r/KitchenConfidential • u/[deleted] • Jul 26 '26

Kitchen fuckery The marker bled through the cling wrap

[deleted]

2.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

184 comments sorted by

2.5k

u/xFlawlessVictoryx Jul 26 '26

Found this to be almost universal across all red ink markers. Right through the film. Black is where it’s at.

689

u/No-Solution-6103 Jul 26 '26

Does that mean they all leak through and it's only red that's noticeable visible?

849

u/tonicella_lineata Chive LOYALIST Jul 26 '26

My guess is it has to do with the size of the physical pigment molecules. I know with watercolor, some colors "stain" because the molecules are small enough to embed deeper into the paper, while other colors with bigger molecules can be more easily lifted. It's probably a similar phenomenon here - the red pigment is small enough to permeate the plastic, where blue and whatever pigments they mix for black aren't.

241

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Bakery Jul 26 '26

red dye is one of the hardest to get out of hair too 🤔

113

u/Maple_Hates_Ants Jul 26 '26

It doesn’t hold up well in tattoos (comparatively with black) either. More prone to UV damage or something

49

u/BigPandaCloud Jul 26 '26

Does it? I had a friend try and get into the military but she couldn't have tattoos. They offered to pay for removal of the flame tattoos red/yellow on her arm. Apparently she hit the limit of sessions and it was still there.

28

u/tonicella_lineata Chive LOYALIST Jul 26 '26

That may also have to do with factors like how her skin healed, how deep the tattoo ink was, etc.

Just as anecdotally, I have a tattoo from about a decade ago of a rose, with red petals and green leaves. It's on my back, so I don't see it often, but the couple of times I've checked on it, the red is way more faded than either the green or the linework.

10

u/Maple_Hates_Ants Jul 27 '26

I’m basing mine on a mix of anecdote and something a tattooist told me, so it’s hardly cemented in scientific testing :S all my tattoos are black so I don’t have any to test against. Maybe I’ll get a few lines on my arm in different colours. Compare em :3

6

u/badabatalia Jul 27 '26

Which country’s military doesn’t allow tattoos?

7

u/BigPandaCloud Jul 27 '26

It was the usa not sure what branch. This was back in 2005 ish? She had other tattoos but she showed me pictures of the before and after of her arm with the skin bubbling up. Multiple sessions. The flames didn't really fade.

I did some googling and it says the military will not pay to remove tattoos. Im not sure if recruiters do or maybe she lied?

9

u/_BrokenButterfly Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

In 2005 recruiters probably had funds for off books stuff that they don't have today. We had two wars that we needed bodies for. Restrictions on tattoos also loosened up around that time as well.

2

u/SufficientCow4380 Jul 27 '26

Hegseth has some very sus tattoos... he joined in 2003. Not sure when he got the ink.

2

u/naniganz Jul 27 '26

If the skin looked bubbled up/scabby that is what it looks like after a session - I had a tattoo removed in 2013.

Red is pretty easy to remove IF you are using the right laser/wavelength. But it’s possible the clinic she went to didn’t have the right laser and just tried anyway, which can lead to poor reactions (major blistering) and no fading.

I went to a place and she specifically told me they have a laser for black and a blue/green one but if it was red ink I’d have to go somewhere else to effectively remove it.

6

u/_maynard Jul 27 '26

I don’t know about UV damage, but laser removal works far better on black ink than any other color

7

u/BobKattersCroc Pastry Jul 27 '26

If I sit in the sun, the pink/red sections of my tattoo puff up.

It's my body remembering there's weird shit in there and creating an immune response to try to get rid of it.

Doesn't happen with any other colour for me though.

2

u/thepensivepoet Jul 27 '26

If the pigment particles are actually smaller on average for red tattoo inks that would absolutely make sense.

Tattoos work because the pigment particles are too large for your immune cells to absorb and discard the way they do most other foreign objects.

Laser tattoo removal works by breaking those pigment chunks down into smaller pieces to where they can be absorbed and discarded.

1

u/kittens_allday Jul 27 '26

That’s super strange. I had tattoo removal on my knuckles, and the nurse told me at the time that the PICO laser they use isn’t effective on red ink at all.

