Truth be told, there is nothing easier than quickly wrapping your leftover food in foil and tossing it in the fridge.
However here are a few unknown reasons as to why foils should not be used to wrap leftovers:
1. Allow growth of bacteria
When food has been left in the open for more than two hours, bacteria start to rapidly grow and that’s why it’s advisable to store food in the refrigerator using airtight containers. An aluminium foil, on the other hand, isn’t airtight thus provides a perfect environment for the growth of bacteria.
2. Your food isn’t going to last
Aluminium foils allow air to get through into the food thus slowing down the cooling process. Shallow, airtight containers are a better way since they speed up cooling.
3. Labelling
When storing your food in the refrigerator, it should be correctly labelled on a “use-by “ basis or “keep refrigerated". This will inform you which foods have overstayed and should be thrown away or which foods should be consumed first. Foils will not only make labelling hard but also result in the consumption of stale or food.
4. Meant for baking not storage
Aluminium foils have never been meant for storage but for baking and grilling. Aluminium foil is widely used to cover baking surfaces, wrap foods such as meat while cooking to prevent them from losing moisture and to wrap and protect delicate foods like vegetables when grilling them. Aluminium foil is simply used to maintain moisture in foods and insulate baking containers.