Why does aluminum foil have a shiny side and a dull side?

Answer 1

Aluminum foil typically has a dull and a shiny side, which occurs during the manufacturing of the material. Typically, neither side is significantly better than the other for the general purposes of cooking, wrapping, covering, or lining processes when preparing or storing foods. However, since there is a dull and a shiny side, and since the shiny side is a better reflector of heat or cold, it may be of some value to use each side accordingly when cooking or storing foods. It is simply that the difference in value is very small and probably not noticable. That said, since the shiny side of foil will reflect heat better, wrap foods to be stored in refrigerated conditions with the shiny side out so warmer temperatures are reflected away and kept out of the wrapped food. Similarly, if an item is being cooked, it may slow some of the cooking process only slightly if the shiny side is on the outside of the item resulting in the heat being reflected. Or if you want wrapped foods to remain warm, wrap the food with the dull side out so the heat reflects off the shiny side and back into the food.

Answer 2

The dull side has a non-stick coating on it. The shiny side doesn't.

Answer 3

the shiny side is the part you see when reflected from the sun the darkside is just how it normally looks like in dim light

Answer 4

For a pocket stew the uninteresting part is on the exterior to soak up the warmth and the dazzling part is on the interior to maintain reflecting the warmth into the stew. For a kite flying at night which may be reported as a unidentified flying merchandise i could recommend dazzling part on the front.

Answer 5

One side is for cooking food, the other is for blocking alien and government transmissions.