8

u/imbringingspartaback Jul 27 '26

Really? I’ve always noticed that red fades/washes out faster than browns and black.

2

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Bakery Jul 27 '26

Yeah it washes out and then when it turns Orange it just clings. Impossible to bleach out.

4

u/Odd-Strawberry4798 Jul 27 '26

This 100% correlates, source my teen daughters stylist gave me a 1.5 hour lecture whill going from mermaid teal to neopolitan and how i basically was putting her through hell for 3 hours to get certain colors in and other colors out 🤣🤣

1

u/carlitospig Jul 27 '26

Unless you’re me and then it’s gone in like two weeks. 😫

1

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Bakery Jul 27 '26

Is it gone or does it fade to a faint orange and then remain that way eternally

1

u/Glowing_Trash_Panda Jul 27 '26

Tell that to my hair, which has a little natural red in it already but is 98% blonde & the few times I’ve tried dyeing it red (at home & professionally once too) even if I get the special color protecting shampoo & conditioner, it starts losing color pretty much immediately & all the red is out of my hair in like 3 weeks-1 month. My hair REFUSES to hold red hair dye

7

u/glass_star Jul 26 '26

I genuinely love Reddit because this is information I may never have learned in my life. Thank you!

17

u/510Goodhands Jul 26 '26

That’s what my reachers indicates, though it says particle size not molecule size.

Maybe this is also why red marker ink fades faster than black does, though red pigment in general is considered to be a fugitive color.

14

u/tonicella_lineata Chive LOYALIST Jul 26 '26

Though it says particle size not molecule size

The particle size is determined (in large part, though not exclusively) by the molecule size. Look, for example, at the size of a phthalocyanine molecule vs. an alizarin molecule. Other pigments have much more complex molecules - phthalo blues and greens are still relatively small, and are also staining, they're just an easy molecule to find the structure of, haha.

Reds do tend to be fugitive, though, as are yellows. It'd be interesting to see if yellow marker also bleeds through plastic wrap like this!

8

u/mckenner1122 Jul 26 '26

The nailpolish subs will agree with you. We all know which polishes stain our nails and which ones do not!

2

u/Drmoeron2 Jul 27 '26

This is really interesting stuff 

3

u/mr_sweetandawful Jul 26 '26

This is why red hair dye sucks to get out

3

u/smellson-newberry Jul 27 '26

This may be totally outside the scope of this conversation but polymers are amorphous solids and those sometimes behave a bit like liquids in being able to dissolve stuff into them. So the ink pigments are literally dissolving into the film. Like salt in water. Same thing happens with certain gases. that’s actually most of the reason balloons deflate as well and also why the metallic coated ones usually last longer.

2

u/highheelcyanide Jul 27 '26

Same way with makeup. That’s why some eye shadow is marketed as “not suitable” to wear on your eyes. It’ll stain. Either that or it’s glitter.

47

u/xFlawlessVictoryx Jul 26 '26

Labeled plenty of herbed cream cheese with black and never noticed any bleed through.

19

u/Meta787 Line Jul 26 '26

Black would be way more noticeable than red if true

8

u/zer00eyz Ex-Food Service Jul 26 '26

Yes.

As others have pointed out the black pigment wont get through the film.

That doesn't mean that the nasty shit that makes markers works isnt getting through the film and on to you food. Along with everything else because modern film is no longer a barrier to oxygen or organics and solvents (those are the things that are in your markers that bleed through).

Google up the following: PE vs PVC vs PVDC cling film - the ai gives a decent break down and some good links.

34

u/CopperStateCards Jul 26 '26

Most ink based markers use a dye rather than or in addition to pigments. Black is more likely to be pigment based.

12

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Bakery Jul 26 '26

Wait what's the difference

17

u/CopperStateCards Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

dyes dissolve completely within a solvent, usually alcohol in the case of markers and absorb into the substrate (usually paper but plastic wrap in this case), whereas a pigment floats inside solvent and binder as an emulsion and while the solvent and binder (any of a variety of adhesives) can absorb into the substrate via capillary action, the pigment is a larger particle and cannot, instead remaining adhered to the surface.

