Everyday or Heavy Duty? The Best Aluminum Foil by Job

1. Reynolds Wrap Everyday Foil, 12 in x 100 sq ft – Strong Enough for Most Jobs

Best overall

If you buy only one box, make it this one. America’s Test Kitchen tested regular and heavy-duty foils from national brands and found this one “plenty durable for all cooking and food storage tasks.” It also praised the sturdy box and the closure flap that keeps the box shut in a drawer. In a separate side-by-side comparison at Tasting Table, the writer ranked Reynolds first of seven brands, for the foil, the box and the cutting edge.

The roll is 12 inches wide and 100 feet long. Twelve inches fits a quarter sheet pan or a casserole, and it wraps a burrito or a baked potato easily. Reynolds says Everyday foil suits lining and covering pans, wrapping sandwiches and making small oven packets.

The makers do not publish a gauge for this roll, so we can’t give you one. Reynolds names strength only in words, and that is true of the whole category here.

Why we like it

• Named durable for all cooking and storage by America’s Test Kitchen
• Ranked first of seven by Tasting Table’s writer
• Box flap stays closed in storage
• 12-inch width suits everyday pans

Why we recommend it

It suits nearly every home kitchen. America’s Test Kitchen says most cooks do not need heavy duty, and that a double layer of regular foil is stronger than a single layer of heavy duty in its measurements.

Skip it if you wrap whole turkeys or large cuts, where a wider roll saves piecing sheets together.

Pros and cons

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2. Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Foil, 12 in x 50 sq ft – For Grates and Packets

Best heavy duty

Heavy-duty foil earns its place on the grill, where a rough grate or a sharp bone can puncture a thin sheet. Reynolds’ page says it suits lining grills or broiler pans, making multi-serving packets and protecting food from freezer burn. America’s Test Kitchen found that it performed well on cooking and storage tasks, in the same sturdy box with a flap.

Now the honest limit. America’s Test Kitchen says heavy duty is only “slightly more resistant to tearing” and that most cooks do not need it. It suggests doubling regular foil for the occasional tough job. So buy this if you grill often and do not want to bother with doubling, not because you think regular foil will fail you.

The roll is 12 inches wide and 50 feet long. Reynolds gives no thickness figure on the page we read, so we do not state one.

Why we like it

• Reynolds names it for grills and broiler pans
• Rated as performing well by America’s Test Kitchen
• Same closing box as the Everyday roll
• Good for freezer wrapping, per Reynolds

Why we recommend it

It suits a frequent griller who makes foil packets and wants one sheet to do the work of two.

Skip it if you mostly line pans and cover casseroles, since regular foil does that well.

Pros and cons

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3. Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Foil, 18 in x 75 sq ft – Wide Enough for a Turkey

Best wide roll

Width is the feature you can’t work around. A 12-inch roll covers a large roasting pan only if you overlap sheets, and overlaps let steam out and fall apart when you lift them. This roll is 18 inches wide and 50 feet long, for 75 square feet in all.

The listing names large meats, food pans and grilling, and says the gauge is thicker than Reynolds’ regular foil, without giving a number. For brisket, a whole bird or a big foil-covered pan of tamales, a single wide sheet is simply easier. It is also useful when you line a large oven tray in one piece.

The box is long, at 18 inches, so measure your drawer before you buy. If it will not fit, a pantry shelf works, with the 12-inch roll staying in the drawer.

Why we like it

• 18 inches wide, so fewer overlaps
• Listing names large meats and food pans
• Thicker gauge than regular, per Reynolds
• Box closes with a tab, per the listing

Why we recommend it

It suits anyone who roasts large cuts or covers full-size pans a few times a year.

Skip it if your drawer will not take an 18-inch box and you have no pantry shelf.

Pros and cons

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4. Kingsford Heavy Duty Grill Foil, 18 in x 100 sq ft – A Griller’s Wide Roll

Best for grilling

Kingsford is a name you know from charcoal, and this is a wide heavy-duty roll aimed at the grill. At 18 inches wide and 100 square feet, it holds more than the Reynolds 18-inch roll in this list. The listing suggests lining grates so small foods do not fall through, wrapping large cuts and covering pans.

We found no independent review of this foil. The picks of America’s Test Kitchen and Tasting Table do not include it, so this pick rests on the listing’s width and length, and on our view that an extra-wide roll is what a griller wants. We can’t tell you how it compares with Reynolds in strength.

Line a grate only as Kingsford and your grill maker allow. Foil across a whole grate can block airflow on some grills, so check your grill’s manual first.

Why we like it

• 18 inches spans more grate in one sheet
• 100 square feet is a long roll
• Listing suggests grate lining and large cuts
• Sold by Amazon when we checked

Why we recommend it

It suits a charcoal or gas griller who goes through a lot of wide foil over a season.

