How Do Aluminum Foils Work?

How Do Aluminum Foils Work?

An aluminum foil keeps the food warm, but placing the foil directly on the object or food doesn’t help much. The reason behind this is, if the foil is in contact with the object, the thermal energy would move in the foil itself and might get away, but if the foil is placed a little away from the food then it can properly reflect back the thermal energy and maintain the freshness of the food. So to avoid contact between foil and food, you can add a few layers of butter paper to make air pockets and then add pack in a final layer of aluminum foil.


As aluminum is a poor insulator (substance which doesn’t allow passage of heat) so to make the foil more effective, place it (food wrapped in foil) in fiberglass or ceramic tiffin boxes. It doesn’t only keep the food warmer for long, but also keep things cold.It acts as barrier to the oxygen and air which can transfer heat to the cold or frozen food. Bottom line is it helps by maintaining the temperature of the food, be it warm or cold.