Aluminum foils are one of the many everyday items you need around the kitchen all-year round. From wrapping leftover food to lining the stovetops for easy clean-up, aluminum foil rolls make your life unremarkably easy around the kitchen. And if you haven’t discovered the wonders of aluminum foil in your life yet, then it’s the right time to explore our buying guide on this everyday kitchen accessory and how to find the best quality rolls. Because, believe it or not, finding the perfect aluminum foil roll isn’t an easy task. You might encounter many pitfalls such as low-quality aluminum, poor heat conduction, improper thickness, and some can even be prone to rips and punctures. Our guide has everything you need to find the ideal aluminum foil - one that’s free of the aforementioned issues.
Here Are Some Uses of Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foils have multiple uses in and around the kitchen. Here are a few most common foil applications.
- Proper food storage
Aluminum foils come in handy when you have to refrigerate food items, whether it’s a leftover burger, pizza, or curry; covering it with aluminum foil ensures that the food remains as fresh as possible and retains its moisture.
- Ensure proper food preservation
Aluminum foils are the perfect way to preserve fresh meat, vegetable, and other fresh produce. Wrapping the meat and other fresh items with an aluminum sheet before freezing them ensures that the product does not get freezer burns resulting in longer shelf life.
- For baking and grilling
If you are into baking and grilling, aluminum foils will turn out to be big lifesavers. With the meat juices oozing out during grilling and baking, lining the sheet pans and grill racks with aluminum ensure easy and mess-free cleanup. Making time-saving foil packets is one of the most common food trends. The idea is to season the protein and veggies of your choice and pack them in a foil packet before tossing them in the oven. The aluminum wrap ensures that the contents cook through tenderly, without losing their moisture. So, whether you are making sweet or savory, aluminum foils are a helpful accessory for baking and grilling tasks.
- Avoid the mess
With consistent cooking in the kitchen, it is common for stovetops and drawers to get dirty. Stovetops have to deal with grease buildup and food spilling incidents, resulting in hard-to-scrub spots. Many people prefer to line their stovetops and drawers with disposable aluminum sheets to discard once it is dirty. Lining the stovetop, oven racks, and baking trays with aluminum foil allows for time-efficient cleanup of the spills and food splattering.
Standard Aluminum Foil vs. Heavy Duty Aluminium: What’s The Difference?
The two types of foils that you will commonly encounter are; a standard variant and a heavy-duty aluminum foil. Standard or regular aluminum foil rolls are quite flexible and thin. From wrapping sandwiches and covering the food bowls to lining the baking sheets, the standard aluminum foil can do it all. However, the downside to standard aluminum foil is that they are prone to rips and tears under extreme temperatures. On the other hand, as the name implies, heavy-duty aluminum foil is a more robust option, and it has certain hardness to it. Compared to standard aluminum, the latter is thick and sturdy, resistant to high temperatures, punctures, and tears. Therefore, heavy-duty aluminum foil is useful for foil packet meals, campfire cooking, and grilling!
An Easy Criteria To Select an Aluminum Foil Roll for Your Kitchen
Selecting the right aluminum foil is no rocket science, but here’s us simplifying the process for you a bit more:
- Thickness of the roll
Aluminum foil rolls come in various thickness ranges, and the choice depends on your personal preference and usage. If you only need to wrap your everyday food items and cover the dishes to keep the food warm, then thinner and more flexible aluminum sheets with even 0.005 mm thickness will be suitable for you! Whereas, if you are looking to line your grill, carry out campfire cooking and freeze your food supplies, then aluminum foils with a thickness of around 0.09 mm should do a decent job.
- Size and width of the foil roll
Aluminum foils are available in widths ranging from 12 inches to 18 inches. If you have bigger trays and a rack to line, getting 18-inches wide aluminum rolls will save you time and the hassle of overlapping the sheet. However, if the aluminum foil is too wide, there can be extra wastage as well. So, if you are a home cook, who constantly has to line and wrap their food dishes in aluminum foil, 12-14 inches wide rolls are a pocket-friendly and convenient option. There are various size options for aluminum foil rolls; ranging from 50 sq. ft to 500 and 750 sq. ft. Also, there is no hard and fast rule to follow with foil roll sizes; you can pick any size or width you want.
- Serrated cutting edges
One of the most user-friendly features that you should look for in aluminum foil rolls is a serrated cutter on the box edge. This feature ensures that you can get straight and easy cuts every time you pull out the aluminum sheets from the box, saving you the hassle of pulling out scissors every time.