Skip it if you want a pick backed by a named review, in which case the Reynolds 18-inch roll comes from a line with one.

Pros and cons

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5. Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil, 12 in x 130 sq ft – For Cheese and Sticky Tops

Best non-stick

Anyone who has peeled foil off a pan of cheese enchiladas and lost the top layer will see the point here. Reynolds describes a food-safe non-stick coating on the dull side of the sheet, printed so you can tell which is which. Food goes toward the dull side. On plain foil, Reynolds says it makes no difference which side faces up, so this is the one case where you need to pay attention.

Reynolds lists it as safe from minus 40°F to 650°F, and says to use medium to medium-high heat on a preheated grill. Put food on it right away on the grill. It is also useful for fish, which tends to grab plain foil.

Use it for sticky tops and let regular foil do the rest of the work. Reynolds’ page does not say how the coating is made, beyond calling it food safe, so we won’t add to that.

Why we like it

• Dull side faces the food and is printed to show it
• Reynolds states -40°F to 650°F
• Long 130-square-foot roll
• Made for cheese and sticky tops

Why we recommend it

It suits anyone who bakes cheesy casseroles or glazed meats under foil, where tearing off the top is the usual problem.

Skip it if you rarely cover cheese or sticky foods, since plain foil is the better everyday roll.

Pros and cons

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6. Reynolds Wrap Recycled Foil, 12 in x 200 sq ft – Same Brand, Recycled Metal

Best recycled

Reynolds says this foil, its box and the inner tube are made from 100 percent recycled materials, with the same strength and durability as its regular foil. That is the maker’s claim. It is a long roll, 200 feet by 12 inches, so you will not buy it often.

We chose it over If You Care, a well-known recycled brand, because America’s Test Kitchen did not recommend either If You Care foil it tested. This Reynolds roll itself was not among the foils America’s Test Kitchen lists, so the recycled claim and the strength claim rest on Reynolds’ own wording.

Reynolds says foil is recyclable where facilities exist, and that it should be clean and dry. Ask your local provider before you toss a used sheet in the bin.

Why we like it

• 100% recycled foil, box and tube, per Reynolds
• Long 200-square-foot roll
• 12-inch width fits everyday pans
• Grill and freezer safe, per the listing

Why we recommend it

It suits a household that wants recycled material without moving away from a well-reviewed foil maker.

Skip it if you want a pick tested as sold, since this roll is not on the America’s Test Kitchen list.

Pros and cons

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7. Amazon Basics Heavy Duty Foil, 125 sq ft – Heavy Duty, Large Roll

Budget pick

This is the store-brand option, and there is some evidence behind it. In Tasting Table’s side-by-side comparison, the writer expected Amazon Basics foil to be flimsy and found that it “most certainly was not”. The writer ranked the brand second of seven, and liked the sturdy box. That test does not specify this heavy-duty roll, so read it as evidence for the brand rather than this exact product.

The listing covers one 125-square-foot roll and lists oven, grill and campfire uses, along with lining pans and storing leftovers. It does not state the width in the text we read, so check the box dimensions before you buy. The listing also says certified kosher.

Value means weighing what you give up: fewer stated details, no review of this exact roll and no gauge figure. If those do not bother you, it is a reasonable way to keep a long roll in the house.

Why we like it

• Brand ranked second of seven by Tasting Table’s writer
• 125-square-foot roll
• Heavy-duty grade
• Certified kosher, per the listing

Why we recommend it

It suits a cook who uses a lot of foil and wants a store-brand roll with a named review of the brand behind it.

Skip it if you need a stated width for your pans, or you want the most-reviewed product in the list.

Pros and cons

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8. 365 by Whole Foods Market Aluminum Foil, 75 sq ft – A Second Reviewed Brand

Best store brand

America’s Test Kitchen lists 365 by Whole Foods Market among the foils it recommends, in both regular and heavy-duty grades. Tasting Table’s writer ranked 365 fourth of seven, called it “much stronger” than the brands below it and sturdy enough to reuse, but complained that the lid was hard to close and worried about the box lasting through the roll.

This is the regular grade, in a 75-square-foot roll. The listing is short and names lining baking sheets and protecting pie crusts. It does not state the width in the text we read. Take that as the plain fact about this listing: it gives you very little, and the reviews do the talking.

Why we like it

• Recommended by America’s Test Kitchen
• Called “much stronger” than lower-ranked brands by Tasting Table’s writer
• Listing names pie crusts and baking sheets
• Sold by Amazon when we checked

Why we recommend it

It suits a Whole Foods shopper or anyone who wants a store brand with a second reviewer behind it.

Skip it if a box that closes easily matters to you, since Tasting Table’s writer found the lid hard to close.

Pros and cons

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