Tips from The Kitchn

The Last Thing to Do with the Small Final Piece of Your Wax Paper Roll

published Sep 28, 2022
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Sheet of wax paper on cutting board.
Credit: Sarah Crowley

As many home chefs already know, wax paper comes in handy all around the kitchen, including to prep a sticky candy-making session, protect the tops of cabinets from greasy residue, and line fridge drawers.

See, versatile wax paper is useful in so many ways that it’s pretty common to quickly run through a roll. Which brings us to all of those small remnants. Of course, we wouldn’t be Kitchn if we didn’t have a smart idea for those leftover portions of wax paper.

Credit: Sarah Crowley

Use a remnant of wax paper to cover your carton of ice cream.

During the heat of summer, you might have loaded up one too many cartons of ice cream. We can’t blame you — there are way too many irresistible choices out there! Or maybe you decided to whip up your own homemade version. Still, either way, air is an enemy of ice cream, causing your delicious stash to be engulfed in a forest of not-so-appealing ice crystals.

To keep your ice cream leftovers from getting freezer burn, just turn to your handy remnants of wax paper. It’s easy to do. The next time you have a small section of wax paper left on the roll, carefully mold it over your ice cream container and top it with the lid.

Leave a little skirt of paper hanging over the edge so you know your strawberry swirl or chocolate hazelnut praline gelato is fully insulated. This little bit of protection will create a simple barrier between the air and your ice cream, leaving you with a tasty frozen treat that’s as good as the day you first opened it.

And if you don’t regularly store wax paper in your kitchen, don’t worry. Remnants of parchment paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap have you covered, too.

How do you use those remaining small pieces of wax paper? Tell us your smart household tips in the comments below.