Is Aluminum Foil Safe for Grilling?

It’s almost summertime, which means backyard cookouts and long days spent in the sunshine grilling up burgers, hot dogs, and steaks. An outdoor grill infuses your meat with delicious smoky flavor, and washing it down with a cold beer or lemonade makes for the perfect meal. If you’re like most Americans, you probably use aluminum foil for easier cooking and clean-up; but is it actually safe for grilling? While this kitchen staple is convenient for barbecues, it has some potential downsides when it comes to the environment — and possibly, your health. Keep reading to learn about the risks of grilling with aluminum foil. 

What is aluminum foil?

First, a little about this useful product’s history. Aluminum is a thin-rolled sheet of alloyed aluminum — 98.5 percent aluminum, to be exact, with the balance primarily from iron and silicon to give strength and puncture resistance. In the production process, the molten alloy is rolled thin and solidified between large, water-cooled chill rollers. Aluminum foil was first produced commercially in the US in 1913 for product packaging. (It was used to wrap Life Savers, candy bars, and chewing gum.) Now, you can find a roll in just about any household, as it’s extremely helpful in covering and storing foods. (Click through for 16 genius uses for aluminum foil.) It also makes a great pet toy, if you crumple it up into a ball and drop it near your cat. But should you use it on your grill? 

Is aluminum foil bad for the environment?

Aluminum foil is great for convenience, but it’s not so nice to planet earth. That’s because it’s only recyclable when it isn’t coated in food residue, which is the opposite of its condition after grilling. You could, of course, rinse your foil and try to wipe it perfectly clean — but that isn’t convenient or efficient, which is why we used the foil in the first place. The result is that the food- and grease-covered aluminum we drop in the recycling bin not only ends up in a landfill, but it also contaminates the other recyclables in your bin.  

For a more sustainable — and no less convenient — alternative, the pros at The Daily Meal recommend a reusable grill basket. Similar to the fry baskets at McDonald’s, they keep food contained so that it doesn’t fall through your grill’s grates. The baskets help with cleaning up, too, since you won’t need to scrape bits of meat off the grill and can simply toss the basket in your dishwasher. One to try: Weber’s Stainless Steel Grill Basket (Buy from Home Depot, $34.98).