I read the info about shiny side in/out about aluminum wi regards to potatoes - what about covering a dish which contains tomatoe sauce?
Does the aluminum stick to sauce/cheese, as in lasagna, on the shiny side or dull side or either side?? It seems that i have to peel/scrape of the foil on anything containing tomatoes/sauce
thanks
The only thing I could guess that might have an effect is the surface area of the aluminum. There is no chemical difference between the two sides. If I had to guess, I think that the dull side would have a higher surface area, so it would react faster. But I can’t be certain that the dull side has a higher surface area, and even if it does, I doubt it makes a noticable difference.
My answer then is that it wont make a difference. Aluminum is not good for storing tomato based items. I wouldn’t wrap your lutefisk in it either.
The dull side certainly has a higher surface area on the atomic scale. (Think of how a finite area can be enclosed by an infinite fractal perimeter.)
Welcome to the SDMB, Dru.
A link to the column you’re commenting on is appreciated. Providing one can be as simple as pasting the URL into your post, making sure to leave a blank space on either side of it. Like so: Should a baking potato be wrapped in foil shiny side in or shiny side out? - The Straight Dope
Intuitively I agree, since the distorted reflection is likely due to phase boundry issues similar to the way milk is cloudy. But I wouldn’t bet on it because funky things can happen on that scale. The shiny side may have more macroscopic grooves that have little effect on the reflection. Also while you can draw an infinite fractal perimiter along the surface, the only relevent perimiter is the one that is big enough for solvent to access.