If you don’t have a roll or two of Reynolds Wrap in your pantry, you probably aren’t in your kitchen much. It may not be edible, but it’s a key ingredient for practically any culinary project. Whether you’re simply using it to line a sheet pan for an easy dinner, grilling corn on the cob or tenting a roast turkey on Thanksgiving, it’s likely one of the kitchen basics you buy most often.
Given how much of the shiny stuff you go through, the thought may have crossed your mind: Can I reuse foil? You didn’t think this about browned, crusty Reynolds Wrap, of course. The idea captured your fancy when you were left with a clean-looking length that you used to cover a casserole, for example.
We weren’t sure, so we went straight to the source and reached out to Sumita Ghosh, marketing director for Reynolds Foil & Bakeware.
Is It Safe to Reuse Foil?
Ghosh was clear on the matter, saying it’s safest to dispose of foil after a single use. “Although there are scenarios where both plain and nonstick foil can be safely reused, when used as intended for cooking or food storage, the safe food practice is not to reuse the foil,” she says. “Wrinkles and holes can result from handling the foil, trapping food and reducing the foil’s protection, increasing the risk of foodborne disease.”
Foodborne disease, of course, is no joke. The most common foodborne pathogens include Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria—nothing you want to thrive in your kitchen. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re using Every Day, Heavy Duty or Nonstick foil, the versatile wrap is thin enough to easily become torn or wrinkled, as Ghosh warns.
She goes on to say that, while you should always use a new sheet, doing so doesn’t have to be a burden on the environment. “We also encourage consumers to check availability for recycling in their communities,” she says. In fact, sustainability is a key tenet of the Reynolds brand. The foil products are packaged in 100% recycled paperboard, which is in turn recyclable.
How to Recycle Aluminum Foil
First, check your local recycling program to see if it accepts foil. The next step might seem obvious, but don’t forget: your foil must be clean. If you can’t remove all the food residue, it is not recyclable.
Not as easy to anticipate? Recycling centers prefer that you submit your foil rolled up into a single ball. Why? Because the product is so light that it could blow away or end up in undesirable parts of the recycling equipment if left in sheets. It could also be confused for other items if left flat, meaning it could be a potential contaminant in the process. Some recycling centers even say that the ball must be at least 2 inches in diameter to really stand out from the pack.
Some of Our Favorite Ways to Use Foil
The very best way to make the most of aluminum foil is to fold your favorite foods into a sealed packet. The method is also super fun for grilling or even cooking over coals when you go camping. Our Sausage, Pepper & Potato Packets can be assembled ahead and refrigerated or kept in a cooler, then heated up until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is lightly seared in the hot foil.
A major asset of cooking food in foil is that it retains every bit of moisture. Our Grilled Lemon-Pepper Salmon in Foil proves that in spades. In less than 30 minutes of cooking time, the buttery fish with whole slices of lemon could well become a staple in your kitchen—either indoor or outdoor. Pair it with our Grilled Vegetables in Foil. The combination of asparagus, sweet mini peppers and zucchini is packed with nutrients, but garlic, butter and chives give the veggies a flavor that goes beyond the smoke of the grill that’s imparted when you cook them outside.
Another ingenious way to use foil? Reynolds recommends folding it to create a divider in your slow cooker. This allows you to make and serve two dips at once. Since aluminum foil is safe for all kinds of cooking, your choices are unlimited.
The Bottom Line
It’s not the best idea to reuse foil, since it could cause foodborne illnesses, but let’s focus on the positive. Many recycling programs accept balled-up, clean foil, so there is quite literally a silver lining here. And just thinking about a shiny new sheet of aluminum foil gets us excited about the possibilities. From grilling packets to roasting sheet-pan meals to slow-cooking, multifaceted foil is the ticket to some serious deliciousness.
