History of tin foil
Janie Boschma
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Showcase
It crinkles, hurts to chew on and can even be made into a hat to ward off alien mind probes.
Tin foil may not be the most exciting kitchen accessory, but junior Kylie Woodford said it plays an important role in the kitchen at Mancino's Grinders and Pizza. Woodford, a Mancino's employee, said the restaurant uses tin foil on a regular basis to wrap up leftovers.
"It's very versatile and very nice to use and also inexpensive," she said. "I'm a tin foil fan."
Actually, the "tin foil" used in homes and restaurants is not tin at all. Tin foil was originally used for industrial purposes such as lining cigarette packages, said Pat Schweitzer, an Alcoa spokesperson. However, Reynolds Wrap foil has been made of aluminum since 1926.
"'Tin foil' is just carried over from days when it was used for other more industrial uses," Schweitzer said, adding that all household foil is now aluminum. Today Reynolds Wrap is made of 99 percent alloy aluminum; iron and silicon add strength and puncture resistance in the remaining one percent. Reynolds Wrap is now owned by Alcoa, which purchased the popular brand name six years ago.
Schweitzer said aluminum foil went on the market as a household product in the 1940s, when a Reynolds Wrap sales representative used an extra roll of foil from his car to save his family's Thanksgiving Dinner. His wife could not find a pan for the turkey and the representative doubted there would be any pans left in the store on Thanksgiving Day, Schweitzer said.
"He wrapped the turkey up in the foil and it turned out perfectly," she said.
The European Aluminum Foil Association claims aluminum foil is an ideal product for protecting food because it is malleable; it does not absorb grease, oil or water; it does not react with most common compounds; and it is sterile, tasteless and odor-free.
Aluminum foil is more effective than plastic wrap when freezing food because of its ability to hold moisture. Woodford finds aluminum foil works especially well in wrapping Mancino's Grinders, or submarine sandwiches, according to Alcoa's corporate Web site.
Tin foil may not be the most exciting kitchen accessory, but junior Kylie Woodford said it plays an important role in the kitchen at Mancino's Grinders and Pizza. Woodford, a Mancino's employee, said the restaurant uses tin foil on a regular basis to wrap up leftovers.
"It's very versatile and very nice to use and also inexpensive," she said. "I'm a tin foil fan."
Actually, the "tin foil" used in homes and restaurants is not tin at all. Tin foil was originally used for industrial purposes such as lining cigarette packages, said Pat Schweitzer, an Alcoa spokesperson. However, Reynolds Wrap foil has been made of aluminum since 1926.
"'Tin foil' is just carried over from days when it was used for other more industrial uses," Schweitzer said, adding that all household foil is now aluminum. Today Reynolds Wrap is made of 99 percent alloy aluminum; iron and silicon add strength and puncture resistance in the remaining one percent. Reynolds Wrap is now owned by Alcoa, which purchased the popular brand name six years ago.
Schweitzer said aluminum foil went on the market as a household product in the 1940s, when a Reynolds Wrap sales representative used an extra roll of foil from his car to save his family's Thanksgiving Dinner. His wife could not find a pan for the turkey and the representative doubted there would be any pans left in the store on Thanksgiving Day, Schweitzer said.
"He wrapped the turkey up in the foil and it turned out perfectly," she said.
The European Aluminum Foil Association claims aluminum foil is an ideal product for protecting food because it is malleable; it does not absorb grease, oil or water; it does not react with most common compounds; and it is sterile, tasteless and odor-free.
Aluminum foil is more effective than plastic wrap when freezing food because of its ability to hold moisture. Woodford finds aluminum foil works especially well in wrapping Mancino's Grinders, or submarine sandwiches, according to Alcoa's corporate Web site.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
nisha
posted 10/31/08 @ 9:31 AM CST
Its pretty kewl and stuff i guess...
bob you uncle
posted 11/11/09 @ 6:41 PM CST
i love foil, im gonna marry it
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