Will your potato cook more quickly wrapped one way, or your chicken skin crisp more easily with a certain side up? According to Reynold’s Kitchen, the difference between the two sides has nothing to do with cooking. The outside surfaces become shiny and the inner surfaces that are pressed together stay matte. The sheets are rolled to a specific thickness, coiled, and sent to a cold rolling mill where it is doubled and rolled out a second time. The performance of the foil is the same, whichever side you use. Other than that, though, you’re fine no matter what side you prefer. The performance of the foil is the same, whichever side you use.” Huh… well how about that! We’re going to break it down for you with help from the experts. 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. Even if the second argument is true, it still wouldn't matter which side you use; because whatever manufacturers use to coat the shiny bit it's gotta be safe (they wouldn't market it if it wasn't, aluminium foil like that has pretty much no other use than to wrap up food), also I wouldn't bother about the oxide layer either, it 'sticks' to the aluminium pretty fast. Sign-up to get a daily batch of tips, tricks, and smiles to, Homeowners Find Stash Of Prohibition-Era Booze Under The Floorboards Of Their Home, What The Term ‘Latinx’ Means And Who Uses It, ‘Charcuterie Chalets’ Are Like Savory Gingerbread Houses For Adults, Scotland Becomes First Country To Make Period Products Free. Aluminum foils are more of a safety issue for this type of oven than they are for others. Some folks like to cook on the shiny side, and others prefer the dull side, but who is right? The reason aluminum foil, or “tin foil” as we sometimes (inaccurately) call it, has a flat side and a shiny side has everything to do with the way it is produced. All rights reserved. Since aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side, many cooking resources say that when cooking foods wrapped or covered with aluminum foil, the shiny side should be down, facing the food, and the dull side up. Milling is a process whereby heat and tension is applied to stretch the foil to the desired thickness. In fact, to be completely on the safe side, you might want to avoid using aluminum foils altogether for a microwave-convection hybrid. In other words, feel free to use whatever side makes you happy. The shiny side is face-up on the roll, and the dull side is on its underside. If you ever make a solar oven, be sure to attach the foil shiny side up. It’s made by rolling large slabs of aluminum until they are less than 0.2 mm thick. It’s a mystery that we’re sure not every home-cook has spent time thinking about, but if you’re one who has you’ve come to the right place. Lining your gas oven with aluminum foil can block heat, air flow, and produce less than optimal cooking results. Generally speaking, it doesn’t matter which side of foil you use. Or maybe the dull side is a better conductor, creating a more even cooking surface? Share Tweet Pin. During that final pass through the roller, two sheets are rolled at once because they have become so thin. However, this makes aluminum foil ideal for solar heating experiments. There's a shiny and a dull side, but what does it all mean? Copyright © Simplemost, All Rights Reserved. Covering up vent openings in the bottom of the oven can lead to insufficient air flow, heat distribution and issues with performance. For instance, special, non-stick foil has a food-safe coating on one side. According to the Aluminum Association, the foil is made by casting molten aluminum into slabs that are then processed in a rolling mill. Granted, you should take extra care to use them properly when using a microwave convection oven. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. When the sheets of aluminum are rolled out, the side that comes in contact with the rollers come out shiny. The short answer is: no. Aluminum Foil In Oven • Which side of aluminum foil is toxic? There are a couple of unique instances when you might want to pay attention to the side of the foil you are using. Is one side supposed to touch the food and the other the pan? Aluminum foil, or tin foil, is a paper-thin, shiny sheet of aluminum metal. Chris Winters. Where the foil is in contact with another layer, that’s the ‘dull’ side. Many of the objects that we use on a regular basis have hidden features. Heat reflecting off aluminum foil can overcook foods or damage your oven’s heating elements. The best recipes, kitchen tips and genius food facts. I assume that you are talking about doing something like wrapping something if foil and placing it in the oven. You’ve probably noticed by now that aluminum foil has two sides: one that’s shiny and one that’s dull. Recipes and more delivered to your inbox. It’s entirely up to you to choose whether the shiny side or the dull side faces up or out. And now you know! StockImages_AT via Getty Images The shiny side is face-up on the roll, and the dull side is on its underside. (It’s been imprinted with “non-stick side” if you should forget.). Foil’s shiny side is 88% reflective of radiant heat. When you tear off a sheet of aluminum foil to place in a baking dish or wrap around food before popping it into the oven, you might wonder if there is a right way and a wrong way to use it. Aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side. This is why experts such as Reynolds Wrap state that you can place your food on either side when you use standard or heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bottom line is – if you use the shiny-side up, you’re doing it right. The ‘shiny’ side is the side milled without being in contact with another sheet of metal. In other words, feel free to use whatever side makes you happy. The truth is that it makes no difference at all. This reflectivity doesn’t make a difference when it comes to heating your food, which is generally based on convection heat (though it does explain why you should never put metallic foil in a microwave: the microwaves reflect off the metal, bouncing around the oven and building up a charge). Here’s the important thing you need to know: if you use the shiny side, you’re doing it right. The performance of the foil is the same, whichever side you use. However, there are a few particular circumstances when you actually ought to flip the foil one way or the other. If you want to benefit from the non-stick coating, know that the dull side will be marked as the non-stick side. The reason the two sides look different is due to the manufacturing process. You might not lie awake at night wondering whether you should be baking atop the shiny But , if you are using non-stick foil , there is a difference between the two sides because the non-stick coating is only applied to one side. When you tear off a sheet of aluminum foil to place in a baking dish or wrap around food before popping it into the oven, you might wonder if there is a right way and a wrong way to use it. Reynold’s explained the difference on their site: The foil is ‘milled’ in layers during production. And what does it all mean? If that’s the product you’re using, the dull side is what you want. ©2020 Verizon Media. One side looks like a shiny mirrored sheet, while the other has a duller metallic surface. Many people believe that it matters which side is used up or down. This is because the shiny side is more reflective and so will reflect more of the radiant heat than the duller side. Should The Shiny Side Of Aluminum Foil Be Up Or Down When Cooking? It’s just a result of manufacturing. And if you use the dull side, you’re also doing it right. ----- The most important part of our job is creating informational content. Does the shiny side reflect more heat, resulting in a crispier finish? But, if you are using non-stick foil, there is a difference between the two sides because the non-stick coating is only applied to one side. Now that I read that it makes perfect sense. The “shiny” side is the side milled without being in contact with another sheet of metal. There’s actually a reason as to why foil has a shiny side and Reynolds Kitchens is here to provide answers. Is here to provide answers duller side. ) fact, to be completely on the roll, and dull... Than optimal cooking results is made by rolling large slabs of aluminum are out! 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