left with this odd tail hanging off of your bowl. Another brand sticks to glass, and only glass. Don't even try it. Foil is ok, as long as you don't drop the roll and dent either of the ends. I've gotten to the point where I put almost everthing into those sliding zipper bags, just so I don't have to deal with those tubes!

i'm with ya all the way on this one.

[KateW]

Sliding zipper bags are my new best friend (diamonds are just too expensive). Why have bag clips, plastic wrap, tin foil, etc. lying around when you can just tear into anything and dump it into a bag?

[tommy]

Sliding zipper bags are my new best friend (diamonds are just too expensive). Why have bag clips, plastic wrap, tin foil, etc. lying around when you can just tear into anything and dump it into a bag?

'zactly. you should see me flip out when i see leftovers wrapped in tin foil in the fridge. i'm like "USE THE BAGS". although i was convinced this weekend that tin foil is fine for fried chicken.

[bloviatrix]

Sliding zipper bags are my new best friend (diamonds are just too expensive). Why have bag clips, plastic wrap, tin foil, etc. lying around when you can just tear into anything and dump it into a bag?

"A kiss on the hand might be quite continental

But sliding zipper bags are a girl's best friend"

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Suzanne F]

Let's start with the fact that you could lose a finger on the cardboard trying to open the box to expose the jagged blade of death.

Not to mention that once you pass the Scylla of getting the box open, you still face the Charybdis of tearing yourself open. I can tell the future weather through the scar on my right ring finger, which I almost whacked off trying to tear off some wrap at work many years ago.

Zipper bags are good, yes, but I wish they were not completely replacing the kind for which you have to press together the two sides (you know it's closed when the color changes, or whatever the line used to be). The zip thingy prevents the bag from opening fully, and it's harder to press out ALL the air.

[jschyun]

My personal nemesis were frozen juice cans with the plastic strip around the top. You are supposed to take the plastic strip and pull it and the round top is supposed to pop off. Invariably, the plastic strip shreds off in the middle of opening it, and I have to hunt around for a can opener that eventually pops it off, but not without a lot of syrupy juice concentrate spattering around the kitchen. I don't really drink frozen juice anymore, but I do like the fact that they have less packaging than bottled juice. Easy to recycle too.

[Mulcahy]

The zip thingy prevents the bag from opening fully, and it's harder to press out ALL the air.

And when the zipper breaks (which happens with annoying frequency) you have to try to pry them open.

[Pickles]

My personal nemesis were frozen juice cans with the plastic strip around the top. You are supposed to take the plastic strip and pull it and the round top is supposed to pop off. Invariably, the plastic strip shreds off in the middle of opening it, and I have to hunt around for a can opener that eventually pops it off, but not without a lot of syrupy juice concentrate spattering around the kitchen. I don't really drink frozen juice anymore, but I do like the fact that they have less packaging than bottled juice. Easy to recycle too.

OOOH! I just thought of a good one...one that used to drive me batty. You know the (old??) cans of sardines or ham...with that BLASTED KEY that you'd thread the little strip of metal through and then turn? And the metal would BUST half way round the tin?? Or you'd get so much tin build-up on the key that it wouldn't turn anymore? Who the hell invented THAT! ARGGGH!!!

[deibu]

Bagged salad mixes. Seems like I always try to pop open the bag carefully, and the whole thing tears apart and everything ends up on the floor.

[Pickles]

Warning...Danger Will Robinson!

Diamond Crystal has new Kosher Salt packaging. There's no more metal spout thingie. Just found this out tonight. As I pushed my thumb in where it says "PUSH IN...PULL UP..." yeah....right... I soon found I was pushing much softer cardboard. And a level of salt that of course was right up to lowest level of the "V" I was pressing. Salt everywhere. Now..where's that superstition thread again...??

[srhcb]

How about the little plastic envelopes of ketchup, mayo or mustard that say "tear here"?

My friend Leo was an expert at setting these on a hard surface, aiming them just right, and then pounding hitting them with a sort of karate chop so the contents squirted out in a stream. He could hit a plate sized target ten to twelve feet away.

One trick, if you want to try this at home, is to stand off to the side of the packet when striking it, because occasionally one will "backfire".

[NeroW]

I can never, ever open a case of beer correctly. I know you guys aren't going to believe that, but it's true.

[Pickles]

Those little plastic packets of ketchup or taco sauce were used for practical jokes in college. Slit "just so" and slid under the toilet seat, they would project a fine, powerful stream from anyone plunking down just right on the toilet. And one more...butter pats hurled just right at the dining hall ceiling would *STICK* until just warmed enough...and then *PLONK" later on the heads of unsuspecting diners. Not that I DID any of this stuff now...I'm just sayin!!

[Gifted Gourmet]

OOOH! I just thought of a good one...one that used to drive me batty. You know the (old??) cans of sardines or ham...with that BLASTED KEY that you'd thread the little strip of metal through and then turn? And the metal would BUST half way round the tin?? Or you'd get so much tin build-up on the key that it wouldn't turn anymore? Who the hell invented THAT! ARGGGH!!!

Yes, yes, yes!! They don't have those any longer, thank goodness!!

[hillvalley]

I hate cereal bags. It is beyond my capability to open a bag with out tearing it to far. grrrrrrrrr

And plastic wrap. I hate the stuff.

[tommy]

and what about those cereal boxes which say 'insert finger and slide to open' - invariably mine just tear back out to the unperforated bit and I end up with a cereal box which has a tiny gap in the middle and resolutely glued ends

if only they would package cereal in zip-lock bags, as they do sliced deli meats. i've found that cereal will stay fresh for years in a zip lock.

[Pickles]

I think most foods could benefit from being packaged in Ziplock zipper-style bags. Ease of opening, and long lasting freshness. Ahhhhhhhh.... I usually dump everything into them eventually. I can't imagine life before Ziplock Bags.

[andiesenji]

and what about those cereal boxes which say 'insert finger and slide to open' - invariably mine just tear back out to the unperforated bit and I end up with a cereal box which has a tiny gap in the middle and resolutely glued ends

if only they would package cereal in zip-lock bags, as they do sliced deli meats. i've found that cereal will stay fresh for years in a zip lock.

For several years I have transferred my cereal to the ziploc bags myself. Actually, I don't like just one kind of cereal, I like a combination so I always open the cereal bags and pour the cereal into one of the jumbo ziploc freezer bags and have done since the jumbo (2 gallon) bags became available.

Since my pantry has some shelves that are the metal grid shelves, I put S-hooks on some of the shelves and I clip one of the large bindery clamps onto the top of the bag below the seam and hang them from the upper shelf.

You can imagine how much space this saves. Consider the volume of a cereal box, such as Cheerios. If you have two cups of Cheerios in the bottom of that box, 3/4 of the volume is wasted space.

I do the same thing with any dry item that comes in a box with an inner bag. If it is something that is not easily recognizable I simply cut off the part of the box that has the name and tape it onto bag.

Chips, and crackers, get the same treatment. They stay much fresher and are easier to store.

This also gives me the advantage of seeing at a glance how much I have of a particular item when I am getting ready to shop and if the supply is low I can add it to my list.