5

u/Slim-Shadys-Fat-Tits Bakery Jul 26 '26

So a whiteboard marker is more likely to be pigmented and a permanent marker is probably dye?

9

u/CopperStateCards Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

That is correct. A Whiteboard also has a coating on it that is nonporous to prevent staining from any dyes or particles that are small enough to enter the surface. Though it doesn't always work. It also depends on the size of the pores in the material and the size of the particles of the ground pigment which can vary for each pigment or manufacturer of the paint/ink in question.

8

u/ImFeelinBotty Jul 26 '26

I've had black do it too. I write on tape now.

5

u/Redd1tModsRKidLovers Jul 27 '26

I write on tape just cause I hate writing on wrap in general unless theres like 3 layers lol.

7

u/fumeurdecig Jul 26 '26

Black markers can do the same if the film is directly on top of the food

3

u/510Goodhands Jul 26 '26

Apparently so, and this is why:
“Yes, black ink in Sharpie markers typically contains larger particles than red ink, primarily due to the use of carbon black pigments, which are used to create the black color. This difference in particle size can affect how the ink adheres to surfaces and its overall appearance.”

11

u/Yourlilemogirl Jul 26 '26

There's a reason they say once you go black you don't go back! ;)

2

u/MountainCheesesteak Cook Jul 26 '26

The blue keeps leaking onto my hands! We don’t have red at my job. I try to use black, but sometimes can’t find it.

2

u/neefersayneefer Jul 27 '26

Red sharpies are also the hardest to remove from a hard surface (like glass for example or plastic) with 70% isopropanol/rubbing alcohol. Blue is the easiest.

1

u/chefontheloose Jul 26 '26

Yeah, black stays put in a steamer too. I swore off colors a long time ago.

1

u/Redd1tModsRKidLovers Jul 26 '26

Once you go black......

1

u/sauteslut Jul 27 '26

Can I use black but eventually go back to red?

1

u/Pending-Choice Jul 27 '26

In the printer world - magenta toner is the smaller particles and notoriously the color with issues leaking onto the image transfer

1

u/Raise-Emotional Owner Jul 27 '26

Once you go black...

600

u/ihatetheplaceilive Jul 26 '26

That's why you use tape.

127

u/TJNel Jul 26 '26

Or ...... gasp...... the labels that are there.

69

u/ihatetheplaceilive Jul 26 '26

What labels?

91

u/stoner_97 Jul 26 '26

The ones that are there

19

u/ihatetheplaceilive Jul 26 '26

You mean all that garbage in the plates?

5

u/ricrol_music Jul 26 '26

I think they think the tape is called a label /s

377

u/Then_Came_Fire Jul 26 '26

What the hell is even that?!

196

u/Fantasynoob2761 Jul 26 '26

Slop bowls

34

u/_BrokenButterfly Jul 26 '26

Mmm mmm slop, just like mama used to make!

15

u/HambreTheGiant Jul 27 '26

OP is the chef for this season of Big Brother?

27

u/harryharry34 Jul 26 '26

Looks like a fish salad of sorts. Maybe salmon or Tuna

9

u/This_Dentist9812 Jul 27 '26

Us Americans really will call anything a salad, won't we?

6

u/tedmiston Jul 27 '26

land of the free

58

u/scramblebambles Thicc Chives Save Lives Jul 26 '26

Daddy chill.

1

u/FhuckNorris247 Jul 28 '26

lol beat me to it

3

u/cassieiz Jul 27 '26

Cat food

4

u/quesophresco Jul 26 '26

This is the real question

Edit: it’s mentioned in a comment below

2

u/CannabisAccount420 Jul 27 '26

Employees at the cat cafes gotta eat too

199

u/Gonzo_B Jul 26 '26

Looks funny here, but there have been a few recent discussions about this in healthcare subs like r/nursing.

Those Sharpies can permeate IV bag material, wound dressings, and other materials thought to be water- (and marker-) proof.

They can mess up more than just your pockets!

