Q. In an attempt to save money I want to start making my lunch at home to take with me to work. There is a microwave at the office so it should be easy enough to heat things up. I want to make wraps to take with me but they fall apart in a plastic container by the time I get there and paper towels get wet and tear and just generally aren’t a good way to transport the food. I was wondering if I can use wax paper instead, that way they will stay in one piece instead of becoming a messy heap. Will I be able to put them straight into the microwave inside the wax paper or will it melt all over my lunch?
A. Most wax paper is designed to work in the microwave so just check the label to ensure that your lunch stays safe. The wax is actually a very thin coating of paraffin on each side which makes it non-stick and moisture resistant. Since it’s a small amount of wax and you will only be heating your food for a short time, it will be perfectly fine and you won’t have a waxy wrap. As wax paper is largely unaffected by microwaves, it will not heat enough to melt or burst into flames under normal usage. Plastic wrapping is actually less stable as it has a lower melting temperature and of course, we all know not to use aluminum in the microwave, right? Therefore, wax paper is probably the best thing for the job.
Wax paper can also be used as a covering for dishes to prevent food splatters or even underneath items to avoid having to clean up messy spillages. In order to get it to stay in place as a dish covering, crumple it up a little first so that it can be shaped to fit more easily.
Since it’s so versatile, wax paper is great to have in the kitchen, however, it is not ideal for use in a conventional oven for baking as it can smoke. To be on the safe side, read the instructions on the packet before use.