Glad® Press'n Seal® Plastic Food Wrap - 100 Square Foot Roll

Product Information

Write the type of cake and use-by date on a large piece of aluminum foil. I write on the aluminum foil before wrapping the cake just in case the ink seeps through. It has before! Since the late 1990s, after Hunt found that mice in BPA-contaminated cages developed egg abnormalities, she and dozens of other researchers have linked the chemical to reproductive problems in rodents, including lower sperm counts and abnormal eggs. Phthalates, too, may cause reproductive problems. In 2006, when Harvard researchers studied 463 men seeking treatment at a fertility clinic, the scientists reported that men with higher levels of certain phthalates in their urine had lower sperm counts and sperm motility, as well as damage to sperm DNA, all of which affect the ability to impregnate a partner.In one of the most important human studies so far, Swan measured phthalates in 85 pregnant women in three U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Columbia, MO. In that 2005 study, women with the highest phthalate levels were most likely to give birth to sons with smaller penises, smaller testes, and "reduced ano-genital distance" (the space between the testes and the anus). In other words, these baby boys were somewhat de-masculinized, which could signal impaired semen quality and decreased fertility later on. "The results were dramatic," Swan says. "We were surprised by how strong the link was. And, based on animal studies, we're concerned about possibly serious health consequences for these boys as they get older." Early puberty That will likely change, though slowly. In 2000, the EPA established the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. But due to prolonged debate among scientists, agency officials, and industry about the best ways to set up the tests, the program has yet to evaluate a single chemical. And when the agency finally — last year — proposed a draft list of 73 chemicals for the first round of testing, neither BPA nor phthalates were on it. Pesticide chemicals, with a more established history of causing health problems, will be first. In contrast, the European Commission has already begun screening chemicals for possible endocrine effects, and has identified 320 that will be subject to additional, rigorous testing.

When it comes to keeping your food fresh and leftovers protected, it’s important to have the right tools for the job. Two popular options in the world of plastic wrap are Glad Press And Seal and Cling Wrap. Both have their merits, but which one reigns supreme? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the pros and cons of each, helping you make the best choice for all your food storage needs. So, get ready to say goodbye to soggy sandwiches and hello to airtight solutions that will keep your food fresher for longer. Or maybe just in the kitchen? The biggest worry has been over BPA and phthalates getting into food and drinks (and into toys small children chew on). Most of us aren't eager to sacrifice the ease and cleanliness of plastic. But we need more definitive answers than the authorities have been giving us. That's why the Good Housekeeping Institute undertook testing of widely available storage containers, bags, wraps, frozen-entrée trays and slow-cooker liners to see if these chemicals were, in fact, migrating into food — a kind of real-world investigation that would help moms decide just how cautious they need to be. Despite BPA's pervasiveness in nearly all of us, the actual amount found in our blood and urine is very small — perhaps equivalent to mere drops of water in a swimming pool. That's not enough to harm us, according to the FDA, which first reviewed BPA in the 1980s, and in August issued a draft report stating that exposure to the small amounts of BPA that migrate from containers into the food they hold is not dangerous.There's an additional worry: what other chemicals in plastics might be doing. "We just don't know, because the government isn't doing the proper testing to find out," says Dr. Jacob. The following items contained low levels of phthalates or PBA but the chemicals did not leach into food during microwave heating: In one study of adult men, those with higher-than-average phthalate levels tended to have a larger waist circumference and increased insulin resistance, precursors to diabetes. In a study of mice, the ones fed BPA were more likely to give birth to offspring who became obese. Neurobehavioral abnormalities

I'd be happy to stop doing all this, but until the government starts testing household plastics in ways that will tell us what's safe and what's not, I will go on being a little obsessed. There are many ways moms try to protect their families. My list just got a little longer. Risky Numbers But our highest exposure comes from our daily diet, reports the National Toxicology Program. Molecules of BPA can migrate from containers into food, especially, say experts, when the containers are heated and the foods are acidic (like tomatoes) or fatty (like gravy). That's why GH Institute used those two food types for its tests — plus, these items are commonly heated in a microwave. Just as a mom might prepare her family's dinner in her kitchen, GHRI scientists, working with chemists at an independent lab, heated samples of Old World Style Ragú Traditional Smooth Pasta Sauce and Heinz Home Style Gravy Savory Beef in the microwave in two different widely available storage containers and in glass bowls covered with a commonly used plastic wrap. Glad Press and Seal’s heat resistance not only makes it safe to use in the microwave and oven but also allows for cooking and steaming food. Its ability to create a tight seal helps preserve moisture and flavor during the cooking process. However, it is important to note that while Glad Press and Seal is suitable for cooking, it is recommended to follow safety guidelines and not exceed the maximum heat resistance limit. Cling Wrap, on the other hand, may not have the same level of suitability for cooking, as it may melt or release harmful substances when exposed to high temperatures. For cooking purposes, Glad Press and Seal offers a safer and more reliable choice. Lawmakers have jumped into action, too. California, Washington State, and Vermont, for example, have limited the allowable amount of phthalates in children's products, and Congress added a partial phthalate ban to its new consumer-protection law, passed in August. But while legislators have been scurrying to pass protective laws, the federal agencies entrusted with overseeing our health have been slow to respond — and maddeningly vague when they do. When ready to thaw: Transfer the wrapped cakes from the freezer to the refrigerator one day before decorating/serving. Take them out of the freezer container to thaw, but leave them wrapped in Press & Seal/aluminum foil. The cakes take at least 8 hours to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Make sure you’re thawing the cakes while they’re still in the wrapping. Condensation forms as foods thaw. This way the condensation will form on the wrapping, not the cake.

Materials

Bake and completely cool a cake/cake layers. These step-by-step photos show round cakes, but you can freeze square, rectangle, Bundt cakes, etc. See my 10 best Cake Baking Tips for best practices on baking and cooling cakes. Why these? In pretesting, low levels of BPA had turned up in the two containers — Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids and Rubbermaid Premier. One plastic wrap, Glad Press 'n Seal, had tested positive for low levels of both phthalates and BPA. (A fourth item, Glad Storage Gallon Zipper Bags, was found to contain low levels of BPA, but was eliminated from food testing since it's unlikely that anyone would use the bags for heating liquid foods like pasta sauce or gravy.) For a real-life test, we microwaved Old World Style Ragú Traditional Smooth Pasta Sauce and Heinz Home Style Gravy Savory Beef in the two Rubbermaid containers and in a glass bowl covered with Press'n Seal. As you're unlikely to heat up tomato sauce or gravy in a plastic bag, we eliminated the Glad Storage Zipper Bags from this part of the testing. The lab first evaluated the foods straight from the jars to ensure that there were no phthalates or BPA present in the sauces before they were transferred to the test containers. In addition to testing foods heated in brand-new containers, we used ones that we had put through 30 rounds of microwaving and cleaning in the dishwasher, to see if wear and tear made a difference. Clearly good news: None of the samples of sauce or gravy had detectable levels of either BPA or phthalates. Products tested that contained no phthalates or BPA: This new understanding turns the "dose makes the poison" logic on its head, suggesting that even tiny levels can cause damage if exposure happens at a particularly sensitive time during development, such as when a fetus's brain or sex organs are forming in the womb. "There are critical windows of vulnerability," says Maida Galvez, M.D., a pediatrician with the Mount Sinai Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit in New York City. "It can be a question of when in addition to how much." Or, as some scientists now put it, "the timing makes the poison," says Andrea Gore, Ph.D., who studies hormone disruptors at the University of Texas at Austin.