Tin foil used for barbecue is not toxic. The main component of tinfoil is aluminum. It is a kind of metallic paper coated or pasted with a silver-like film. It is mostly silver-white. The metal component is actually aluminum, not tin.

Aluminum foil paper, also called tin foil by some in Hong Kong, is a thin sheet with a thickness of less than 0.2mm processed by an aluminum foil rolling mill. Most aluminum foil papers are bright on one side and matte on the other side. Mainly used for packaging food, drugs, cosmetics and other chemicals.

Extended information

Most aluminum foil papers have one side shiny and the other side matte. Aluminum foil paper for food can be used to wrap food on both sides. It is usually recommended to wrap food on the glossy side to improve the heat conduction effect.

Development History The original tinfoil was actually made of tin. It was softer than aluminum foil and would have a tin smell when wrapping food. At the same time, tinfoil could not be heated due to its low melting point, or the heating temperature was high - - It begins to become brittle when it reaches 160°C or above - thus limiting its use in food packaging. If you need to grill food, tin foil cannot be used when baking food.

Since the advent of aluminum foil, it has a high melting point and does not melt until it is heated above 660°C. It can be used for ordinary barbecued foods, baked foods, and even traditional beggar's chickens are wrapped in aluminum foil for baking. , clean and hygienic while maintaining the original flavor.

So after the price of aluminum fell later, aluminum foil replaced tin foil in daily life. However, because metal aluminum can affect brain development, the surface of aluminum foil is now coated with a coating to prevent the release of metal aluminum.

Aluminum foil is usually used to hold food (such as aluminum foil plates). It can be used to wrap bean sprouts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. for barbecue to prevent them from burning. Sometimes used for decoration.

Modern aluminum foil paper is made of aluminum and can also be used as aluminum electrodes for electrolysis. There are also hairstylists who use aluminum foil to perm customers’ hair. Some people also use aluminum foil to absorb the oil in the soup. Aluminum foil is also widely used as an isolation layer, heat exchanger, and as an electrical conductor. Usually, the thickness of aluminum foil used in paper beverage packaging and food packaging bags is only 6.5 microns.

This thin aluminum layer is waterproof, flavor-preserving, anti-bacterial and anti-fouling. It is very common to use aluminum foil plates to serve food. Although aluminum foil plates are disposable, they are made of aluminum and are less harmful to nature.

Main functions

Some foods (such as sweet potatoes, golden mushrooms, etc.) must be wrapped in aluminum foil to avoid burning. Use aluminum foil to wrap seafood, golden mushrooms, etc. to retain the umami flavor.

The functions of tin foil when used for barbecue:

The first is to prevent food from sticking to the baking pan

The second is to prevent food from sticking to dirt

The third is to facilitate brushing the baking pan

Electric hair

Some hairstylists will wrap the hair with aluminum foil to heat the hair, which has better heat transfer effect. Improper use of aluminum foil hair dryers can cause burns, poor hair quality and other problems.

Oil absorption

Crush the aluminum foil into a ball and open it to absorb the oil in the soup. The principle is that during the process of crumpling the aluminum foil, the surface tension of the aluminum foil will be amplified.

Chemical Reaction

Aluminum foil, like aluminum cans and aluminum pots, will react with acids (usually organic acids), and the salts produced by aluminum and organic acids will react with gastric acid , generating aluminum chloride (AlCl3).

Obtaining and manufacturing

Aluminum foil paper is pressed out of aluminum blocks using a rolling machine, then cut to the required length and width, then rolled, packaged and sold. Ordinary aluminum foil and aluminum foil trays can be purchased in supermarkets, department stores and home. Aluminum foil can be purchased at hardware stores and industrial materials companies.

Barbecue guide

Materials used

Main utensils

Barbecue fork, metal barbecue needle, bamboo barbecue skewer, large barbecue charcoal (1.5 kilograms per person can be burned for 3 hours), tin foil, barbecue net, knife, wooden chopsticks (separate raw and cooked), barbecue broom, disposable paper bowl (for food), metal basin (for seasoning, high temperature resistance), disposable paper cup , barbecue clips, disposable gloves, charcoal clips, large basin (for barbecue food), fire branches and leaves, etc., lighter, fan or bamboo tube (for blasting).

Main food

Marinated: chicken wings, chicken legs, pork chops, chicken chops, steaks, mutton skewers, bone and meat (chicken and cartilage), pork chops (wrapped in tin foil) , steak (wrapped in tin foil).

Non-salted: corn, saury, large shellfish (such as mussels, scallops), soaked dried squid, crispy sausage, black pepper sausage, sausage, corn sausage, vegetarian chicken, beef Balls, cuttlefish balls (easy to burn), thin potato slices, sweet potato slices, shrimp, eggplant, soaked mushrooms, green peppers, cuttlefish larvae.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Tinfoil

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Barbecue