What can I use instead of cooking twine?

Plain dental floss can be used instead of cooking twine. It works well for trussing whole chickens or turkeys for roasting. It is also useful for cutting soft cheeses or evenly slicing cinnamon rolls or refrigerator cookies.

Flavored and waxed dental floss are poor choices; the flavor or wax can transfer to food items, affecting their quality. A roll of plain, unwaxed dental floss is a good addition to the kitchen for emergency use. Another kitchen use for dental floss is releasing stuck-on baked goods, such as cookies or buns. A piece of dental floss slides easily between the baked good and the pan to release the item.