Things about Bees Ⅶ —— Beeswax cloth
After dinner, do you habitually tear off a piece or two of plastic wrap to preserve the rest of the meal?
The convenient and cheap plastic cling film does make food preservation easy and effortless; however, when it cannot be reused, every piece of cling film is torn off, which increases the burden of an extra piece of land. Besides plastic wrap, is there any other more land-friendly way to preserve it?
The "beeswax cloth" from North America is such a "natural plastic wrap". The beeswax cloth made of cotton cloth, jojoba oil, resin and natural beeswax can not only be reused, but also can be returned to the land directly as compost. Unlike disposable plastic wraps, beeswax cloth not only preserves food, but also preserves the beauty of our land!
Natural Beeswax Cloths!
In North America and Australia, "beeswax cloth" is a method of preserving food in many families. Like plastic cling film, it can be used to wrap dishes, wrap food, and freeze in the refrigerator, but the difference is that it can be reused as long as the beeswax cloth is properly cleaned. Natural material, after long-term use, beeswax cloth can also become "compost" and return to the land, greatly reducing the burden on the environment. In recent years, with the rising awareness of environmental protection, beeswax cloth has been widely loved by people in Europe and the United States, and has gradually replaced plastic cling film, setting off another wave of sustainability in the kitchen.
In fact, the use of beeswax cloth is very easy to use. Because the material of beeswax is malleable, it will also change its softness and hardness with the temperature. You only need to soften the cloth with the "palm temperature", and you don't need to dip it in water or apply anything, and you can press it down along the edge of the bowl. , Store leftovers and fruits easily. If it is directly wrapped, the beeswax cloth will also stick to each other due to softening, and become a beautiful outer packaging for sandwiches, biscuits, and bread, and you can take it out directly! (This is completely incomparable to the beauty of plastic cling film~) In addition, because the beeswax cloth is taken from nature, it is like a natural fruit peel. While isolating the air, the food can enjoy "natural breathing" at the same time. Compared with plastic cling film Airtight, the beeswax cloth can maintain the freshness of the ingredients!
Many people may be curious: "It's so natural, won't it be moldy or rotten?" And this is where the beeswax cloth is powerful, because beeswax itself has "antibacterial properties", as long as it is properly cleaned and air-dried, put it on Store it in a drawer so you don't have to worry about it getting moldy and rotten. The suggestion for cleaning is to use a neutral or natural detergent for cleaning. If it is light food or dry ingredients, you can pat it lightly or rinse it with clean water! But special attention is that because beeswax will melt at high temperature, so beeswax cloth should be kept away from ovens, microwave ovens, dishwashers and other heat sources (this is actually the same as plastic wrap), but in the refrigerator it will be affected by temperature. Drop and harden, but as long as you take it out and put it at room temperature, it will quickly soften and return to the original state!
Want DIY
a beeswax cloth?
Looking at it, do you want to try this "natural plastic wrap"? In fact, there are many brands selling beeswax cloth on the market, but homemade is actually very simple. Today I will tell you how to make it. If you want a piece of natural beeswax cloth, you might as well try it at home!
Prepare materials:
- Cotton cloth (using organic cotton is more friendly to the land~)
- Natural beeswax block (the melting point of beeswax is relatively low, so it is enough to heat the equipment to about 70 degrees!)
Prepare equipment:
<Method 1> Iron + ironing paper（熨烫纸） or parchment paper（防油纸)
<Method 2> Induction cooker（电磁炉） + pan + natural hair brush
Production method:
<method one>
- Cut the cotton cloth into the required size and shape, and trim the edges
- Plane beeswax into filaments or cut into small pieces
- Spread a piece of ironing paper on a flat place suitable for ironing, arrange the cotton on it, then evenly sprinkle the beeswax crumbs, and finally cover with another piece of ironing paper
- Heat the iron to about 70 degrees, start ironing, and spread the beeswax evenly to the entire cotton cloth
- Remove the upper layer of ironing paper, and take the beeswax cloth from the corner, hang it to dry, wait for the beeswax to cool down and it's done!
<Method 2> It is recommended to wear heat-resistant gloves to be safer!
- Cut the cotton cloth into the required size and shape, and trim the edges
- Plane beeswax into filaments or cut into small pieces
- Put the baking tray on the induction cooker, put a cotton cloth, and evenly sprinkle the beeswax crumbs
- Heat the induction cooker to about 70 degrees, and evenly brush the melted beeswax onto the entire cotton cloth with a brush
- Pick up the beeswax cloth from the corner, hang it to dry, wait for the beeswax to cool down and it's done!
Vegetarian option! Vegan Wraps
Although the use of beeswax cloth greatly reduces the damage to the environment, as the environment and climate change, bees are actually facing various crises in survival and there are fewer and fewer bees. Therefore, in addition to cherishing each piece of beeswax cloth, the "tree wax" The finished "tree wax cloth" can be another option. "Candelilla wax", also known as "candelilla wax", is a tree wax that is more commonly used and grows in Central and South America. Therefore, in the United States, some brands have launched fresh-keeping cloths that use tree wax instead of beeswax, not only reducing the use of beeswax , but also meet the special needs of "vegetarians". Because the materials are difficult to obtain, there is currently no Taiwan-owned brand of "Tree Wax Cloth". à nolla is specially from Wrappa Wraps, an Australian agent tree wax cloth brand, to provide a new sustainable choice for vegetarian kitchens.
Although plastic wrap is convenient, it is constantly accumulating damage to the environment. In fact, sustainable living is not as difficult as we imagined. This is never a change of lifestyle, but a choice. Start today, or start from our home Starting from the kitchen, say goodbye to disposable plastic wrap, and start the sustainable revolution with beeswax cloth!
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additional method from "good housekeeping"
