Does Tin Foil Keep Things Cold?

When you are wrapping foil around your food, you must wonder “does tin foil keep things cold?” Well, the good news is we have answered this burning question for you after doing multiple experiments and scouring the internet. 

Tinfoil does, in fact, keep things cold if you wrap it around them tightly. The foil is like a barrier between air and oxygen, allowing it to either keep things warm or cold, depending on what the state of the food was before. 

Now that you know the answer to that burning question, let’s discuss if using tin foil is safe and how does it work in the section below!

How Does Tin Foil Work?

Once you wrap the tin foil around the food, make sure that you keep a little space between the two things. Otherwise, the thermal energy will pass right through the foil and escape. Tin foil can transfer heat to cold or frozen foods, thanks to it being a barrier between air and oxygen. 

Regardless of what type of food you place it on, it will work the same way. If you have food that is heated, it will remain warm with tin foil around it. On the other hand, if you have food that is cold, the foil will maintain its cold temperature for as long as it is on there. 

Is Tin Foil Dangerous?

While there are no immediate dangers of using tin foil, you might face them if you keep it wrapped around food for a prolonged period of time. If you keep the tin foil around food for more than 4-5 hours at lower temperatures, bacteria might start reproducing. This bacteria is not visible to the eye and eating it will cause food poisoning, among other things. 

Plus, you should avoid using tin foil on acidic foods since they will absorb the tin or aluminum from the foil. Wrapping it around normal food is fine as it locks the moisture and keeps the food fresh and maintains temperature. 

Is it Good For Keeping Things Cold?

For anyone that uses tin foil regularly, you might be familiar that it can keep a thing warm for a considerable amount of time. However, does it have the same effect when used on a cold item? While it does work, it won’t keep the thing cold for a long time.

If you use it to keep a drink cold, you’ll notice that tin foil doesn’t work nearly as well as it would on a warm drink. While the overall time the food or drink remains cold is increased with tin foil wrapped around it, it doesn’t have a major impact.

Watch the following video to learn more:

Conclusion

Tinfoil does keep things cold if you wrap it around a cold food or drink. While the overall duration isn’t as effective as when used on a hot or warm item, it still is useful. If any of your friends or family ask this question, now you can give them an answer!

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