Sandwich Wrapper: Paper or Plastic?

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Sandwich wrapping is not as easy as most people think. First, you have to chose a wrapping material that will best seal the sandwich's freshness for at least 5 hours. Nobody likes a soggy and damp sandwich. Next, you have to fold the wrapper origami style for better presentation. (This post is dedicated to Teacher J. Her nanny cannot wrap a sandwich without using tape and it's driving her crazy.)

Paper or Plastic

While we need air to live, our sandwiches do not. Air accelerates food degradation so keeping air out of the wrapper or container will help your sandwich stay fresh longer.

Tissue Paper: This is the wrapper of my youth. ("Scottie, strong even when wet." -- Was it Scottie?) The sandwich is usually wrapped with orangey-checkered tissue paper then placed inside a white sandwich bag.

I do not recommend using tissue paper. By recess time, my sandwich was already soggy and the tissue sticks to the bread. Taking it off was like peeling out a super sticky price tag, you don't get it all out. I know how tissue tastes like.

Wax Paper: This is what C's sandwiches are wrapped with. Her mom makes her a sandwich in the morning so she'll have something to eat for lunch. But does she eat it during lunch time? Of course not! She has it for dinner. Thanks to the wax paper, her sandwich is still fresh after more than 8 hours.

Wax papers are definitely better than tissue papers. However, as Teacher J knows, folding it can be quite a challenge.

Plastic Wrap: This is the wrapper of the pros. Most canteens and cafeterias wrap their sandwiches with plastic wrap. We don't know long those sandwiches have been on the display counter but they're still pretty fresh after we buy them so they must be doing something right.

Plastic wraps provide a sealed environment for the sandwich, keeping it fresh longer. Also, it's clear so you don't have to open the wrapper to know what's inside. "Ham nga!"

Click the link for a guide on effective sandwich wrapping -- How to Wrap a Sandwich.

How do you wrap your sandwiches?

18 comments:

Ibyang said...

i use aluminum foil. keeps the sandwich fresh and easy to fold. and i even write a little reminder on it for the husband sometimes :)

Mrs. G said...

@Ibayang - Aluminum foil is a good option.

I don't use foil for sandwiches though. Traumatic incident when I was a kid -- I accidentally bit the foil while I was eating a burrito. MAJOR OUCHIE!!! :)

Reshma said...

I use a cloth napkin to wrap my sandwiches in...they stay soft and fresh..more environment friendly too!!

Unknown said...

Hi sis! Time to show ur "current" photo - http://reejane.blogspot.com/2008/12/shot-on-spot.html :)

Yeo KeeHui said...

Nice post. So much skill in Sandwich wrapping which I've taken for granted. Thanks.

Denise said...

i wrap my sandwich on a tissue paper. :( true enough, it's already wet and soggy by lunch.

i learned a thing or two in sandwich wrapping when I worked in a famous fastfood chain. ;)

Enchie said...

I prefer tissue paper then cover it with plastic.So far,I haven't experienced my sandwiches go saggy. Especially on long road trips. On the safe side, I think tissue paper is the one. It will not leave any harmful residue that the naked eye can't see. Madikit man ang tissue, madaling tanggalin.

bluecrystaldude said...

Hi there, thank you so much for being my November top Entrecard dropper! I appreciate it very much :)

P/S: Since this is not related to your post content, you may delete this comment afterward. Thanks again!

Homemom3 said...

plastic bags here or those sandwich boxes (plastic) I hate wrapping in paper as it always stuck. That jelly can get tricky.

Laura said...

Ziploc bags for me! :)

Mrs. G said...

@Ibyang, Reshma, Homemom and Laura - Thanks for the tips! I'll be posting a Part 2 post on sandwich wrapping.

@Denise - Post a tutorial! I always wondered how the pros in Subway did it.

Ibyang said...

@Mrs G: You're welcome. Since you'v mentioned about your experience when you were a kid, maybe it is not advisable to wrap foil for kid's sandwiches.

yun lang pow! see yah at plurklandia :)

Heidi said...

Can't wait for the second part of your sandwich wrapping post. BTW, I use paper towels in wrapping mine and hubby's sandwiches (when we do have sandwich for "baon") and then place them in ziploc sandwich bags.

P.S. Thanks for being one of my top droppers for November! :)

Mai da Paypay said...

mrs g - i don't like using throwaway stuff for Pogiji's baon na sandwiches because they become garbage after, kawawa the environment! what I do is I put his sandwiches in LockLock containers (although the most recent LockLock containers are not made in Japan na -- made in China na...ack!) or Biokip (made in Korea naman) to maintain their freshness. The containers are not as cheap as sandwich wraps but in the long run, they are since they are reusable. And they don't harm the environment too! :-)

wax paper give sandwiches an aftertaste that I don't like :-)

Mai da Paypay said...

*gives sandwiches, not give...anovayan. haha!

Denise said...

It's me again Mrs.G...sori can't give a tutorial on the sandwich wrapping. I didn't work in Subway, so I really don't know how they do it.

In the fastfood chain I worked with, we do not tuck it. We just simply wrap it, except for the Big Mac. I always likec how we wrap the big mac sandwich. That's what I do with sandwiches at home. It's so easy though. You are a better sandwich wrapper than I am. lol.

Denise said...

By the way Mrs.G, care to exlink? I like your blog a lot. I'm adding you to my list of favorites. ;)

celeste said...

Hello. I use the microwaveable containers the rectangle one for the sandwiches. Less expensive than lock and lock. :o) thanks for your post.

 
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