Foil | Reynolds Kitchens Featured Foil Wrappers Foil Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil is available in a variety of widths and thicknesses to accommodate just about any task. It withstands high heat and extreme cold, making it perfect for everything from grilling to freezer storage. Aluminum Foil 101 ~ Learn What Aluminum Foil is Made From, Uses, and Products Click Here To Buy Aluminum Foil Aluminum Foil- Aluminum is the third most abundant element on earth. It is extracted from bauxite. Bauxite is refined to make a pure aluminum oxide call alumina. The alumina is charged with an electrical current. This process is know as electrolic reduction. The metal produced from this process is added to a wide variety of alloys allowing them to provide specific characteristics suited for a variety of applications. Aluminum foil manufacturers commonly use pure aluminum. In recent years it has become popular to add a variety of aluminum alloys engineered to add strength and reduce thickness of the aluminum foil. Once the alloy mixture is determined it is melted and poured onto a cast and rolled to form a large sheet of aluminum foil. The rolling process is repeated until the desired thickness is reached.

The main factors in reaching the desired thickness is roll pressure, mil speed, and rolling oils. As the aluminum foil is rolled into the desired thickness, it is spooled on large stock coils to hold the aluminum foil. From the large coils the aluminum foil is unspooled, cut, and spooled onto smaller cardboard spools. Once the aluminum foil is spooled onto the smaller spools it is placed into boxes and prepared for shipping. The roll width, length, and thickness determines the amount of boxes per case, and cases per pallet. For more information about the production of aluminum foil with illustrations and details about refining processes, visit madehow.com . Common Kitchen Uses for Aluminum Foil Aluminum foil can be used to make a variety of containers as well as assist in a variety of kitchen applications. Below are a few common uses of aluminum foil: Covering baking surfaces- Aluminum foil is great to cover or line any kind of baking surface such as: baking sheets, pans, skillets, etc. If properly greased, the aluminum foil can make clean up easy and economical. Line containers for increased insulation- Perforated aluminum foil sheets are great to line to-go containers for take out. They assist in keeping food warmer for longer.

Cover containers and individual food items- Aluminum foil is commonly used to cover containers in home and restaurants to protect them for storage. Many manufacturers use aluminum foil to cover individually wrapped items to protect them. Cooks often use aluminum foil to protect delicate foods from becoming over done on high heat. Make a quick funnel- When improvisation is a must, aluminum foil is ideal to put together a quick funnel for liquids or powders. Manufacturers use aluminum foil to make disposable containers- There are a wide variety of disposable aluminum foil pans available. Below are some common types of disposable aluminum foil pans used in homes, restaurants, and catered events. Round Aluminum Foil Pans- Made from a thicker gauge of aluminum foil than common kitchen aluminum foil, these round foil pans are very versatile and ideal for a variety of occasions. Full or Half Aluminum Foil Steam Tables- Often used by organizers of large events, because they are versatile and can be used to cook and serve a variety of dishes. Find a variety of rectangle foil pans for sale. Three Compartment Aluminum Foil Pans- In combination with a lid, these aluminum foil pans are great for serving a meal, keeping it warm, and promoting easy clean up.

Aluminum Catering Trays- Composed of thicker aluminum foil than the above mentioned foil pans, aluminum catering trays look great and are ideal for serving a variety of platters. How do I know which aluminum foil to use? Standard Aluminum Foil- Great for wrapping lighter individual items and covering containers for storage. Our El Dorado aluminum foil is .0005 thick and the Western Plastics brand standard aluminum foil is .0007 thick. Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil-To be used in cooking situations for lining pans and cooking sheets. Great for moderate heat. The Western Plastics heavy duty foil is .0009 thick. Extra Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil- Ideal for high heat situations and heavy wrapping situations. Great for lining grills and coming in direct contact with flames. To be used for wrapping heavy meats such as briskets and slabs of ribs. The Western Plastics extra heavy duty foil is .0013 thick. View the thickness of all aluminum foil strengths listed above! Product Categories The Best Aluminum Foil | The Sweethome The Best Aluminum Foil Last updated: August 25, 2015 Christine Cyr Clisset To share this page via email, fill out the fields below: Message Sent!

Send Sturdy foil that easily rolls from its box makes many kitchen tasks easier. We tested 18 top-rated foils only to find that classic Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil ($8 for 125 feet) is still the best of the bunch—but not by much. We came to this conclusion after 20 hours of research and 15 hours of unrolling yards of foil to cover bowls, make campfire foil packets, and (in a couple of cases) sculpt alien-thwarting helmets. All of the heavy-duty foils we tried were equally strong and easy to work with, far outperforming the thinner and weaker standard foils (don’t waste your money!). But Reynolds has a slightly nicer malleability than the other heavy-duty kinds, and was among the thickest and least likely to puncture with regular use. It’s also more widely available than generic brands and comes in a better selection of widths and lengths. Last Updated: August 25, 2015 We’ve been long-term testing the Reynolds Wrap Heavy-Duty foil for six months and continue to find it durable and easy to work with.

We do recommend using the ChicWrap foil dispenser with this roll, though, as it makes it much easier to roll and cut the foil. Expand Most Recent Updates February 22, 2015: We tested 18 aluminum foil brands for more than 15 hours and found that the Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty foil is best for most kitchens. It’s the most malleable, the thickest, and the least likely to puncture out of all the heavy-duty foils we tested, making it the easiest to work with. Plus, it’s widely available in a variety of widths and lengths. $10 from Walmart It wasn’t a shocker that Reynolds came out on top during our tests—after all, the brand is synonymous with foil—but we were sure we’d be able to find a bigger difference between it and the generic stuff. That just wasn’t the case. In the thick of testing, we found it nearly impossible to tell the difference between the heavy-duty foils. It started to seem that one kind was as good as the next. Yet the Reynolds ended up beating the competition by a hair, largely because it’s more widely available and comes in many sizes.

A bigger difference between the various foils was how they rolled out of their boxes, but that’s a function of the dispenser rather than the actual foil. Also Great Great Value Heavy Duty This slightly cheaper foil works just as well as the Reynolds, although it has a more springy quality that we didn’t love. It’s also only available through Walmart. But if our main pick sells out or you simply can’t find it, we’d buy Walmart’s Great Value Heavy Duty Foil ($5.50 for 120 feet). It comes in an ample 120-foot length and works just as well at wrapping foods and covering bowls as the Reynolds. At 4 cents per square foot, it’s also slightly cheaper than our main pick. (However the price is a wash if you have to pay for shipping.) This foil is slightly springier than the Reynold’s Heavy Duty Foil, and overall we didn’t like the way it crumpled and wrapped around dishes as much as the Reynolds. Also Great ChicWrap Aluminum Foil Dispenser This sturdy, festively decorated box has a cutter built right into the top, so you can slice the foil instead of ripping it. Refill it with our top pick for a nearly perfect combination.