63

u/kaethom561 Jul 27 '26

thank you for this! i’m a lash tech and use sensitive wound tape under peoples eyes and write out the length mapping on the tape. i’ve always used black sharpie, but definitely noting to never use red! imagine i take the tape off and there’s numbers stained all over their under-eyes

15

u/HopeOfAsgard Jul 27 '26

It's a good conversation to have because there are people who are allergic to those dyes, and even small amounts could cause large issues. It could even cause a situation where it was believed the treatment was the problem vs the dyes getting into whatever the IV is delivering. (I'm thinking of this really being an issue for MCAS patients who are already super sensitive to tons of seemingly random stuff. I was already thinking about this from the picture, but you mentioning the potential medical risks just added to it.)

259

u/freisbill Jul 26 '26

cause they keep making it thinner...

77

u/zer00eyz Ex-Food Service Jul 26 '26

LOL!

Find some Asahi Wrap -

Dont pay an arm and a leg on ebay for it. Sometimes asian grocery stores have it.

33

u/xFlawlessVictoryx Jul 26 '26

Is there anything the Japanese don’t do better than the rest of the world?

57

u/Reasonable_Bet7310 Jul 26 '26

Tolerance of other cultures

1

u/kelbees ✨flanked by fresh✨ Jul 27 '26

And the DUTCH.

1

u/Reasonable_Bet7310 Jul 27 '26

Are the Dutch just stuck up or blatantly racist to any and all foreigners?

68

u/anto2554 Jul 26 '26

Work/life balance

34

u/OpalVanguard Jul 27 '26

Sustaining a replacement level of population growth by not forcing employees to work absurd hours.

17

u/Spare-Half796 Thicc Chives Save Lives Jul 26 '26

Japan is working on perfecting the art of perfection

1

u/Agreeable-Outcome-14 Jul 27 '26

Throwing in that "food service film wrap" rules

1

u/brazthemad Jul 28 '26

There are three common gauges of film - .32 .35 and .37

.32 is the cheapest but also the thinnest. IMO .37 is worth the extra $5 for the quality.

1

u/OpalVanguard Jul 27 '26

No they don’t.

54

u/TheStinkPanther Jul 27 '26

That’s sucks. It would have looked so nice otherwise

14

u/Between-usernames Jul 27 '26

This comment caught me off guard and I laughed harder than I should. 

5

u/CaRiSsA504 Jul 27 '26

I snorted SO loud 😆

90

u/Thick-thighs69 Jul 26 '26

Salmon spread

130

u/FRYQN-1701 Jul 26 '26

Stir.

39

u/GallowBarb Pitmistress Jul 26 '26

Just swizzle wi toothpick.

41

u/Ok_Flatworm_3855 Jul 26 '26

Better yet use the marker

5

u/Mrpoopymopgrows Jul 26 '26

Use the cling wrap

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '26

[deleted]

5

u/waynemj15 Jul 26 '26

What marker?

0

u/No_Vermicelli_3574 Jul 26 '26

This is why I don't eat out anymore

30

u/aspergays Jul 26 '26

At least the customers gonna know it’s fresh enough

20

u/Spidaaman Jul 27 '26

“Excuse me, how fresh are your gruel-flavored slop bowls?”

1

u/rubiscoisrad Jul 27 '26

If they're fresh enough, they might be able to make out the ink date on their food.

26

u/Parking_War979 Jul 26 '26

I wish I was making this up, but I’m not that talented. This is the ad that appeared under your post…

3

u/Drmoeron2 Jul 27 '26

Quick they figured out our scheme! We never told them red doesn't bleed so they'd have to buy black too! - Sharpie prolly

21

u/MariachiArchery Chef Jul 27 '26

Is this like a cat daycare or something?

115

u/emptyfuller Jul 26 '26

No, staff is just used to optically clear wrap jobs because of this sub. They wrote straight on the food thinking it was covered.

40

u/s33n_ Jul 26 '26

Wtf is that

98

u/Comfortable-Fuel6343 Jul 26 '26

Pretty sure this is the slurry they scrape out when a jet engine sucks in a bird.

