This Genius Method For Fixing An Uneven Aluminum Foil Roll Requires No Tools

Aluminum foil has been produced in the U.S. since 1913. It was first used to wrap candy and gum, but its purpose now extends far beyond this simple application. Need to dispose of hot cooking oil, wrap a lunch, or keep a dish warm? Aluminum foil is there to help. It's the ultimate kitchen essential and a savior in countless ways. The only slightly frustrating element of this nearly magical roll is when it gets tangled.

Remember the days when your headphone wires got tangled up and you'd have to work them free to carry on with your day? Tangled aluminum doesn't quite have the same ending. More often than not, you're left relentlessly tearing off sheets and scraps to get the roll back to a whole sheet. It's time-consuming, wasteful, and stressful. But esteemed U.K. chef Shaun Hurrell has finally found an accessible, simple solution: use the foil to untangle itself. It's a brilliant quick fix that requires no tools at all.

On TikTok, a user who credits chef Shaun Hurrell of Barrio Comida for the tip shows that it takes only seconds to transform a rugged foil roll into sheets that are ready to go. But the most genius element of this hack has to be the fact that it does not require any tools.

All you need to do is tear off a small amount of foil, preferably a piece that's hanging off the roll already. Then, scrunch it into a small ball. Scrape this ball lightly along the tangled pieces of foil until they have begun to come off the roll. 

@robbiebell8

Best kitchen hack ever by my boy Shaun Hurrell @barriocomida one of the UK's best chefs. #kitchenhack #cookinghack #foodhack

♬ original sound – 🔪 Robbie Bell 🥘

You can then roll out the foil into big, wide sheets, with no more snags or ripped pieces. It's also fast, taking merely 18 seconds to complete in the TikTok, though you could easily knock five seconds off. So, stop throwing away your tattered and tangled foil and try this remarkably clever fix. 

Reducing single-use plastic in the kitchen is a great goal, but why stop there? You can also reduce your use of aluminum foil too. Aluminum has been a trusty kitchen sidekick for a long time, but there are serious questions about how environmentally sustainable it is. Too often, foil is not reused, and due to its contact with food, it's not often recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 2,660,000 tons of aluminum materials went into landfills in 2018, compared to 670,000 tons that were recycled. Though that number isn't solely made up of aluminum foil, the kitchen staple is surely a contributor.

Silicone food covers, cedar and beeswax wraps, and glass containers are all alternatives to aluminum foil that can be washed and used multiple times. Even the above method for fixing uneven aluminum foil rolls helps to avoid wasting material. Perhaps it's also good to question how much it's needed in the kitchen. Until that time, TikTok has saved the day again.