Twist-ties

[megafiddle]

Is there a standard for the direction of wrapping a twist-tie on a package of bread?

Every package I have ever seen has them wrapped counterclockwise to seal the package.
This is very confusing for a mechanic, where counterclockwise would normally be a direction
to open the package.

So is there a different standard fot the non-mechanical folk?

I have a theory - right handed people (which are a majority), have a natural tendanty to turn
things clockwise. So opening a bread package would use the natural tendancy as that is the
first thing one usually does with a package of bread.

Once open, the bread consumer will use whatever is natural.

-

 

[Stumbo]

... counterclockwise would normally be a direction to open the package.

Me too!

 

[Downunderwonder]

My theory is there is super nifty original patented twist tying machine company like the YKK zipper co. The evil mastermind must have been a lefty and condemns us righties to confusion every time we untie a bag of bread or a new power lead for our new TV fresh from factory.

 

[megafiddle]

And i just realized my theory has a flaw. If the natural tendancy is to turn things clockwise,
then the twist-tie installers would turn them clockwise. In my cynical view, bread
manufacturers would go with whatevers easiest for production, not what was easiest
for consumers.

-

 

[line6man]

In North America, the Coriolis Effect causes bread ties to twist themselves counterclockwise. It's simple physics.

 

[Relic]

Pffff, I only open bread once. After that, I just hold up the bag, spin it so that the open end is twisted tightly then I put the bread back onto the counter with the twisted end underneath. Drives my wife nuts.

twist ties....bah! I laugh at your silly twist ties!!

 

[96tbird]

Relic has it.

But yeah, as far as bread goes, I'm all about the righty loosey, lefty tighty.

PS: M fiddle, you'd be best to stay away from vintage Fender tuners. They'll make your head explode.

 

[Staccato]

Get the twist tie off. Take out some bread. (Some cos. put it on backwards!)
Now, righty tighty to seal the bag.

96tbird, you are going to confuse someone.

 

[MatticusMania]

I throw the twist ties out and close my bread (and other food stuffs packaging) with binder clips.

 

[blastoff99]

Husband of blastoff simply wraps the twist-tie around a couple of times without twisting it. This allows him to use the same twist-tie for several years, which of course is very important in the grand scheme of things.

 

[two fingers]

Pffff, I only open bread once. After that, I just hold up the bag, spin it so that the open end is twisted tightly then I put the bread back onto the counter with the twisted end underneath. Drives my wife nuts.

twist ties....bah! I laugh at your silly twist ties!!

Thank you. I call them "shipping ties" because once they reach my house they go in the trash.

 

[fhm555]

Never thought about how twist ties came off or went back on. Just open the container, remove product, close container. lately I've getting bread with a little hard plastic tag holding it shut. One is REQUIRED to spin the bag into a tight little string so it will fit through the slot in the little plastic locking device to both remove and replace said locking device. This device is made in such a manner as to cut the bag if one tries to just pull it free so you must work the combination correctly in order to not only gain access to your bread, but to also insure you retain short term storage capabilities for your bread in it's original container. It seems a rather clever method of forcing one to conform to the proper usage of this particular tag. No improper use by twisting the wrong way with this device as is possible with the ordinary and (obviously antiquated) twist tie.

Too much freedom in that thing anyway. Allowing a choice in CW or CCW rewrap of the freshness lock on our bread? You'd think we were living in a free society or something. Fortunately, the updated hard plastic bag locker will (thankfully, mercifully) remove the confusion of choice involved in liberating a few slices of bread. I mean, who really wants the responsibility of having to decide which way to twist?

 

[Unprofessional]

Another proponent of righty-tighty, lefty-loosey.

 

[96tbird]

Fhm555, you can defeat the plastic retaining device by lifting one tang out of the mean plane and slip the container through the resulting enlarged slot; no need to pre-torsion the container.

I have no similar maneuver for reinstalling the retainer.

 

[Stumbo]

Most of the bread I buy has plastic slotted tabs the the plastic slides into.

They seem to disappear without explanation. They're usually white in color so I guess my white counter top eats them up.

I save them for just that reason.

 

[tastybasslines]

Pffff, I only open bread once. After that, I just hold up the bag, spin it so that the open end is twisted tightly then I put the bread back onto the counter with the twisted end underneath. Drives my wife nuts.

twist ties....bah! I laugh at your silly twist ties!!

This is the correct way to do it.

 

[Gopherbassist]

I just hold the bag by the opening and let gravity open it. After that, the twist tie or that little plastic claw thing goes in tne garbage. Or on the floor. Whichever is more convenient.

 

[fhm555]

Fhm555, you can defeat the plastic retaining device...

As one who takes pride in not allowing emerging technology to engulf and overwhelm them, my first reaction to twist tie 2.0 was to in fact lift one side of the device in order to free my bread. Don't know if it was my zeal in removal or a defect in early production examples, but my first attempt at negotiating this new bag closure, resulted in a broken tab. The end result was the elves who come to ruin our unprotected bread while we sleep (i'm sure) took perverse delight in rendering more than half a loaf of bread inedible. The birds who hang in my back yard were happy, but I realized I had to discover the tag designers' intent for both opening AND closing bread bags with their invention, before I went broke giving malevolent elves a reason to cheat me out of more than half the bread I buy.

While I do not consider myself to be overly prideful, I refuse to allow mean spirited elves the opportunity to make me out a fool, thus my journey of discovery regards the way to reproduce the result obtained with the latest iteration of the twist tie.

 

[Mike N]

Is there a standard for the direction of wrapping a twist-tie on a package of bread?

Every package I have ever seen has them wrapped counterclockwise to seal the package.
This is very confusing for a mechanic, where counterclockwise would normally be a direction
to open the package.

So is there a different standard fot the non-mechanical folk?

I have a theory - right handed people (which are a majority), have a natural tendanty to turn
things clockwise. So opening a bread package would use the natural tendancy as that is the
first thing one usually does with a package of bread.

Once open, the bread consumer will use whatever is natural.

-

Counter-clockwise to tighten the tie for me, may have something to do with me being a left handed mechanic.

There are left hand threads on cars...... ring gear bolts, belt tensioner pulleys and early Chrysler lug nuts on the left side of the car.

 

[Lazylion]

Husband of blastoff simply wraps the twist-tie around a couple of times without twisting it. This allows him to use the same twist-tie for several years, which of course is very important in the grand scheme of things.

Interesting. I remove and discard the plastic claw thingie, and replace it with a twist-tie from my collection. If possible, I save the tie after the bread is gone, and use it again.

But I never thought of just wrapping it around without twisting! I shall have to consider this revelation...