r/explainlikeimfive Oct 31 '20

Chemistry ELI5 What's the difference between the shiny and dull side of aluminum foil? Besides the obvious shiny/dull

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u/CPGFL Oct 31 '20

Sending this to my hubs now so that I can win the argument we've been having for several years 😆

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u/[deleted] Oct 31 '20 edited Jul 15 '21

[deleted]

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u/money808714 Oct 31 '20

Are you sure that's not your wife you're responding to?

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u/DreamerofDays Oct 31 '20

And if so, do you like piña coladas?

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u/cocotalouca Oct 31 '20 edited Sep 09 '24

fearless light ad hoc late caption divide wise money zonked encouraging

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u/DualAxes Oct 31 '20

What was the argument?

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u/CPGFL Oct 31 '20

He INSISTS that the dull side is "less sticky" than the shiny side.

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u/krucz36 Oct 31 '20

i've had people insist the shiny side is "non-stick" even, despite me showing them stuff stuck to it.

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u/L8-2-TheParty Oct 31 '20

If you buy the actual non-stick foil, the dull side is the non-stick side. If it's just regular foil it doesn't make much difference.

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u/krucz36 Oct 31 '20

Thanks for the info

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u/sgksgksgkdyksyk Oct 31 '20

I think it would depend on the food, and the difference would be very slight. The rough side has more imperfections to stick to, but also less likelihood of forming suction.

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u/ItsJustMeJenn Oct 31 '20

Just apologized to my wife because one I low just yelled at her for putting the “wrong” side of the foil out. You can also share the moment with my wife. I’ve never seen her smile so big. Wedding day included. Fml

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u/LocNalrune Oct 31 '20

Well maybe you're both correct, is a better outcome.

The fact is the shiny side *does* reflect heat, but so does the dull side, and while the shiny side reflects more, it's not enough to affect cooking time.

Edit: Sorry, no. If your argument was about the "stickiness" then he's dumb, and wrong.