Regardless of the brand of foil you buy, we highly recommend investing in a ChicWrap Aluminum Foil Dispenser ($19). Every smaller roll of foil we tried came in a flimsy cardboard box that was hard to maneuver and dented easily (risking damaging the foil inside). The sturdy ChicWrap solves all this. Similar to a restaurant-style food service box, the ChicWrap has a cutter on top that allows for easily slicing lengths of foil (no more awkward ripping!). And the box itself will take a lot more abuse than the competition. The ChicWrap works for only 12-inch rolls, though. Also Great Bakers and Chefs Heavy Duty Foodservice For quantity cooking (or freezing), this restaurant-style roll will keep you in business for a long time. The box is heavy and really big, though, and probably overkill for most cooks. If you buy in bulk or are embarking on a foil hat business, we’d get Bakers and Chefs Heavy Duty Foodservice Foil ($37). The foil itself is about on par with the Reynolds Heavy Duty, but the 18-inch width makes this an easier roll for bigger tasks, like covering sheet pans, lining the grate of a barbecue, or freezing meat.

This roll is heavy and really big, so if you don’t need a ton of foil, we’d opt for getting a box size that is easier to manage and fits in a drawer. Table of contents Wrapping it up Why you should trust me I’ve used a lot of foil over the years. Lining pans and wrapping leftovers with foil was my daily chore working as a cook on my dad’s commercial fishing boat in Alaska. In various stints as a restaurant server I’ve become familiar with the food-service rolls found commercially. Foil is also my standby for camp cookouts—to make campfire foil packets—with friends and family. I have a highly attuned sensitivity to crappy foil that’s too thin or doesn’t roll out of its dispenser smoothly. Who’s this for? After many hours of testing, we confirmed something we already suspected: The biggest difference between foils is their thickness. Generally, standard foil is tougher to work with because it tears or punctures more easily, while heavy-duty foil from any brand will do most tasks really well. So if you have some heavy-duty foil in your cupboard, no need to upgrade.

But if you find your foil is difficult to roll out—maybe the cardboard box or the roll itself is dented or crushed—or the little teeth on the box never cut quite evenly, you might want to get a better dispenser. That would involve either buying something like a ChicWrap that you can fill with regular 12-inch foil rolls, or buying a larger roll that comes with a sturdier box. If you regularly cook for a crowd or go through a lot of foil, you might want to upgrade to a larger food service roll. Most of these are 18 inches wide and range from 500 to 1,000 feet long. You’ll generally save a few cents per square foot compared with smaller rolls. How we picked and tested For a better idea of what makes great foil, I spoke with John Weritz, a metallurgist with the Aluminum Association , who also worked for 10 years making aluminum foil for Reynolds. Weritz told me that the main difference between aluminum foils is strength, which is measured by the thickness of the foil and by its integrity. Thicker foils tend to be stronger and less likely to tear. But any foil can have integrity issues, like miniscule pinholes.

According to Weritz, “As you try to get thinner you get a tendency to get more [pinholes],” which can cause the foil to tear more easily. Foil thickness is most commonly measured in fractions of an inch, although you’ll also sometimes find it measured in microns (one of which equals one-millionth of a meter). “For foil you’re probably looking at something that’s in the area of 0.001 inch thick, maybe even less,” Weritz said. In my research and testing, I found that heavy-duty foil generally ranges from 0.001 to 0.0015 inch thick, while standard foils range from 0.0007 to 0.00095 inch. Despite those tiny increments, there’s a pronounced difference in the feel of standard and heavy-duty foils. After rolling out 18 boxes I could immediately determine which foils were thinner and thicker.

Measuring the foil with a digital micrometer, we found most standard foils ranged between 0.0007 and 0.00095 inch, while heavy-duty foils were more like 0.001 to 0.0015 inch thick. Standard foil comes in 12-inch-wide rolls, ranging from 25 to 1,000 feet long. You’ll also find heavy-duty foils in 18-inch rolls. On the low end, standard foil costs about 3 to 4 cents per square foot, while some recycled foil costs upwards of 30 cents per square foot. Most of the 18 foils we tested came in smaller 12-inch rolls, but we included a few 18-inch rolls and food service boxes for comparison. People commonly use the terms “tin foil” and “aluminum foil” interchangeably, but they’re not the same. Until World War II, most foil was made from tin. It was first manufactured in France around 1903, and some of its first applications were packaging cigarettes and candy (including Lifesavers and Toblerone chocolate).

In the 1940s, manufacturers started making foil from aluminum (Reynolds introduced it as a consumer product in the late 1940s). Aluminum tends to be a better material for foil. It’s less expensive than tin, and slightly more malleable. Tin also leaves a noticeable “tin-y” taste on foods, while aluminum usually won’t leave any flavor. The exception is when aluminum foil comes into contact with extremely salty or acidic foods (like vinegar or tomatoes). The foil may break down, creating pinholes and leaving aluminum salts on the food. Reynolds says these salts are harmless , and the FDA says aluminum salts in low dosages shouldn’t cause health problems, but it’s better to cook and store salty and acidic foods in glass, ceramic, or stainless steel. According to the Alzheimer’s Association , though, there’s little if any proof that exposure to aluminum contributes to the disease. In recent years, as you probably heard, people thought using aluminum in cooking might contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association , though, there’s little if any proof that exposure to aluminum contributes to the disease. The myth still kicks around, but studies have failed to confirm any connection.

As anyone who has used foil knows, there is a shiny and a dull side. In the last stage of processing, 1 two pieces of foil are rolled back-to-back through the pressing machine. The sides of the foil that touch each other turn out with a dull finish, while the sides pressed against the rolling machine are buffed to a near-mirrorlike shine. Though it might seem the shiny and dull sides of foil will bake or cook food differently, there’s probably not much difference. “I don’t know that it would matter enough to affect how it cooks,” Weritz said. “There are some physical differences in reflectivity, but I don’t know if you’d be able to pick it up on cooking.” America’s Test Kitchen concluded the same thing . Recycled foils aren’t any better for the environment than regular varieties. Surprisingly, recycled foils aren’t any better for the environment than regular varieties. Because recycled foil is made with scrap metal that would otherwise be used in other applications, the benefits are a bit of a wash (or a greenwash). And for various reasons, foil can’t be recycled into more foil ( see below ). For this guide, we wanted to cover only foils widely available across the country or easily ordered online.

