Simmering In Plastic Wrap

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Does anyone use plastic wrap in the oven? We do at my work. I'm wondering now if it's at all safe..?

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Plastic wrap, yes, to around 350; only commercial-grade, approved, for this type of use.

I think the Saran people know that if they say it's okay use their wrap for anything other than food storage, all hell will break loose. Can you imagine -- people wrapping meatballs in Saran wrap and putting them into the pot so everything is done at once?

[FabulousFoodBabe]

guys, the original question was about SIMMERING not BOILING in plastic wrap.  unfortunately my data entry addled brain can't remember the article i read recently(NYTimes mag, Saveur, Cooking Light, or on of the other cooking mags at work) about creating poached chicken rouladen in plastic wrap that the chef demonstrated and his dishwasher did at home the next day.  it basically is a version of a ballotin(sp).  what mags does the wife read?

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Yep, suzi. And I have done chicken roulades that way, in a combi set at 212 (boiling). Not with Saran Wrap, though.

[Shalmanese]

Poaching, simmering and boiling are nebulous. Most sources will tell you 160-180 degrees equals poaching, but if you stick a thermometer in the water any restaurant is using to poach eggs you're likely to read 205 (I only know this because I've done it three times -- go figure). Likewise, various sources peg simmering at 185-205, but most simmering I see in the real world involves bringing the liquid all the way up to boiling and then turning back the flame so as to maintain what is essentially a very slow boil -- we could easily be talking about nearly 212 for a lot of simmering. Boiling is 212, of course, assuming you're at sea level, but it's different in a submarine or on a mountaintop.

I imagine Saran can tolerate 212-degree water, but they're probably dishing out conservative advice because of all the variables they can't control. The biggest fear has got to be that the plastic will come in contact with the metal pot, which in some cases could be conducting a lot of energy.

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I've stuck my digital thermometer into all sorts of different liquids at all sorts of different bubbling rates and they've almost universally read 99 - 100C. Even if theres only a bubble produced every second or so, the entire pot is still at 99C, no matter where I measure it. I don't know where people are getting their other numbers from but I suspect they're wrong. 185F water is perfectly clear, no shimmering or agitation. There are wisps of steam coming off the top but thats about the only indication you get. And forget about keeping it there reliably. Even the tiniest flame on my burner was too hot to keep it there for any appreciable amount of time.