Should the leftovers be covered with a beeswax wrap or a silicone lid? Both are reusable, both replace cling film, and both have enthusiastic fans. The truth is that they are good at different things, and that most kitchens have room for both. Here is an honest comparison that does not paint either of them as the villain.
Two reusable answers to the same problem
The problem both of them solve is single use plastic: the cling film that gets torn off, used for a few hours and thrown away. The silicone lid solves it with a stretchy, airtight lid that is used again for years. The beeswax wrap solves it with a breathable sheet of cotton and beeswax that you shape with the warmth of your hands.
So it is not a question of which one is “greener” in daily life: both remove roll after roll of cling film from the shopping list. The question is which job your food actually needs done.
How the silicone lid works
Silicone lids come as stretch lids in several sizes and as flat “plates” that suction themselves onto the rim of the bowl. What they share is that they create an airtight and watertight seal. The lid copes with the dishwasher, boiling water and the freezer, and a good lid of food grade silicone lasts for many years.
Airtight is the key word, for better and worse: nothing gets out, and nothing gets in. For a soup that is going to sit until tomorrow, that is perfect. For a piece of cheese it is, as we shall see, the opposite of perfect.
Size is worth a glance before you buy: stretch lids have to fit the rim of the bowl reasonably well, so most people end up with a set in several diameters to cover the bowls they actually own.
How the beeswax wrap works
Beeswax wraps are sheets of cotton with beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil. You warm the sheet between your hands until the wax softens, shape it over the bowl or around the food, and hold it until it sticks. The seal is tight enough to protect the food, but the fabric breathes, so moisture escapes instead of turning into condensation.
The sheets are washed in cold water with a mild soap and last around 12 months with good care, before they can be composted. The full instructions are in the article on how to use beeswax wraps.
Space is also a point: three flat sheets take up less room in the drawer than a single lid, and they fold around anything at all, regardless of the shape and diameter of the bowl.
When the silicone lid wins
Everything liquid is the silicone lid's home ground: soup, sauce, smoothies and casserole leftovers that need to sit steady in the fridge or travel in a bag. An airtight lid can be turned upside down without drama, and a beeswax wrap never can.
Silicone also wins where a hot wash is needed. Raw meat and raw fish demand packaging that can be washed in hot water or the dishwasher afterwards, and a wax sheet does not cope with that: the heat melts the wax. The same goes for food that is going to sit in the freezer for many months, where sealed boxes and lids protect better against freezer burn.
When the beeswax wrap wins
Cheese is the clearest example. In an airtight seal the cheese turns damp and “sweaty”, and it goes rancid faster in its own condensation. In a beeswax wrap it breathes, keeps its surface dry and holds on to its flavour. The full reasoning is in the guide on storing cheese without plastic.
The same goes for fruit and vegetables with a cut surface, half an avocado, half a pepper, and baked goods that should keep a little of their crispness. And where the lid needs a round bowl rim to grip, the sheet folds around anything: a piece of cheese, two crispbreads, a cucumber you have started on. More examples in the article on covering bowls without cling film.
Lifespan and the end of the road
The silicone lid lasts longest: many years of daily use. On the other hand, silicone is in practice difficult to recycle in Norway, so the lids end up in the general waste the day they give out. The beeswax wrap lasts around 12 months, but is made of cotton, beeswax and resin and can be composted once it is worn out.
That makes the sums more even than the lifespan alone suggests: a long life without a good end-of-life solution against a shorter life with the compost as the final stop. Both are in any case several steps better than cling film that goes in the bin after a few hours.
Conclusion: let them share the kitchen
The silicone lid and the beeswax wrap are not rivals, they are colleagues on different shifts. The lid takes the liquids, the raw meat and the long stays in the freezer. The sheets take the cheese, the fruit, the vegetables and the bowls of leftovers that will be eaten tomorrow. Together they cover almost everything cling film used to do, without any of it going in the bin after a single use.
Frequently asked questions
Are silicone lids safe in contact with food?
Yes, lids made of food grade silicone are considered safe, cope with both heat and cold, and do not give off any taste. Buy from serious manufacturers and follow the labelling.
Can beeswax wraps be used for raw meat or raw fish?
No. After contact with raw meat or raw fish the packaging has to be washed hot, and the wax sheet does not cope with that. Use a silicone lid on a container, a glass box with a lid or cling film for this.
Which lasts longest, silicone lids or beeswax wraps?
The silicone lid, by a good margin: many years against around 12 months. The beeswax wrap, on the other hand, can be composted once it is worn out, while silicone ends up in the general waste.
Do I need both?
Most people end up there: lids for liquids and the freezer, sheets for cheese, fruit, vegetables and bowls. Together they replace cling film completely in an ordinary week.
Start with the sheets that let food breathe
Vokshus beeswax wraps in cotton with beeswax: a set of three sizes for the cheese, the fruit and the bowls that should not sit airtight.
See the beeswax wrap set →- A set of three sizes
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- Reusable for around 12 months
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- Compostable at the end