Reynolds was the obvious brand to beat, but we also looked closely at store-brand foils and those rated highly on Amazon. If a generic foil came in both standard and heavy-duty weight, we called both in. We asked John Weritz for his recommendations (Reynolds is his favorite). We eliminated foils that had bad reviews, and didn’t include sheet foils, as rolls seem more useful for most people. Because we didn’t find any comparative reviews of foil, we decided to call in a bigger test group than we normally would. In the end we chose 18 foils to test. I made veggie-filled foil packets from one sheet of each foil and cooked them in the hot coals of a barbecue to see whether the foils could handle repeated flipping with metal tongs. Following John Weritz’s advice, we measured the thickness of each foil with a digital micrometer that the L.S. Starrett Company graciously sent to us. To check for pinholes we held sheets of foil to a light. We noted if it was difficult to unroll the foils from their boxes or if the metal teeth didn’t make clean cuts.

To test for practical use we made foil packets of potatoes and onions and cooked them in the hot coals of a barbecue to emulate a camp cookout. This was a great method for determining how well a single sheet could stand up to the sharp edges of metal prongs and how easily the foils ripped when unwrapping the cooked packets. As a last functional test, we covered the top of a slick-sided bowl to see how well the foil crimped to the sides. It quickly became apparent that all of the heavy-duty foils beat out the standard ones, regardless of brand. Our pick $10 from Walmart Although we didn’t find a huge functional difference between the heavy-duty foils we tested, Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil ($8 for 115 feet) performed every task well and has a nicer malleability than the rest of the competition. We like that it comes in more length and width options than other brands, and that it’s available at nearly any grocery store and through multiple sources online. Despite its big name, the Reynolds foil is competitively priced with the generics. Taken together, it rises above the competition.

The Reynolds foil sturdily wrapped campfire packets that withstood multiple flips with metal tongs without puncturing. While all of the standard-weight foils I tried were very difficult to get to stick to the bowl and inevitably slid off, the Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty clung nicely enough that I could lift the bowl holding the crimped foil edges. Compared with the standard foils, it also made better campfire packets that felt sturdier when flipping in the hot coals, and which were easier to unwrap without tearing. To be fair, all of the heavy-duty foils performed about on par in these functional tasks. Bakers and Chefs Heavy Duty Foodservice For quantity cooking (or freezing), this restaurant-style roll will keep you in business for a long time. The box is heavy and really big, though, and probably overkill for most cooks. For people who need a lot of heavy-duty foil—maybe you have a huge family, or do art projects—we’d buy an 18-inch-wide food service roll. Bakers and Chefs Heavy Duty Foodservice Foil ($37) is the best deal we’ve found.

It comes in a 500-foot roll (equaling 750 square feet total), and at 5 cents a square foot it will save you money if you use foil often. It rolled out of its box with more ease than the other large boxes we tried. The width of this foil makes it nicer than our main pick for covering big bowls and sheet pans, or wrapping foods for the freezer. The sturdy box and rigid plastic tube help the foil unroll smoothly, and we found the serrated edge of the box tore the foil nicely every time. But this is not the box for everyone. It’s really big (20 by 12 by 10 inches) and almost 10 pounds. Schlepping it from a cupboard to the counter could get tedious if you did it often. Ideally, you’d store this box where you could use it (maybe in a pantry or laundry room off a kitchen). This roll receives five stars of three Amazon user reviews. Care and use Never cook or store acidic or very salty foods in aluminum foil. These can break the foil down into aluminum salts. Although there are probably minimal health risks from these salts when consumed in low doses, it’s not appetizing.

People commonly line the bottom of their oven with foil to avoid food splatters from dirtying the surface. Reynolds specifically recommends against this , as it can cause heat damage to the oven. Instead, Reynolds recommends lining the bottom rack with foil, and only with a piece slightly larger than the dish you’ll be using so it will catch drips but still allow for airflow. Heavy-duty foil is particularly good to use for freezing food. Heavy-duty foil is particularly good to use for freezing food. Because foil has a lower moisture-vapor transfer than plastic wrap, it’s better at preventing freezer burn. Wrap things like raw meat in plastic and then foil to protect against flavor transfer. Of course, if reheating food, never put foil in the microwave (or plastic wrap in the oven!). You’ll find many references on the Internet about using aluminum foil to do all sorts of household chores. Some of these—like reflecting heat from a radiator or blacking out a window—might have truth to them, but others deserve skepticism. While researching we saw repeated recommendations for sharpening scissors by cutting through foil. But on further inspection, it seems that while this method can remove gunk or burrs from scissor blades, it will ultimately dull them.

Foil and the environment Obviously, disposable products usually have more of a negative environmental impact than reusable ones. Foil is no exception. But if you’re debating between foil, plastic wrap, and a reusable plastic container, the answer to which is better for the earth isn’t immediately evident. Adam Gendell , project manager at the Sustainable Packaging Coalition , told me, “Very rarely are there clear winners in these kinds of environmental comparisons.” For instance, a 6-ounce piece of aluminum foil—enough to wrap a sandwich—uses less water and fuel to make than a Tupperware container. But most people throw foil away after the first use, so the Tupperware container evens out in its carbon footprint after about 10 uses. “Of course it’s not that easy since a dishwasher also uses water and energy and has greenhouse gas impacts,” Gendell said, “but throw in some wiggle room and say that maybe after 12 or 13 reuses, the Tupperware wins.” It’s even more difficult to calculate the difference between plastic wrap and foil.

“Unfortunately, I can’t model plastic wrap since we don’t have the data, but my instinct tells me it won’t be much different,” Gendell said. “Aluminum foil tends to be more impactful in most areas compared to plastic films, so the Tupperware might be even more of a clear winner there. But the key phrase here is “after enough reuses.” Technically, aluminum foil can be recycled, but not every municipality does. “It all depends on who is buying the collected bales of aluminum,” Grendell said. “Used beverage cans are king, and every aluminum recycler has a system optimized around beverage cans. Some of those recyclers don’t mind a little aluminum foil in there, some don’t even mind a little dirty aluminum foil, but it’s not preferable to them.” We were surprised to find that recycled aluminum foil probably isn’t any better for the environment than regular foil, and not worth their significantly higher prices. And as we covered earlier, aluminum foil isn’t recycled into more aluminum foil. “This is because when post-consumer aluminum is reprocessed, there are irregularities at the micro- or nano-level which could show themselves once the aluminum is rolled very thin to make foil,” Grendell said.

