What Are beeswax wraps?
Beeswax wraps are usually made from a piece of 100% cotton fabric and it is covered / impregnated with food grade Beeswax. The Beeswax makes the fabric water resistant.
And, Beeswax has antibacterial properties helping keep things clean and reducing risks of contamination which makes it perfect for making food wraps.
I find the ones that work best also have jojoba oil and pine resin. The Jojoba oil adds a suppleness to the wax so it doesn’t crack. While the pine resin helps to create just the right amount of stickiness.
You can buy them ready made or if you’re feeling creative you can make your ow
What can you use Beeswax wraps for?
Beeswax wraps are perfect for wrapping or covering lots of food to keep it fresh and make the perfect replacement for single use Cling Film.
The Beeswax wraps will allow your food to breath while keeping it fresh. You can use them to wrap or cover cheese, fruit, vegetables, bread, homemade cakes and biscuits, fruit, rising dough and more.
They’re also great for wrapping sandwiches in or fold to make a snack pouch. You can even use them to wrap your soap bar when you go away.
However, it’s not recommended to use them with raw meat or fish as they can’t be washed at a high temperature.
How to use your beeswax wraps
You can wrap your food directly in the beeswax wrap or you can use the wrap to cover a container with food in it.
The best way to ensure you create a good seal when covering your food is to sue the warmth of your hands to mould the wax wrap.
cleaning and storing
Wash your wraps after use in cool water with a natural dish soap. Air dry, roll or fold to store out of direct sunlight and away from any heat source (you don’t want you wraps melting!).
how to refresh your wraps
After a while, your wraps may become less ‘sticky’ or just look a little tired. But don’t discard them just yet as it’s easy to revive them and prolong their useful life.
You can revive them by putting them in the oven, on baking parchment, for a couple of minutes on the lowest temperature.
Or you can iron between parchment. This re-melts the wax.
Either way once the wax is melted wave the wraps around a little to dry, they will dry very quickly. If the wax is looking a bit sparse you can also sprinkle some extra grated wax onto them before heating.
how long will beeswax wraps last?
Used daily and refreshed every few months they should last about 8-12 months or even longer.
How to dispose of your wraps
Once your wraps have finally come to the end of their useful life you can either cut them up and pop them in the compost or use as firelighters if you have a fire.
beeswax wraps do's and don'ts
And, finally a quick list of Do’s and Don’ts for your Beeswax Wraps.
- Do use in place of Cling Film or plastic sandwich bags
- Do be creative on how you use them
- Do refresh your wraps to prolong their life
- Do wash in cool water
- Do compost them or use as firelighters when you’ve finished with them
- Don’t wash in hot water
- Don’t use near heat and flames
- Don’t use in the microwave or put in the dishwasher
- Don’t use on raw meat or fish
This guide also applies to Soy Wax Wraps. Although Soy Wax doesn’t have antibacterial properties like Beeswax, Jojoba oil contains antimicrobial and antifungal properties and pine Resin has antibacterial properties.
