In this experiment, we find out for certain whether using aluminium foil shiny side up or down makes a difference. The hot air of the oven transfers heat to the food being cooked. In reality, in the long length of time it takes to bake a potato, either side will work basically the same. Rather than which side is out, a bigger difference may be made by how tightly the potato is wrapped. When it comes time to solve all of the great mysteries that life keeps presenting to us, we have got you covered. First, the sheet is spooled into a roll and then it is fed into the cold-rolling mill for the final stage of milling. All Rights Reserved. Have you ever thought about why the two sides have different finishes, though? two sides to tin foil, there’s a shiny side, and a not so shiny side,” Even the heated vessel and the heated food itself emits this energy. Foil is no longer made out of tin as it is more expensive and less durable than aluminum. If these layers were not brought into contact with each other during the production process, the foil would break. Aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side. StockImages_AT via Getty Images Please support this website by adding us to the whitelist in your ad blocker. However, their explanations make little sense. Not very informative! Reynolds is here to make life easier by offering an important clarification. Many people believe that it matters which side is used up or down. The truth is that it makes no difference at all. The side in contact with the roller came out shiny. Danielle Centoni says that the eternal question -- shiny side in or out? cooking foods wrapped or covered with aluminum foil, the shiny side should be down, facing the food, and the dull side up However, when you cook food in an oven, the major source of cooking heat is convection. This is because the shiny side is more reflective and so will reflect more of the radiant heat than the duller side. The foil will be heated through convection and this energy will be transferred to the potato, and as the moisture in the potato heats up, the potato is cooked through steam. So, the sheet is doubled. One side becomes shiny because that is the side that is not coming into contact with any other sheets of metal. There’s actually a reason as to why this is and Reynolds Kitchens is here to provide answers. The reason the two sides look different is due to the manufacturing process. Convection is the transfer of heat by the physical movement of surrounding fluid (liquid or gas). We know that this is the answer you have come for. Maybe you see the shiny side as the "right" or "top" one and always have it facing up. Does the shiny side go on top or underneath? You get to decide which side of the foil should be facing outwards and the choice is always going to be a matter of personal taste. Shiny surfaces reflect waves more than dull surfaces. By Malcolm. Leifheit 4-in-1 Wall-Mount Paper Towel Holder | Plastic Wrap and Foil Dispenser with Spice Rack. Lubricants are added to facilitate the operation. When the sheets of aluminum are rolled out, the side that comes in contact with the rollers come out shiny.. They are in effect pseudo-explanations. This may seem like a lot of explanation to come to the same conclusion, but it is not my purpose to give inaccurate explanations! Please contact for permissions. One side is shiny and the other side is dull. Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Coleslaw. Once the sheet of aluminum is 5mm thick, it must be rolled again in the cold-rolling stage. But it should not affect convection, the major source of heat transfer. This means that the heated coils, sides, and racks in your oven are emitting infrared energy. This article contains one or more Amazon affiliate links. This explanation does not explain why the shiny side makes no difference. The ‘shiny’ side is the side milled without being in contact with another sheet of metal. 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. You really do learn something every single day, don’t you? A large block of almost pure aluminum is rolled through giant steel rollers, several times, reducing the thickness of the aluminum block and spreading it out to make it longer. Since I already mentioned the manufacture of foil through the explanations given above, I may as well write a bit more about how foil is made. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content – thank you! Which Side Of Foil Facing Up? The sides of the aluminum that come in contact with the steel rollers become more polished and shiny, and the sides of the aluminum that come in contact with itself become duller. The truth is that it makes no difference at all. Both sides of the foil are equally effective. So, it is up to you which side of the aluminum foil goes up. Foil shiny side up or down? The performance of the foil is the same, whichever side you use. If it heats up too much, it can stick to the rollers, so the roller pressure must be carefully controlled. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This may seem simple enough, but the actual process can be tricky. There are three basic ways heat can be transferred: conduction, convection, and radiation. You can place either side in either direction whether cooking or freezing food with aluminum foil. In Everyday, Questions. Did you know that plastic pen caps come with holes so that you can remain safe if you happened to swallow one by accident? The information on this page, then, applies to both aluminum foil and tin foil as both terms refer to the same product. It is at this point that the shiny and dull sides of the aluminum are created. It is due to the manufacturing process. Regardless of why one side of aluminum foil is shiny and one is dull, it stands to reason that the shinier surface will be more reflective than the duller surface. To say that there is no effect whatsoever is inaccurate and it probably still is a little more efficient to cook with the dull side out. See full disclosure. All content © 2019 by Eric Troy and CulinaryLore. We had no idea that there was a legitimate reason for this contrast in appearance. One side becomes shiny because that is the side that is not coming into contact with any other sheets of metal. Although most resources still say it is true, the shiny side should be down, some newer sources say that it makes no difference which side of the aluminum foil faces up. It simply reiterates, with a bit more explanation, that foil does, in fact, have a shiny side and a dull side. You can place either side in either direction whether cooking or freezing food with aluminum foil. Ladles come with holes that allow you to measure out a single serving of pasta, though most people are totally oblivious to that fact! Yes, the shiny side is more reflective but reflective of what? While they aren’t supposed to be hidden or secret, many people are unaware of their full potential. The explanations given seem to indicate that since the shiny and dull sides are simply a by-product of the manufacturing process and are not purposely put there, they make no difference. The ‘shiny' side is the side milled without being in contact with another sheet of metal." It’s particularly designed with kids in mind. The process is repeated until foil thickness is reached, and the large flat sheet is then split into the desired widths. Should The Shiny Side Of Aluminum Foil Be Up Or Down When Cooking. The truth is that the shiny side of aluminum foil is only a little bit shinier than the dull side. Where the foil is in contact with another layer, that's the ‘dull' side. Radiation is light waves, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, etc. This is what happens when we cook on the stove. The manufacture of aluminum foil is similar to making pasta at home. So which side of the foil do we need to be using? However, when measured over time in high temperatures, the difference is so slight that there should be little discernable change in cooking times. The explanation does not support the claim. Or, if you're often writing labels or cooking instructions on aluminum-foil-covered baking dishes, perhaps you prefer the duller side for that. The reason happens to be a simple one: the foil is milled in layers. Conduction is when heat is transferred through contact of one object with another hot object. If these layers were not brought into contact with each other during the production process, the foil would break. There’s actually a reason as to why foil has a shiny side and Reynolds Kitchens is here to provide answers. According to Reynolds, this is a common question that they receive on a regular basis. At each successive pass through the rollers, the thickness is reduced. Any air trapped in the aluminum foil pouch and surrounding the potato may act as an insulating barrier, slowing the transfer of heat. Many people believe that it matters which side is used up or down.

foil shiny side up or down in oven

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