Competition We found the Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil ($5 for 30 square feet), the standard-weight version of our main pick, difficult to secure around the edges of a ceramic bowl. It was fine for wrapping foil packets and didn’t have pinholes, but like the rest of the standard-weight varieties, this tore much easier than any of the heavy-duty foils tested. Reynolds Wrap’s recycled foil ($22 for five 50-foot rolls) compared about equally to other standard-weight foils in our testing, but we did find it tore a little easier than regular Reynolds foil. At 9 cents per square foot it’s more expensive than the heavy-duty foil, and much less versatile. Since recycled foil is made of scrap metal, it’s no better for the environment than regular foil and not worth the extra money. We couldn’t see much of a difference between the Reynolds nonstick and other heavy-duty foils, except that it’s embossed with its name on one side. At first, we didn’t know what to make of Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Non-Stick Aluminum Foil ($14 for two 35-foot rolls). It’s a heavy-duty foil coated on one side with a nonstick material.

Reynolds wouldn’t tell us what, exactly, that material is, but they call it a “proprietary food-safe coating” that “does not contain Teflon, PTFE, or any material related to Teflon.” I’ve never found food sticking to foil to be a particular problem, and even when it does it’s never a big issue. Reynolds suggests using the nonstick foil to line pans, but you can just as easily do this with regular foil. We didn’t find that the nonstick variety performed any better than Reynolds’s regular heavy-duty foil, and averaging out at 31 cents per square foot, it’s more than four times as expensive. It was a close call between the Bakers and Chefs food service roll and Kirkland Signature Reynolds Heavy Duty Foodservice Foil Roll ($30 for 750 square feet). There wasn’t much difference between the two. They both performed on par and the prices are about equal if you include shipping ($36 for Bakers and Chefs, $40 for Kirkland).

The only difference is that the Kirkland brand (which, as the name suggests, is Reynolds foil co-branded with Kirkland) has a really annoying strip of tape on the foil roll that ended up ripping the foil when I unwrapped it. The Bakers and Chefs didn’t have the tape. If you’re a Costco member, we’d pick up their foil in stores. Otherwise, we think the Bakers and Chefs is a better choice. Like the heavy-duty variety, Kirkland Signature Reynolds Standard Foodservice Foil Roll is a big box of the name-brand stuff. Just like the foil from the smaller roll, this foil ripped too easily, almost like delicate tissue paper. You can pick it up for $30 in Costco stores or buy for a bit more on Amazon, including Prime shipping. Durable Packaging Standard Aluminum Foil Roll ($20 for 500 feet) was the only standard foil we really liked. It comes in a heavy-duty dispenser, but the foil rolls over the top of the roll, rather than under the roll and so it rolls out much easier. Because of the better dispenser, we found we tore the foil less.

This would be a good roll if you just need a lot of foil to line baking pans. But, again, the standard isn’t going to be as versatile as any of the heavy-duty foils. Kmart’s Smart Sense Aluminum Foil ($3.50 for 75 feet) had the same issues as the other standard-weight foils we tried; it didn’t wrap nicely around a bowl and tended to tear easily. It did a fine job wrapping veggie packets for the barbecue and didn’t have any pinholes. Smart Sense Heavy Duty Foil ($3.50 for 50 feet) performed as well as the other store-brand heavy-duty foils. It has the same slight springiness as the Great Value. But this foil averages a little more than 7 cents per foot, making it as expensive as the Reynolds, which we think is pricy for a store-brand version. Walmart’s Great Value Aluminum Foil ($6.50 for 200 feet) had the same issues as the other standard foils; it ripped pretty easily and didn’t wrap nicely around a bowl.

The foil did roll out of the dispenser a little more smoothly than the other smaller rolls of standard foils, simply because the larger roll provides more ballast. Up & Up Aluminum Foil from Target performed identically to the other standard foils we tested, with the exact same ripping and sticking problems. The price for this foil seems to vary on Target’s website, but at the time of publishing it was $8 for 200 feet, making it about equal in price to the Reynolds foil. Up & Up Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil ($3.50 for 55 feet) performs just as well as the Reynolds heavy-duty foil. It sticks well to a bowl, makes great foil packets, and didn’t tear nearly as easily as standard foils. But since you need to either buy this at Target, or order online and pay for shipping, we think the more readily available Reynolds is a better choice for most people. Bakers and Chefs Standard Foodservice Foil ($19 + $12 shipping) disappointed. Every time we tried to rip off a piece, the foil tore awkwardly.

Perhaps that’s because it is an 18-inch-wide roll, and the ergonomics of pulling on that big roll just puts too much strain on the thin foil. There was also a strange residue on the foil we tested. After opening a dozen boxes of standard and heavy-duty foils, it was a shock to feel the thinness of the If You Care 100% Recycled Aluminum Foil ($8 for 50 feet). Indeed, measuring the foil, it was slightly thinner (about 0.0007 inch thick, while the other standard foils were more like 0.0009 inch thick). The foil also looks too shiny, like metallic wrapping paper. It felt like it would rip easily. And at 18 cents a foot, it’s significantly more expensive than other foils. And even though it’s “recycled” it’s no better for the environment. Although it’s labeled heavy duty, the If You Care Heavy Duty 100% Recycled Foil ($10 for 30 square feet) measures more like a standard foil at about 0.0009 inch thick. Like the standard If You Care foil, it seemed too shiny.

It performed about on par with the other standard foils, but doesn’t seem worth the extra money. Other foils we looked at: Reynolds Grill Foil ($8.50 for 37.5 square feet) is marketed specifically for grilling, although we don’t see much of a difference between this and 18-inch-wide heavy-duty foil. It didn’t receive higher reviews than those we tested. Boardwalk Standard Aluminum Foil ($30 for 1,000 feet) didn’t receive better reviews than the other food service rolls we chose to test. For the same reason, we opted not to test the Boardwalk Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil Roll ($32 for 500 feet). Nicole Home Collection Aluminum Foil Roll ($11 for 200 feet) also didn’t receive better reviews than the foils we tested. We eliminated all foil sheets, such as Bakers and Chefs Foil Sheets ($15 for 500 feet), from our testing, as they’re not the most useful for home cooks. Handi-Foil Aluminum Foil ($8 for 25 feet) did not receive better reviews than those we tested.

Powerhouse Aluminum Foil ($6.50 for 25 feet) is more expensive than others we tested and did not receive better reviews. Times Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil Roll ($41 for 508 feet) is significantly more expensive than the food service rolls we tested, and it doesn’t get better reviews. Wrapping it up To get the most out of foil, spring for the heavy-duty variety; it’s less likely to tear or puncture than standard-weight foils and better at protecting foods from freezer burn. Although we didn’t find much of a difference in strength between various brands, Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil has the nicest malleability of those we tried, it’s widely available in nearly every store in America, and comes in the widest range of widths and lengths. Footnotes: 1. Up until about the 1980s all foil was made by first casting aluminum alloy ingots, sometimes called slabs. These ingots were rolled into coils through a hot line, which is a series of hot rolling mills. These coils were then cold rolled over and over again until the aluminum was pressed to the desired thickness. But in the 1980s, Reynolds started using continuous casting.

