Popular Science | Using plastic wrap like this is better for your health

What’s the difference between the plastic wraps in the supermarket that “all look the same”? How to choose? How to use it to keep it fresher? In fact, there are certain things to pay attention to when using plastic wrap, let’s take a look!

The plastic wraps sold on the market can be divided into three categories according to their materials:

1. PE (polyethylene) cling film

Most of these are sold in supermarkets. This type of plastic wrap has good waterproof and breathable properties, and is especially suitable for packaging fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen foods, etc. PE cling film can be used for refrigerator preservation, but cannot be used for microwave heating.

2. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic wrap

Commonly used and sold in wholesale markets and farmers' markets. The advantages are good transparency, high viscosity and good elasticity. The disadvantage is that it has poor thermal stability and will release plasticizers that are not friendly to human health at high temperatures.

At present, this type of plastic wrap is mainly used for packaging vegetables and agricultural products at room temperature.

3. PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) plastic wrap

It has the characteristics of good freshness preservation, strong and easy to attach, and can prevent water evaporation. It is mainly used for packaging and preservation of meat, cooked food, ham and other foods.

Do these three things to reheat food safely

It is best to use glass, ceramic or microwave-safe containers when heating food. If you really need to cover the container with plastic wrap, you should pay attention to the following points:

1. Cling film that is not marked as suitable for microwave ovens must not be used for heating in microwave ovens.

Different brands of high-temperature plastic wrap have different maximum heat-resistant temperatures. When heating food in a microwave oven, you should try to choose a plastic wrap with higher heat resistance, but the heating time should not be too long.

2. Use a toothpick to poke a few small holes in the plastic wrap.

Before heating food, you can use toothpicks to poke a few small holes in the plastic wrap to facilitate the evaporation of water vapor. Otherwise, it is easy to cause the plastic wrap to burst due to gas expansion, and even cause danger.

3. Do not touch food directly.

In fact, whether it is used for heating or not, it is recommended to use plastic wrap with a deeper container and keep the plastic wrap at least two centimeters away from the food to avoid direct contact with the food itself.

Especially oily foods can easily cause the plastic wrap to break and stick to the food after heating.

Pay attention to the following points when using plastic wrap at room temperature:

1. Do not cover freshly cooked hot dishes with plastic wrap. Because covering hot vegetables with plastic wrap will not only fail to preserve the vitamin C in the vegetables, but will accelerate its loss. You can choose heat-resistant glass or porcelain plates to cover hot dishes and rice.

2. No matter what kind of plastic wrap is made, it should not be in direct contact with alcoholic foods, and it should not be wrapped in oily cooked food, meat and other foods for a long time.

3. PVDC cling film can provide an ideal preservation time because of its good moisturizing properties. It can be used to wrap fresh fruits and vegetables, but it is recommended not to exceed 12 hours.