Wax paper and aluminum foil: which side contacts food

[chueh]

I am laying a sheet of wax paper on a plate to prevent hot food from sticking on to the plate. However, I am not sure which side is up or down; there is one side dull but another shinny. Is the shinny side having the wax coating on that should contact hot food?

Similar question for the aluminum foil too, I head that the shinny side is toxic when contacting with food. I have always touch food with the dull side. Is it correct?

Thanks

 

[roadfix]

I've never paid much attention to which side is which except for aluminum foil but only when keeping foods hot or cold I always wrap or cover with the shiny side facing the outside.
And I don't even know if I'm doing that right....as far insulation is concerned....

With a space blanket, for instance, you face the reflective side towards you to keep you warm. Perhaps I should be doing the same with aluminum foil and food.

 

[GotGarlic]

It doesn't matter. Neither is toxic and neither is going to leach anything into your food.

 

[RPCookin]

I am laying a sheet of wax paper on a plate to prevent hot food from sticking on to the plate. However, I am not sure which side is up or down; there is one side dull but another shinny. Is the shinny side having the wax coating on that should contact hot food?

Similar question for the aluminum foil too, I head that the shinny side is toxic when contacting with food. I have always touch food with the dull side. Is it correct?

Thanks

If either side of foil was toxic, it wouldn't usable for any sort of food purpose. I don't know where you might have picked that up, but it's totally false. I use foil a lot, and it makes absolutely no difference which side touches the food.

 

[Caslon]

The shiny side of aluminum foil has been "polished" to make it a bit less likely to have food stick to it.

 

[Andy M.]

The shiny side of aluminum foil has been "polished" to make it a bit less likely to have food stick to it.

Aluminum foil is ruled out to a specified thickness. It is rolled doubled up so it won't break during the rolling process then separated for packaging. The two sides that were face to face are duller while the opposing sides are shinier.

 

[roadfix]

You can use parchment paper if you're trying to prevent food from sticking while baking, for instance.

 

[Andy M.]

You can use parchment paper if you're trying to prevent food from sticking while baking, for instance.

Foil is notorious for sticking with food. That's why Reynolds came out with non-stick foil.

Parchment is a much better choice to prevent food sticking. Wax paper should work pretty well too but doesn't deal with heat as well.

 

[Caslon]

Thanks for correcting my about the shiny side of foil, I always thought they shined it up. It's just a part of the manufacturing process?

That non-stick aluminum foil is great. It's pricey. I use it sparingly as if it was gold foil.

 

[Addie]

Foil is notorious for sticking with food. That's why Reynolds came out with non-stick foil.

Parchment is a much better choice to prevent food sticking. Wax paper should work pretty well too but doesn't deal with heat as well.

Unfortunately, you can not wrap hot food in wax paper. It causes the very light coat of wax on the paper to melt onto the food. It is paraffin was, so it is food safe.

For foil, in the event you don't have the non stick foil, then give the sheet of regular foil a light spray with Spam or like product.

If you are using the plastic wrap for covering bread dough for rising, you should spray that also, so that the dough doesn't stick to it as it rises to the top and touches it.

The moral of the story, when in doubt, spray it.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for correcting my about the shiny side of foil, I always thought they shined it up. It's just a part of the manufacturing process?

That non-stick aluminum foil is great. It's pricey. I use it sparingly as if it was gold foil.

You're welcome. I always keep a spray can of PAM handy. I spray the foil before I cover my lasagna pans. All the tasty cheese stays in the pan that way.

 

[Mad Cook]

I am laying a sheet of wax paper on a plate to prevent hot food from sticking on to the plate. However, I am not sure which side is up or down; there is one side dull but another shinny. Is the shinny side having the wax coating on that should contact hot food?

Similar question for the aluminum foil too, I head that the shinny side is toxic when contacting with food. I have always touch food with the dull side. Is it correct?

Thanks

Hmm, difficult one this. The non-stick coated aluminium foil is only just arriving over here (UK) but I assume the coated side should face the food.

Many years ago I read that if you wanted the food to brown you should use it shiny side to the food and if you didn't want browning the dull side should face the food. I have never heard this since and to be honest, having experimented, it desn't seem to work. I haven't heard anything specific about toxicity in the use of aluminium foil but I suppose there is an outside chance with either side of the foil but unles it was used excessively there might be a chance but how much iss excessive in this context.

The following two articles are interesting but, of course, they contradict each other.

"You pays your money and you takes your chance" as the old saying goes.

Study: The Alzheimer's-Aluminum Direct Link

Is Aluminum Foil Safe? - Real Simple

 

[RPCookin]

For foil, in the event you don't have the non stick foil, then give the sheet of regular foil a light spray with Spam or like product.

If you are using the plastic wrap for covering bread dough for rising, you should spray that also, so that the dough doesn't stick to it as it rises to the top and touches it.

The moral of the story, when in doubt, spray it.

Spray with canned meat product? An interesting concept, but not terribly practical, I think.

 

[Andy M.]

...The following two articles are interesting but, of course, they contradict each other.

"You pays your money and you takes your chance" as the old saying goes.

Study: The Alzheimer's-Aluminum Direct Link

Is Aluminum Foil Safe? - Real Simple

The Alzheimer's connection was debunked some time ago. You should really avoid the Mercola website. It's motives are questionable.

 

[GotGarlic]

The Alzheimer's connection was debunked some time ago. You should really avoid the Mercola website. It's motives are questionable.

Agreed, and I would add Mercola's motives are demonstrably terrible. Its articles are incorrect and inflammatory.

Here's a much better source: http://alz.org/myths.asp

 

[outRIAAge]

It doesn't matter. Neither is toxic and neither is going to leach anything into your food.

I disagree, but only slightly. Any acidic food will leach aluminium from foil - you can tell by the discoloured aluminium - and adds an unpleasant off-flavour. The "waxy" side of wax paper will transfer a little wax to the food if hot, but that's never been a problem for me. (You absorb about 1000x as much wax drinking a single McDonald's milkshake, though I would never do such a thing.)

Cooks' Illustrated did their usual obsessive-compulsive testing of foil to see if there was ANY difference between the two sides, and found none at all.

(Which surprised me: I've been religiously using it shiny-side-down, thinking it would reflect more heat, and now can't break myself of the habit.)

 

[Andy M.]

I disagree, but only slightly. Any acidic food will leach aluminium from foil - you can tell by the discoloured aluminium - and adds an unpleasant off-flavor...

If you store a highly acidic food, such as tomato sauce, in a stainless steel bowl and cover it with foil, a mild electrochemical reaction is created among the two metals and the acid in the food. This rudimentary battery, eats holes in the foil. This can definitely add an off taste to foods.

I've never noticed an off taste from foil that just turned a darker color on the food side.

 

[outRIAAge]

If you store a highly acidic food, such as tomato sauce, in a stainless steel bowl and cover it with foil, a mild electrochemical reaction is created among the two metals and the acid in the food. This rudimentary battery, eats holes in the foil.

I'm now wondering if my take on aluminium foil is entirely because of the reaction you describe: excellent observation.

I hate to go off-topic, but does this remind anyone else of the stranded-in-the-desert-with-a-dead-battery episode of "Breaking Bad?"

 

[CharlieD]

Not sure about paper, but I have called foil manufacturers and was told to use shiny side up.


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking

 

[Mad Cook]

The Alzheimer's connection was debunked some time ago. You should really avoid the Mercola website. It's motives are questionable.

Yes, I know it was. I did say that the two articles contradicted one another and didn't claim to agree with either.