In this process, molten aluminum is fed into the caster, which converts the molten metal directly into coils which are then run through the cold mills. Continuous casting is a less expensive and a more efficient process than the old way. Jump back. 2. In measuring the foil we did find that it was sometimes difficult to get exact readings with the digital micrometer. We measured each foil three times, and each time there were slight differences, probably because of user error on my part with the micrometer. As John Weritz told me: “Regarding thickness, it is a challenge to read thickness to four decimal places, let alone five using a micrometer. Very slight differences in the torque used to tighten the micrometer can easily result in the differences that you encountered.” On his suggestion we averaged out multiple measurements and rounded off to four decimal places. Jump back. Older New Things How we work We help support the hundreds of hours that go into our evaluations through affiliate commissions on purchases made through our links. We’re committed to publishing unbiased guides that clearly detail our decision-making criteria to our readers, but we just want you to know. Here's how to support our writers and our work. For more on our ethics, ideas and how we work, read this .

We obtain the products we review through a mixture of buying our own and working with companies to borrow review units. Our policy is to return or donate products after we’re finished working with them. Find an error?: Also, If you notice a guide that needs a little freshening up, or has errors, please tweet us at @homesweethome or email us at notes@thesweethome.com and we'll fix it. Thank you. Should we open another bottle of wine? Standard Foil | Reynolds Kitchens Is Reynolds Wrap® Made in the USA? A Yes, Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil is made in the USA. Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil is 98.5% aluminum. The balance is made up of other elements: primarily iron and silicon. These are added to give the strength and puncture resistance obtained only in the alloy used in Reynolds Wrap® household foil. Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil fully complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements for direct contact with food. Q Is aluminum foil recyclable? A Yes, aluminum foil can be recycled. However, every community’s recycling program is unique, so be sure to check if aluminum foil is accepted by your local government or recycling provider.

Find information about facilities near you. Q What side of the foil should I use, shiny or dull? A With standard and heavy duty foil, it’s perfectly fine to place your food on either side so you can decide if you prefer to have the shiny or dull side facing out. Q When should I use Heavy Duty Foil vs. Standard foil? A Both Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty and Standard Aluminum Foil have excellent strength and can be used in a variety of situations. Standard foil does a great job when lining and covering 13"x9" or smaller pans, for wrapping sandwiches and other light items, and for making small packets for oven cooking. Heavy Duty foil should be used when extra sturdiness is needed. Some examples include lining grills or broiler pans, and for making multiple serving size packets for the grill or oven. This kind of foil also offers extra protection from freezer burn when wrapping foods for freezer storage. Q Can I use Aluminum Foil instead of Parchment Paper?

A Reynolds® Parchment Paper will generally have better non-stick qualities during cooking than standard aluminum foil.Reynolds® Parchment Paper is oven safe up to 420°F but is not suitable for cooking that involves direct heat – so if you are broiling of grilling, we recommend that you use foil. Reynolds Wrap® Non Stick foil has a silicone coating for easy release of sticky or baked on foods and is available in the foil aisle. How aluminum foil is made - material, manufacture, making, used, processing, dimensions, aluminium, procedure Aluminum Foil Background Aluminum foil is made from an aluminum alloy which contains between 92 and 99 percent aluminum. Usually between 0.00017 and 0.0059 inches thick, foil is produced in many widths and strengths for literally hundreds of applications. It is used to manufacture thermal insulation for the construction industry, fin stock for air conditioners, electrical coils for transformers, capacitors for radios and televisions, insulation for storage tanks, decorative products, and containers and packaging. The popularity of aluminum foil for so many applications is due to several major advantages, one of the foremost being that the raw materials necessary for its manufacture are plentiful.

Aluminum foil is inexpensive, durable, non-toxic, and greaseproof. In addition, it resists chemical attack and provides excellent electrical and non-magnetic shielding. Shipments (in 1991) of aluminum foil totaled 913 million pounds, with packaging representing seventy-five percent of the aluminum foil market. Aluminum foil's popularity as a packaging material is due to its excellent impermeability to water vapor and gases. It also extends shelf life, uses less storage space, and generates less waste than many other packaging materials. The preference for aluminum in flexible packaging has consequently become a global phenomenon. In Japan, aluminum foil is used as the barrier component in flexible cans. In Europe, aluminum flexible packaging dominates the market for pharmaceutical blister packages and candy wrappers. The aseptic drink box, which uses a thin layer of aluminum foil as a barrier against oxygen, light, and odor, is also quite popular around the world. Aluminum is the most recently discovered of the metals that modern industry utilizes in large amounts. Known as "alumina," aluminum compounds were used to prepare medicines in ancient Egypt and to set cloth dyes during the Middle Ages.

By the early eighteenth century, scientists suspected that these compounds contained a metal, and, in 1807, the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy attempted to isolate it. Although his efforts failed, Davy confirmed that alumina had a metallic base, which he initially called "alumium." Davy later changed this to "aluminum," and, while scientists in many countries spell the term "aluminium," most Americans use Davy's revised spelling. In 1825, a Danish chemist named Hans Christian Ørsted successfully isolated aluminum, and, twenty years later, a German physicist named Friedrich Wohler was able to create larger particles of the metal; however, Wohler's particles were still only the size of pinheads. In 1854 Henri Sainte-Claire Deville, a French scientist, refined Wohler's method enough to create aluminum lumps as large as marbles. Deville's process provided a foundation for the modern aluminum industry, and the first aluminum bars made were displayed in 1855 at the Paris Exposition. At this point the high cost of isolating the newly discovered metal limited its industrial uses.

However, in 1866 two scientists working separately in the United States and France concurrently developed what became known as the Hall-Héroult method of separating alumina from oxygen by applying an electrical current. While both Charles Hall and Paul-Louis-Toussaint Héroult patented their discoveries, in America and France respectively, Hall was the first to recognize the financial potential of his purification process. In 1888 The Bayer process of refining bauxite consists of four steps: digestion, clarification, precipitation, and calcination. The result is a fine white powder of aluminum oxide. he and several partners founded the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which produced the first aluminum ingots that year. Using hydroelectricity to power a large new conversion plant near Niagara Falls and supplying the burgeoning industrial demand for aluminum, Hall's company—renamed the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) in 1907—thrived. Héroult later established the Aluminium-Industrie-Aktien-Gesellschaft in Switzerland. Encouraged by the increasing demand for aluminum during World Wars I and II, most other industrialized nations began to produce their own aluminum.

