Curses! Foiled again!

March 9, 2005 11:43 AM

Why are the aluminum foil sheets used at deli counters patterned (with dimples, crosshatches, diamonds, &c.)? Is patterned foil available in roll form?
posted by breezeway to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

ta-da!
posted by Capn at 12:23 PM on March 9, 2005

I suspect the dimpling creates insulating air pockets that keep food warmer longer.
posted by pmbuko at 12:38 PM on March 9, 2005

to look pretty?
if it's not just embossed, but actually a variation in thickness, then it may make the foil tougher, like the thicker threads in rip-stop nylon.
pmbuko - i couldn't find any foil on that link.
posted by andrew cooke at 1:10 PM on March 9, 2005

It's pretty. The foil is possibly less likely to stick to one another. It may reduce the amount of material required; the stamping makes it thinner. It's pretty. And it prevents re-use as technology against alien mind rays, lest employees start selling it on the black market.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:14 PM on March 9, 2005

This would make a very good Straight Dope question.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:15 PM on March 9, 2005

hmm. maybe, since delis and grocery stores buy in bulk, the holes = less aluminium = less cost? maybe?
posted by jmccw at 1:42 PM on March 9, 2005

I went out to lunch after seeing this question and at the taqueria I went to noticed that they had a whole industrial roll of foil in a white box with the label "patterned foil." So, yes, it does come in rolls although that doesnt answer the why.
posted by vacapinta at 2:35 PM on March 9, 2005

Also, this site seems to imply that they are merely decorative.
posted by vacapinta at 2:36 PM on March 9, 2005