cooking with aluminum foil shiny side in or out
The ‘shiny’ side is the side milled without being in contact with another sheet of metal. But is there a difference? If you are baking something wrapped in foil, you should probably have the dull side of the foil out. (My vote is shiny side-up.) Most people think it matters whether aluminum foil is used shiny side up or down, but the surprising truth is that it doesn’t make a difference. In my household, the “right” way to use aluminum foil — shiny side-up or shiny side-down — is the subject of much debate. The appearance has no effect on how the foil performs. Makers of aluminum foil don't intentionally make a shiny and a dull side for any culinary purpose. If you're using the foil to stop your food drying out, cook shiny side out as it will cook all the way through without drying out the top. Even those who have never touched an oven or grill know that aluminum foil has two sides: one shiny, one dull. According to the Reynolds Kitchens website: "We mill two layers in contact with each other at the same time, because if we didn't, the foil would break during the milling process. This is just not so. It is a common misconception that the shiny side and dull side of aluminum foil serve different purposes in cooking. Private Notes. The performance of the foil is the same, whichever side you use. The Wrong Side. The ‘shiny' … The dull side reflects heat a bit less than the shiny side. Overturn the baking pan on the counter. It doesn’t matter! The variation is a result of the manufacturing process—the shiny side comes in contact with highly polished steel rollers, and the matte side doesn’t. When you cook with aluminum foil make sure you cook with the shiny side facing out. Actually, it makes no difference which side of the aluminum foil you use—both sides do the same fine job of … It does make a difference. In fact, some cooks wrap potatoes in aluminum foil dull side facing out during baking with the belief that the shiny side reflects heat toward the potato, cooking it faster. Guess what? Where the foil is in contact with another layer, that's the ‘dull' side. While some cooks profess the need to cook food with the shiny side pointed inwards, because it will reflect heat waves … The shiny side always goes out. Sharp-edged pans tend to tear aluminum foil, so be especially … As it turns out, we’re not the only ones who have spent time thinking about this. With the shiny side up (see Note, below), press the foil over the outside of the pan, gently smoothing it to contour it with the corners and edges of the pan. It's merely a result of how the foil is made. Not wait, shiny side touching the food! Hang on… You’ve probably heard contradictory advice about whether the shiny side should face in or out, and which side can touch the food. The shiny side reflects heat, so if you put the shiny side out when you are cooking, the heat will reflect off and the food won't cook as quickly. In this experiment, we find out for certain whether using aluminium foil shiny side up or down makes a difference. StockImages_AT via Getty Images