In 1903, France became the first country to produce foil from purified aluminum. The United States followed suit a decade later, its first use of the new product being leg bands to identify racing pigeons. Aluminum foil was soon used for containers and packaging, and World War II accelerated this trend, establishing aluminum foil as a major packaging material. Until World War II, Alcoa remained the sole American manufacturer of purified aluminum, but today there are seven major producers of aluminum foil located in the United States. Raw Materials Aluminum numbers among the most abundant elements: after oxygen and silicon, it is the most plentiful element found in the earth's surface, making up over eight percent of the crust to a depth of ten miles and appearing in almost every common rock. However, aluminum does not occur in its pure, metallic form but rather as hydrated aluminum oxide (a mixture of water and alumina) combined with silica, iron oxide, and titania. The most significant aluminum ore is bauxite, named after the French town of Les Baux where it was discovered in 1821. Bauxite contains iron and hydrated aluminum oxide, with the latter representing its largest constituent material.

At present, bauxite is plentiful enough so that only deposits with an aluminum oxide content of forty-five percent or more are mined to make aluminum. Concentrated deposits are found in both the northern and southern hemispheres, with most of the ore used in the United States coming from the West Indies, North America, and Australia. Since bauxite occurs so close to the earth's surface, mining procedures are relatively simple. Explosives are used to open up large pits in bauxite beds, after which the top layers of dirt and rock are cleared away. The exposed ore is then removed with front end loaders, piled in trucks or railroad cars, and transported to processing plants. Bauxite is heavy (generally, one ton of aluminum can be produced from four to six tons of the ore), so, to reduce Continuous casting is an alternative to melting and casting aluminum. An advantage of continuous casting is that it does not require an annealing (heat treatment) step prior to foil rolling, as does the melting and casting process. the cost of transporting it, these plants are often situated as close as possible to the bauxite mines. The Manufacturing Process Extracting pure aluminum from bauxite entails two processes.

First, the ore is refined to eliminate impurities such as iron oxide, silica, titania, and water. Then, the resultant aluminum oxide is smelted to produce pure aluminum. After that, the aluminum is rolled to produce foil. Refining — Bayer process 1 The Bayer process used to refine bauxite comprises four steps: digestion, clarification, precipitation, and calcination. During the digestion stage, the bauxite is ground and mixed with sodium hydroxide before being pumped into large, pressurized tanks. In these tanks, called digesters, the combination of sodium hydroxide, heat, and pressure breaks the ore down into a saturated solution of sodium aluminate and insoluble contaminants, which settle to the bottom. 2 The next phase of the process, clarification, entails sending the solution and the contaminants through a set of tanks and presses. During this stage, cloth filters trap the contaminants, which are then disposed of. After being filtered once again, the remaining solution is transported to a cooling tower. 3 In the next stage, precipitation, the aluminum oxide solution moves into a large silo, where, in an adaptation of the Deville method, the fluid is seeded with crystals of hydrated aluminum to promote the formation of aluminum particles.

As the seed crystals attract other crystals in the solution, large clumps of aluminum hydrate begin to form. These are first filtered out and then rinsed. 4 Calcination, the final step in the Bayer refinement process, entails exposing the aluminum hydrate to high temperatures. This extreme heat dehydrates the material, leaving a residue of fine white powder: aluminum oxide. Smelting 5 Smelting, which separates the aluminum-oxygen compound (alumina) produced by the Bayer process, is the next step in extracting pure, metallic aluminum from bauxite. Although the procedure currently used derives from the electrolytic method invented contemporaneously by Charles Hall and Paul-Louis-Toussaint Héroult in the late nineteenth century, it has been modernized. First, the alumina is dissolved in a smelting cell, a deep steel mold lined with carbon and filled with a heated liquid conductor that consists mainly of the aluminum compound cryolite. 6 Next, an electric current is run through the cryolite, causing a crust to form over the top of the alumina melt. When additional alumina is periodically stirred into the mixture, this crust is broken and stirred in as well.

As the alumina dissolves, it electrolytically decomposes to produce a layer of pure, molten aluminum on the bottom of the smelting cell. The oxygen merges with the carbon used to line the cell and escapes in the form of carbon dioxide. 7 Still in molten form, the purified aluminum is drawn from the smelting cells, transferred into crucibles, and emptied into furnaces. At this stage, other elements can be added to produce aluminum alloys with characteristics appropriate to the end product, though foil is generally made from 99.8 or 99.9 percent pure aluminum. The liquid is then poured into direct chill casting devices, where it cools into large slabs called "ingots" or "reroll stock." After being annealed—heat treated to improve workability—the ingots are suitable for rolling into foil. Foil is produced from aluminum stock by rolling it between heavy rollers. Rolling produces two natural finishes on the foil, bright and matte. As the foil emerges from the rollers, circular knives cut it into rectangular pieces.

An alternative method to melting and casting the aluminum is called "continuous casting." This process involves a production line consisting of a melting furnace, a holding hearth to contain the molten metal, a transfer system, a casting unit, a combination unit consisting of pinch rolls, shear and bridle, and a rewind and coil car. Both methods produce stock of thicknesses ranging from 0.125 to 0.250 inch (0.317 to 0.635 centimeter) and of various widths. The advantage of the continuous casting method is that it does not require an annealing step prior to foil rolling, as does the melting and casting process, because annealing is automatically achieved during the casting process. Rolling foil 8 After the foil stock is made, it must be reduced in thickness to make the foil. This is accomplished in a rolling mill, where the material is passed several times through metal rolls called work rolls. As the sheets (or webs) of aluminum pass through the rolls, they are squeezed thinner and extruded through the gap between the rolls. The work rolls are paired with heavier rolls called backup rolls, which apply pressure to help maintain the stability of the work rolls.

This helps to hold the product dimensions within tolerances. The work and backup rolls rotate in opposite directions. Lubricants are added to facilitate the rolling process. During this rolling process, the aluminum occasionally must be annealed (heat-treated) to maintain its workability. The reduction of the foil is controlled by adjusting the rpm of the rolls and the viscosity (the resistance to flow), quantity, and temperature of the rolling lubricants. The roll gap determines both the thickness and length of the foil leaving the mill. This gap can be adjusted by raising or lowering the upper work roll. Rolling produces two natural finishes on the foil, bright and matte. The bright finish is produced when the foil comes in contact with the work roll surfaces. To produce the matte finish, two sheets must be packed together and rolled simultaneously; when this is done, the sides that are touching each other end up with a matte finish. Other mechanical finishing methods, usually produced during converting operations, can be used to produce certain patterns. 9 As the foil sheets come through the rollers, they are trimmed and slitted with circular or razor-like knives installed on the roll mill. Trimming refers to the edges of the foil, while slitting involves cutting the foil into several sheets.