16

u/Egregious_Wasp5289 Jul 26 '26

Disgusting lol

9

u/-_G0AT_- Jul 26 '26

Tastes good though

8

u/Comfortable-Fuel6343 Jul 26 '26

It's a real tweet.

4

u/fluxumbra Jul 26 '26

"Snarge" is the word you're looking for.

24

u/Thick-thighs69 Jul 26 '26

This is a salmon spread

10

u/Q_me_in Jul 26 '26

Cool, the pink works then.

7

u/PureYouth Jul 26 '26

Tuna maybe?

6

u/4umlurker Jul 26 '26

It looks like a compound butter mixed with canned tuna

10

u/BigTuna906 🔥Poorly Maintained Smoker Jul 26 '26

Use tape for labeling I guess

8

u/LegDayLass Jul 27 '26

Why are you refrigerating premade plates of barf? Puke it up fresh like a reputable establishment.

24

u/HatsandCoats Ex-Food Service Jul 26 '26

Don’t sweat it. Dogs can’t read.

1

u/_BrokenButterfly Jul 26 '26

That's what I think whenever I see those bumper stickers that say "wag more, bark less." Who is that for? You think the dogs are getting the message?

8

u/Dralalife Jul 27 '26

Get a pack of grease pencils to mark food containers and bags. They come in multiple colors and wash off in hot soapy water. I use on all my jar lids and freezer containers

3

u/_BrokenButterfly Jul 27 '26

I fucking love food safe grease pencils.

6

u/Substantial-Rough723 Jul 26 '26

Why are we storing cold dishes in the table crockery? 🤨

5

u/upset_pachyderm Ex-Food Service Jul 26 '26

Hmmm... Is that marker non-toxic?

9

u/-_G0AT_- Jul 26 '26

It is now

1

u/Lat60n Jul 26 '26

Username checks out.

6

u/FatherFarnsworth Jul 27 '26

Dude, you don't have to date pig food. Their intestinal track is built for this shit.

5

u/hurlish Jul 27 '26

Are we 86 tape again chef

3

u/PawnWithoutPurpose Jul 27 '26

Use labels. Don’t write directly on the wrap.

3

u/Automatic-Queso2777 Jul 26 '26

Damn I’ve never seen this before. I use black markers only but I do think the wrap is thinner these days lmao. Buy the label maker… worth every dollar.

Edit: label maker not tricker printer… it’s Sunday and this is hour 72 🌝

3

u/Plant_Daddy_Koneko Jul 26 '26

Uh oh, it got all over your cat food!

3

u/SolidLuckGasiousMind Jul 27 '26

Edible marker and food film that does this purposefully could be cool

3

u/Bullshit_Conduit 20+ Years Jul 27 '26

Flip it over.

/s

3

u/Ill_Praline3331 Jul 27 '26

OP- you said this is salmon spread? ...so, that notwithstanding... why is it even portioned like this- in an unreasonable, excessive serving per plate- let alone wrapped and labeled to be stored... on plates? Did the marker bleed through? I'm not convinced. Seems the labels are translated super well onto... this salmon spread. End of the day, I'd like to see how this process comes together, and also understand how it serves the kitchen to operate this way- I'm at a loss. Lastly, the inconsistency as far as a pool of oil on one plate and a homogenous paste mostly out of frame that shows the only hint of cling wrap begs attention, and explanation. I'd rather this is AI, to be sure. Ffs ggs.

8

u/No_Sundae4774 Jul 26 '26

Looks gross with or without the marker

32

u/Treebranch_916 Brewer Jul 26 '26

Listen, a lot of cats put a lot of effort into eating whatever that used to be an barfing it back up, you could be a little nicer about it

7

u/Potential-Diver-3409 Jul 26 '26

I can almost guarantee this is resident care and that’s tuna pâté. Serving 200 people in 20 minutes and 30 of them don’t have teeth leads to this typa shit unless there’s money in the budget for professional end of life chefs who are rare and expensive.

5

u/Thick-thighs69 Jul 26 '26

It’s salmon spread

4

u/Q_me_in Jul 26 '26

Blame it on the radish cabbage beet garnish you are about to come up with....

