Wrapping sandwiches greenishly

April 24, 2008 12:25 PM

Seeking instructions on how to wrap and secure a flat sandwich in waxed paper.

I'd like to wrap my (square, flat) sandwiches in waxed paper and secure them closed without using tape (to cut down on waste). Does anyone know a way to wrap up a sandwich thusly? The idea I think is to fold it so that you have an extra triangular flap and a place to tuck it into. (If anyone knows how to do this, I'm guessing that it will probably be difficult to explain, but I'm willing to wade through detailed instructions if you're willing to post them.)

posted by dreamphone to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

If you really want to cut down on waste, get a re-usable sandwich wrapper like this one.
posted by dersins at 12:31 PM on April 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

Per my dear and long gone Mother - pin it with a toothpick, worked in 1957. [Pre-baggie]
posted by Freedomboy at 12:32 PM on April 24, 2008

Why not use, and re-use, a paperclip?
posted by Kickstart70 at 12:35 PM on April 24, 2008

Best answer: Definitely go with something reusable. If you really want to use wax paper, though, fold it like an envelope: sandwich in the center, with enough on all sides to fold in and fully cover. Fold the sides in, fold the bottom up (this makes a pocket), fold the corners of the top so it'll tuck into the pocket, then fold it down and tuck it in. Still uses too much paper, though.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:40 PM on April 24, 2008

For fancy folds, search for Origami envelope patterns (for example: PDF, HTML).

...although I, personally, would use a more generic fold (kinda like you'd fold a burrito) and then a toothpick.
posted by aramaic at 12:43 PM on April 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

This seems kind of interesting. Reusable, too!
posted by LN at 12:45 PM on April 24, 2008

Whoops. Dersins beat me to it.
posted by LN at 12:47 PM on April 24, 2008

Cut it in half to make two rectangles, and stack them. That way there's less surface area and it's easier to wrap them securely. Wrap and secure with reusable elastic bands. And if you're my grandparents, make the bands out of cut-up rubber gloves for that extra bit of recycling.
posted by Lebannen at 12:55 PM on April 24, 2008

Mm, I just tried this out with a piece of paper and a pack of post-its. But like the others said above, this requires a ton of paper (a regular 8.5x11" is a bit too short to wrap a 3x3" stack of post-its, for example).

Link

Thanks for the entertainment while I'm at work though. :D
posted by reebear at 12:56 PM on April 24, 2008

This is somewhat off the topic of your question, but my mom used to buy wax paper bags for my lunch sandwiches. I assume she bought them at the grocery store or co-op.
posted by Squeak Attack at 1:01 PM on April 24, 2008

String was used in the many years that paper existed before tape.
posted by 517 at 1:22 PM on April 24, 2008

Best answer: dreamphone: Tear off a sheet of wax paper approximately 2 1/2 to 3 times the width of the sandwich (as reebear noted, this is larger than an 8 1/2x11 sheet. Apologies to Earth First). Pull the two ends up over the center of the sandwich. Make successive folds, about 1" each, until the sandwich is snugly wrapped, with a thick "seam" of the multiple folds running along one axis (should take two to four successive folds). Fold the "raw" ends of the paper into triangles (like wrapping a gift) and turn under the sandwich. Pull one taut toward the center, tuck the other into the fold you have made. No tape necessary. My kids used to consider this magic.

Everyone else-- just answer the question.
posted by nax at 3:43 PM on April 24, 2008 [2 favorites]

Best answer: how to make a bindle scale up the square of paper to sandwich size.
posted by hortense at 4:55 PM on April 24, 2008