These steps are used to produce narrow coiled widths, to trim the edges of coated or laminated stock, and to produce rectangular pieces. For certain fabricating and converting operations, webs that have been broken during rolling must be joined back together, or spliced. Common types of splices for joining webs of plain foil and/or backed foil include ultrasonic, heat-sealing tape, pressure-sealing tape, and electric welded. The ultrasonic splice uses a solid-state weld—made with an ultrasonic transducer—in the overlapped metal. Finishing processes 10 For many applications, foil is used in I V / combination with other materials. It can be coated with a wide range of materials, such as polymers and resins, for decorative, protective, or heat-sealing purposes. It can be laminated to papers, paperboards, and plastic films. It can also be cut, formed into any shape, printed, embossed, slit into strips, sheeted, etched, and anodized. Once the foil is in its final state, it is packaged accordingly and shipped to the customer. Quality Control In addition to in-process control of such parameters as temperature and time, the finished foil product must meet certain requirements.

For instance, different converting processes and end uses have been found to require varying degrees of dryness on the foil surface for satisfactory performance. A wettability test is used to determine the dryness. In this test, different solutions of ethyl alcohol in distilled water, in increments of ten percent by volume, are poured in a uniform stream onto the foil surface. If no drops form, the wettability is zero. The process is continued until it is determined what minimum percent of alcohol solution will completely wet the foil surface. Other important properties are thickness and tensile strength. Standard test methods have been developed by the American Society For Testing and Materials (ASTM). Thickness is determined by weighing a sample and measuring its area, and then dividing the weight by the product of the area times the alloy density. Tension testing of foil must be carefully controlled because test results can be affected by rough edges and the presence of small defects, as well as other variables. The sample is placed in a grip and a tensile or pulling force is applied until fracture of the sample occurs. The force or strength required to break the sample is measured. The Future The popularity of aluminum foil, especially for flexible packaging, will continue to grow.

Four-sided, fin-sealed pouches have gained wide popularity for military, medical, and retail food applications and, in larger sizes, for institutional food service packs. Pouches have also been introduced for packaging 1.06 to 4.75 gallons (4-18 liters) of wine for both retail and restaurant markets, and for other food service markets. In addition, other products continue to be developed for other applications. The increase in popularity of microwave ovens has resulted in the development of several forms of aluminum-based semi-rigid containers designed specifically for these ovens. More recently, special cooking foils for barbecuing have been developed. However, even aluminum foil is being scrutinized in regard to its environmental "friendliness." Hence, manufacturers are increasing their efforts in the recycling area; in fact, all U.S. foil producers have begun recycling programs even though aluminum foil's total tonnage and capture rate is much lower than that of the easy-to-recycle aluminum cans. Aluminum foil already has the advantage of being light and small, which helps reduce its contribution to the solid waste stream. In fact, laminated aluminum foil packaging represents just 17/lOOths of one percent of the U.S. solid waste.

For packaging waste, the most promising solution may be source reduction. For instance, packaging 65 pounds (29.51 kilograms) of coffee in steel cans requires 20 pounds (9.08 kilograms) of steel but only three pounds (4.08 kilograms) of laminated packaging including aluminum foil. Such packaging also takes up less space in the landfill. The Aluminum Association's Foil Division is even developing an educational program on aluminum foil for universities and professional packaging designers in order to help inform such designers of the benefits of switching to flexible packaging. Aluminum foil also uses less energy during both manufacturing and distribution, with in-plant scrap being recycled. In fact, recycled aluminum, including cans and foil, accounts for over 30 percent of the industry's yearly supply of metal. This number has been increasing for several years and is expected to continue. In addition, processes used during foil manufacturing are being improved to reduce air pollution and hazardous waste. Where To Learn More The Spectator : History of tin foil History of tin foil Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Close Send Email Cancel It crinkles, hurts to chew on and can even be made into a hat to ward off alien mind probes. Tin foil may not be the most exciting kitchen accessory, but junior Kylie Woodford said it plays an important role in the kitchen at Mancino’s Grinders and Pizza. Woodford, a Mancino’s employee, said the restaurant uses tin foil on a regular basis to wrap up leftovers. “It’s very versatile and very nice to use and also inexpensive,” she said. “I’m a tin foil fan.” Actually, the “tin foil” used in homes and restaurants is not tin at all. Tin foil was originally used for industrial purposes such as lining cigarette packages, said Pat Schweitzer, an Alcoa spokesperson. However, Reynolds Wrap foil has been made of aluminum since 1926. “‘Tin foil’ is just carried over from days when it was used for other more industrial uses,” Schweitzer said, adding that all household foil is now aluminum. Today Reynolds Wrap is made of 99 percent alloy aluminum; iron and silicon add strength and puncture resistance in the remaining one percent.

Reynolds Wrap is now owned by Alcoa, which purchased the popular brand name six years ago. Schweitzer said aluminum foil went on the market as a household product in the 1940s, when a Reynolds Wrap sales representative used an extra roll of foil from his car to save his family’s Thanksgiving Dinner. His wife could not find a pan for the turkey and the representative doubted there would be any pans left in the store on Thanksgiving Day, Schweitzer said. “He wrapped the turkey up in the foil and it turned out perfectly,” she said. The European Aluminum Foil Association claims aluminum foil is an ideal product for protecting food because it is malleable; it does not absorb grease, oil or water; it does not react with most common compounds; and it is sterile, tasteless and odor-free. Aluminum foil is more effective than plastic wrap when freezing food because of its ability to hold moisture. Woodford finds aluminum foil works especially well in wrapping Mancino’s Grinders, or submarine sandwiches, according to Alcoa’s corporate Web site. “It seems to work best with Grinders,” she said.

“It doesn’t make them soggy or anything.” Aluminum foil’s shiny and dull side comes from rolling two sheets of aluminum together, Schweitzer said. The bright side gets its shine from coming into contact with the company’s heavy rollers during manufacturing. When it comes to cooking, freezing and storing food with the standard foil, Schweitzer said there is no significant difference between the two sides. However, she does suggest facing the dull (and non-stick) side inward if using Reynolds Wrap Release Non-Stick Foil. Both Reynolds Wrap Aluminum and Release Non-Stick Foil are kosher and recyclable, according to Alcoa’s Web site. Woodford also uses aluminum foil often at home, especially when baking. “I always line my pan with tin foil,” she said. “It’s easy to clean up; things don’t stick to it at all. Then I don’t have to wash the dishes like crazy.” Schweitzer said though Reynolds Wrap’s most common use is for food preparation and storage, it comes in handy in many other circumstances as well. She recommends using aluminum foil on the grill and in the oven to prevent food, such as baked potatoes, from charring and drying out.