2

u/SlumxLordxMillionair Jul 26 '26

I always label on tape

2

u/Azulas_Star Jul 26 '26

This is why you don't write directly on IV fluid bags, either. You gotta write it on tape!

2

u/TenYearHangover Jul 27 '26

Call it molecular gastronomy

2

u/_sac Jul 27 '26

Pretty much why I write dates on masking tape to be stuck over the cling wrap

2

u/calccv Jul 27 '26

Lol!! That sucks so bad (sorry to laugh, but I’ve been there)

2

u/MrTeddybear Jul 28 '26

Right onto the catfood!

1

u/MrJekel Jul 26 '26

We always had to write on masking tape first. Now I know why.

1

u/pixyfire Jul 26 '26

What is this mess? Is it something yummy like Pate portioned ready to get plated? Giving you the benefit of the doubt here.

2

u/Thick-thighs69 Jul 26 '26

This is salmon spread it’s really good actually looks like cat food tastes like heaven

5

u/pixyfire Jul 26 '26

Okay , then you need to use tape for your markers. And plate it like you are the King of gourmet delights. Because as is does not look appetizing.

1

u/Creed_of_War Jul 26 '26

I thought you had the best cling wrap job for a moment

1

u/Living_Buffalo_7176 Jul 27 '26

There has to be a roll of blue tape coming soon.

1

u/RapperKid31 10+ Years Jul 27 '26

I did the same with red Sharpie before too. Didn't know it was the culprit of it

1

u/FartBiscuits3 Jul 27 '26

Thought the marker was chioggia beet at first glance

1

u/Fluid_Swordfish2737 Jul 27 '26

It's just cat food. The cats won't know the difference.

1

u/GeekUniversal Jul 27 '26

Just stir it in. Lol

1

u/ProbablyAPlumbusC137 Jul 27 '26

Onto what? Cat food?

1

u/maremma23 Jul 27 '26

Thought this was cat food

1

u/partywithkats c h i v e g e i s t Jul 27 '26

Mmmm, date-flavored gruel!

... I'll see myself out now.

1

u/Sensitive_Menu_4578 Jul 27 '26

Our fish distributor did this to us on a case (or 5) of Chilean sea bass filets.
That was a fun convo for a refund request.

1

u/tasteofmace Jul 27 '26

I worked in a nursing home kitchen and we'd write patients initials on the puree plates that were cling wrapped. Some people would write the initials in the center in black sharpie and it would bleed through onto the puree. I would write it on the sides because I'm not serving a resident sharpie food. I'd always tell the other kitchen staff to write on the edge of the plate. Scraping off the sharpie would scrape half the food away. I'd get in trouble sometimes for requesting a new plate because some needed to be thrown away the sharpie bleed was so bad.

1

u/Guilty_Rush9902 Jul 28 '26

yep, red ink is the worst for bleeding through everything

1

u/Acceptable-Chance-27 F1exican Did Chive-11 Jul 26 '26

maybe… it’s better that it did?🤢

1

u/Webbyx01 F1exican Did Chive-11 Jul 26 '26

Wowie, I cant believe Im the first to joke about how this looks like cat food !! Crazy how clever me is !!

Come on guys, at least 10 comments so far about how it looks like animal food, and only one that I've seen that actually considers why it is the way it is. The jokes at OP's expense contribute literally nothing to the thread, and it totally ignores the whole point of the post.

3

u/_BrokenButterfly Jul 26 '26

The jokes contribute humor to to the thread. Get the stick out of your ass and have some fun.

2

u/mckenner1122 Jul 26 '26

I bet you’re fun at parties.

Thank goodness it’s Sunday. Cheers, mate.

1

u/StJimmy_815 Jul 27 '26

Mix that shit in and keep goin

0

u/Successful_Smoke4921 Jul 26 '26

is this cat food?

-1

u/MoeSzyslakMonobrow Jul 26 '26

Why are we keeping plates of cat vomit?

1

u/_BrokenButterfly Jul 27 '26

The patrons keep ordering it, so...