Aluminum foil is something most households have in their pantry. It comes in handy while cooking or, after the fact when you are wanting to store the leftover food. Aluminum foil has so many different uses in the kitchen it really is handy to have on hand. Did you know that aluminum foil has other uses aside from cooking and storing food? Here are some of my favorite uses for aluminum foil:
Soften Brown Sugar
Brown sugar always seems to get rock hard before I can use it all. Thankfully, aluminum foil can help you to soften it again. Wrap the chunk of brown sugar in aluminum foil and bake it for five minutes at 300℉.
Keep Fresh Bread and Rolls Warm
Trying to keep your fresh baked rolls and bread warm for dinner can be difficult sometimes. When you take them out of the oven, wrap them in a cloth napkin and place aluminum foil under them. The foil will reflect the heat back to the bread or rolls and keep them warm while you wait for other things to finish cooking.
Polish Silver
Over time, silver tarnishes. That can be easily reversed. Using a jelly roll pan, line it with aluminum foil, fill it with cold water. Then, add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Put your silver in the pan and let soak for three minutes. Rinse it off and dry it well.
Keep Silver from Tarnishing
Once your silverware is freshly cleaned, it is easy to keep it from tarnishing. The first step is to tightly wrap each individual piece in plastic wrap (making sure to remove as much as as possible). Next, take the aluminum foil and wrap it around the piece of silverware making sure the the ends are tightly closed.
Scrub Pots
We have all been in a spot where we are doing dishes and realize that you need to scrub one of your pans but, are fresh out of scrubbies. No need to soak that pan anymore. Simply reach for your aluminum foil. Grab a handful of foil and crumple it up. Use that to scrub your pan clean.
Preserve Steel Wool
It seems like steel wool pads only last one use. By the time you need to use it again, it’ a non-useable mess. If you take a small piece of aluminum foil and crumple it up and put it under the steel wool pad that will help it last longer. Just be sure that you are draining the excess water out of it every few days.
Keep Oven Clean
When cooking and baking, I sometimes worry about something spilling over the edge in my oven. If this is the case, just line the rack below with aluminum foil for easy clean up. (Do not line the bottom of the oven as that may cause a fire.)
Radiator Heat
If your house still has radiator heat you can easily make the heat more efficient by covering cardboard with heavy duty aluminum foil. Make sure that the shiny side of the aluminum foil is facing out and the dull side is up against the cardboard. Slide the piece of cardboard behind your heating unit and it will reflect the heat back out instead of being absorbed by the wall.
If your heating units have covers, placing a piece of aluminum foil under the cover will also help increase the efficiency of your heat.
Speed Up Ironing
Ironing can take a long time. That is because the ironing board itself actually soaks up most of the heat that the iron gives off. This means that it takes that many more passes of the iron to get the wrinkles out. Take a piece of aluminum foil and place it under the ironing board cover then, iron as usual. The aluminum foil will reflect the heat back to the item you are ironing making the piece of clothing wrinkle free much faster.
Clean the Grill
Once you are finished with the grill, lay a piece of foil across it while the coals are still hot. This will help burn off any leftover food. Leave the sheet in place until you are ready to use the grill again. Before you start it up the next time, crumple the foil up and use it to scrub the grates and remove any access gunk that is stuck.
Aluminum foil is a very versatile product to have in your kitchen pantry. These options I have shared here, are just a few ways to use aluminum foil aside from cooking and baking. There are endless other uses for aluminum foil as well. Do you have a favorite non-traditional use for aluminum foil? Share it below! I would love to hear it!