Aluminum foil also works well as a wrap for storing paintbrushes between uses and as a liner between garden rows to thwart weeds, Schweitzer said. Woodford finds aluminum foil also improves the reception on her television. “I have some tin foil on my TV antennas,” she said. “It seems to work pretty well.” Leave a Comment The Spectator intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. As such, we do not permit the use of profanity, foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that might be interpreted as libelous. Comments are reviewed and must be approved by a moderator to ensure that they meet these standards. The Spectator does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. If you want a picture to show with your comment, go get a gravatar . Name (required) What is Aluminum Foil? (with pictures) What is Aluminum Foil?

Last Modified Date: 13 November 2016 Copyright Protected: Top 10 facts about the world Useful for storing food, or for lining hats to keep the alien brainwaves at bay, aluminum foil is a fixture around the world. It is a paper-thin sheet of rolled aluminum that tears easily and can be used to wrap and store food, in art, as decoration, as insulation and in heat exchangers . First developed in 1910 as a replacement for tin foil, aluminum foil gained popularity quickly. It is not merely seen in home use, but also has many commercial uses. Manufacturers quickly found that it preserved food from bacterial growth, prevented light from spoiling the food, and helped stop moisture from collecting in it. It also does not impart any flavor to food wrapped in it. Many manufacturers use this foil to line drink boxes, thermal bags and other foods. Most people are familiar with aluminum foil for its many kitchen uses. It can be used to wrap foods for cooking, to retain their moisture, for grilling and for covering food going into the refrigerator or freezer.

It is also useful to inhibit browning, and one popular use for it is to put it around the crust of a baking pie so the crust does not burn as the pie cooks. The foil is often used in takeout food delivery packaging. Ad Aluminum foil can also be used for arts and crafts, especially foil that comes in different colors. In this form, it is also used for wrapping gift boxes and other gifts. Regular kitchen foil has many uses outside the kitchen. It can be used over the mouth of a bottle and the cap placed on it, so the liquid will not leak. It can be an impromptu palette for paint. Cosmetologists even use foil when coloring or highlighting a client's hair. They may also mix up the hair color in a makeshift bowl of aluminum foil. Few industrial products have as many in-home applications as aluminum foil. The inventors surely never dreamed it would serve so many uses, not the least of which is keeping those aliens from reading your mind. Ad DylanB Post 10 My husband has an job that never lets him come home at the same time every day, so I often have to find ways to keep dinner warm until he arrives.

I have found that putting aluminum foil over a container of food really locks in flavor, moisture, and heat. It locks the moisture in meat like chicken, which has a tendency to get very dry. It also keeps bread moist, even if you have toasted it. This sometimes borders on soggy, though, so you may have to stick it back in the oven for a couple of minutes before serving to crisp it back up. Also, aluminum foil can reintroduce moisture into food by trapping the heat and causing condensation. I once made a pan of brownies that turned out too dry, so immediately after removing them from the oven, I wrapped the pan in aluminum foil and left it there for an hour. When I removed it and bit into a brownie, it was very moist! Oceana Post 9 I sometimes wrap presents in aluminum foil when I run out of regular wrapping paper. It makes a pretty silver package. You have to be really careful not to wrinkle it, though. Once you make a wrinkle, you can never fully straighten it back out. healthy4life Post 8 @giddion – Have you ever used parchment paper for baking that is lined with aluminum foil on the bottom?

This paper is also great for keeping your cookies from sticking to the pan. The only thing is that the parchment lined side will burn if you have to have the oven above a certain temperature. So, if you are baking something that requires high heat, you would probably do better just to use aluminum foil. It's also great for lining the pan before baking sweet potato fries. I think it helps them cook faster, and when it's time to flip them over, they give way very easily. giddion Post 7 I put aluminum foil on pans before baking items that might stick. It is great stuff, because it will make a pan nonstick in an instant. I also put aluminum foil down in a pan before pouring fudge into it. I boiled the fudge in a pot on the stove, and then I pour it into the pan and refrigerate it so that the fudge will become one solid block. John57 Post 6 When I am baking a roast or a turkey aluminum foil works great. I shape the foil into a tent over the meat instead of wrapping up the meat in the foil. Something about doing it this way keeps the meat really tender and juicy.

My aunt may have been ahead of her time because she always washed and re-used many pieces of aluminum foil. She couldn't stand to throw anything away that she could still get some use from. There are many times when you use pieces of foil where it makes a lot of sense to rinse it off and use it again, as long as it isn't too dirty or sticky. LisaLou Post 5 @bagley79 -- Have you ever tried the aluminum foil packaging made especially for grilling? These are wonderful and you can just put your food in the bags, place them on the grill and they taste great. This also makes clean-up really easy. I used to cut off a thin strip of aluminum foil to put around my pie crust when it was baking in the oven. I always got frustrated by this as the aluminum foil never stayed on very well and it was just a pain to do every time. I finally bought a metal ring that goes around the outside of the crust while it is in the oven. This is much easier than using the aluminum foil, but I must say, if you don't have anything else to use, the foil will get the job done.

andee Post 4 I remember my mom using aluminum foil to heat up leftovers on the stove. This was before we had microwaves and this was the easiest and quickest way to heat up food. She would get a little bit of water boiling in a pan, and then place the food wrapped in aluminum foil in the water until it was warmed up. I don't think anybody really likes to eat cold leftovers, so this was a great way to do it. Now we just stick everything in the microwave, although I never put aluminum foil in the microwave. bagley79 Post 3 Aluminum foil is a staple in my kitchen. I especially like the heavy duty aluminum foil and don't mind paying extra for it. I usually have a box of this and a box of the regular foil in one of my drawers in the kitchen. There are some situations where the heavy duty aluminum foil is much better. If I am wrapping up potatoes to put on the grill this always works better. Otherwise, I will have to wrap them twice, so it is just easier to use the heavy duty. akon How It's Made: Aluminium Foil - YouTube How It's Made: Aluminium Foil Want to watch this again later?

Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jan 18, 2009 How is Aluminium Foil Manufactured? From Season 1, Episode 1 of How It's Made. Category

Question: What is kitchen tin foil made from?
Answer: Aluminium