9 Helpful Ways to Use Aluminum Foil In the Kitchen (2025)

When we think of multi-purpose kitchen workhorses, we’re quick to applaud the Dutch oven and the spoonula. But let’s get some justice for aluminum foil, the supporting actor that makes so many of our everyday kitchen processes possible. Whether it’s super-speeding our cleanup, perfecting our baked goods, shining our silver, or sharpening our scissors, we give this kitchen staple’s performance a tin out of tin. Read on for our favorite ways to use it beyond covering a pan of lasagna

Prevent Messy Cooking

On nights when time is in short supply, lining your pans with aluminum foil can save you a lot of scrubbing. You can also use it to catch drips under bubbly dishes—just place a sheet of foil on the rack directly below whatever you’re baking (not the bottom of the oven, which is a safety hazard). As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Deep-Clean Your Oven or Cookware

The texture of balled-up aluminum foil is perfect for scrubbing at grease and baked-on residue. It’s even more effective when paired with a baking soda paste. You can also use foil to scour pots and pans—just be sure not to use it on nonstick cookware, as it could destroy the nonstick surface. Cast iron will need to be reseasoned after a foil scrub.

Blind Bake a Pie Crust

When blind baking a pie crust—that is, pre-baking the crust without the filling—use tin foil to keep the crust from puffing up unevenly. Simply roll out your dough, line your pie plate, top the crust with aluminum foil, and top the foil with baking weights or dried beans. Chill the dough for 30 minutes to an hour before baking.

Keep a Crust from Burning

You can also make use of aluminum foil when cooking filled pies—particularly those that require a longer bake time to set up. Use a thin strip of aluminum to cover the edges of the pie crust while baking. This will allow the center of the pie to cook fully without burning the crust. That’s right—no sogginess and a perfect golden-brown crust every time.

Wrap a Spring Form Pan to Avoid Soggy Cheesecake

Baking a cheesecake only to find it has a soggy crust is a heartbreaking thing. It can happen when water from the water bath seeps into the crevices of thespringform pan. Wrapping the exterior of the springform pan in foil will help avoid this.

Sharpen Your Kitchen Shears or Scissors

You can use foil to sharpen kitchen shears or scissors whose blades have dulled or picked up gunk. Take a large piece of foil (about 12 to 14 inches in length), fold it in on itself until it is 5 to 6 folds thick, and cut across the length of the foil so that the entire blade makes contact. Repeat as needed, and voila—good-as-new scissors.

Polish Your Silverware

Aluminum foil makes a great all-natural silver polish. Line a large container with foil, fill it with very hot or boiling water, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of baking soda, and stir the baking soda in to dissolve it. Place the silver items into the container, making sure they are touching the foil. Let them soak for one to three minutes, or until the tarnish dissolves, before drying and buffing them with a clean cloth.

Avoid Freezer Burn

The best way to wrap frozen foods properly and avoid freezer burn is to use two layers: a tight wrap in freezer-safe plastic, followed by a foil layer to keep things extra-fresh. Foods wrapped in foil can stay good for as long as a few months.

Swan-Wrap Your Leftovers

Remember the foil swans that fancy restaurants use to make as an alternative to takeout containers? Sturdier and less prone to breakage and sogginess than paper bags, these whimsical shapes will keep your leftovers fresh and your refrigerator shelves clean.