In today’s kitchen, in addition to basic equipment and ingredients such as stoves, pots and pans, and dishes, there are many other new names. These new tools and ingredients help enhance the support for kitchen tasks, making it easier and more convenient for people.
One of these is foil paper. The main purpose of foil paper when used in the kitchen is to wrap food when baking with an oven or using an air fryer. Foil paper prevents the food from burning during the baking process, slowly cooking the food and preserving its heat, without making it dry after it’s done.
Foil paper is commonly used to wrap food when cooking with an oven (illustration)
However, a recent article on the Aboluowang website has pointed out that using foil paper only for baking is quite wasteful. Foil paper has many other practical uses and is considered a cheap but valuable ingredient in the kitchen.
Other uses of foil paper
1. Preventing bananas from turning black
When bananas are left at room temperature for a long time, they tend to develop dark spots on the peel. Foil paper can help prevent this.
To do this, wrap the top part of the banana tightly with foil paper. This will prevent the release of ethylene gas, slow down the ripening process of the banana, and delay the appearance of black spots on the peel. Foil paper can also be used in the same way for other fruits and vegetables such as celery, carrots, or commonly stored refrigerated produce, to extend their shelf life.
Illustration
2. Cleaning root vegetables
In life, there are many times when we encounter root vegetables that are more difficult to clean compared to other types of food such as ginger, potatoes, and taro. Foil paper can help users to some extent in this task.
Crumple the foil paper into a circular shape, then use it to scrub directly on the surface of the vegetables that need cleaning. Foil paper will quickly remove impurities or dirt from these types of food. This method is also used by some restaurants to facilitate and speed up kitchen tasks.
3. Sealing plastic bags
Foil paper can be a savior in some urgent cases, such as when a user has a plastic bag containing food but the bag opening is not sealed and cannot be closed. Use a piece of foil paper to wrap the opening of the plastic bag, then iron it at a suitable temperature, along the edge of the bag opening. The result is that the plastic bag will be completely sealed by the foil paper and the heat.
Illustration
4. Removing stains on metal kitchen utensils
In addition to being useful in cooking tasks, users can also apply foil paper in cleaning tasks. Specifically, the article on Aboluowang mentioned the use of foil paper to remove stains, including dust or black burn marks, on metal kitchen utensils.
The steps are simple:
– Take a piece of foil paper depending on your needs, crumple it into a round shape
– Use the crumpled foil paper to scrub the areas that need to be cleaned such as the bottom of pots, pans, oven racks, or the bottom of an air fryer…
Illustration
The effect of crumpled foil paper is similar to dedicated scrubbing pads commonly used for dishwashing. However, a small note is that users should not use foil paper to scrub enamel-coated or non-stick cookware, as this may scratch or damage the coating.
5. Sharpening knives
If the kitchen knife becomes blunt due to prolonged use, users can use foil paper to restore its sharpness. To do this, take a piece of foil paper, crumple it into a round shape, then use it to sharpen the knife directly. For scissors, the method is even simpler. Users just need to take a piece of foil paper of the right size and continuously cut it with the scissors. This will significantly improve the sharpness of the knife and scissors.
Illustration
6. Making a funnel
With its rigid and non-absorbent nature, users can also use foil paper to make a versatile funnel in the kitchen. After using foil paper as a funnel to pour water or any liquid into a bottle with a narrow opening, the foil paper can still be used for other tasks such as sharpening knives, cleaning kitchen utensils…
7. Speeding up the freezing process of food
Basically, foil paper has good heat transfer and retention properties. Therefore, it not only helps speed up the cooking process and keep food hot, but can also shorten the time when users want to freeze and chill food. When storing food in the refrigerator or freezer, simply wrap the food in foil paper. The chilling and freezing time for that food will be significantly reduced.
Illustration
With all these uses, when using foil paper in daily kitchen tasks, experts also advise users to keep in mind a few important notes to ensure the safe and health-friendly use of foil paper. Some important notes include:
– Do not put foil paper in the microwave
– Do not use foil paper to wrap foods with acidic properties such as lemon, vinegar, tomato, salt, spices of anything containing alcohol.
– Both sides of the foil paper can be used to wrap food. However, the shiny side has better heat reflection capability.
– When using foil paper in the oven, adjust the temperature to not be too high, as this may cause burn marks.
Source: Aboluowang