Resourceful is as resourceful does... The intrepid innkeeper in her typical "how many ways we can use this" mode has found some all l purpose uses for yes... aluminum foil.
Not all recyclables are created equal. The energy that goes into recycling, the actual amount of a product that can be recycled, and the amount of times a product can be recycled varies greatly. Aluminum foil is a great option for food storage and general kitchen use.
According to Green Options:
Although foil is not made from petroleum, the mining and processing of aluminum is extremely resource intensive. The good news is aluminum foil is 100% recycleable, and recycled aluminum foil uses 95% less energy to produce than foil made from virgin aluminum.
Aluminum foil can be recycled over and over again. You can’t say the same for plastic wrap. So buy recycled aluminum foil and recycle it when you’re done. Foiled not again . Aluminium foil is not only used to wrap food. It can also be used to :
Keep the edges of your homemade pies from burning by covering them with strips of aluminum foil. The foil prevents the edges from getting overdone while the rest of your pie gets perfectly browned.
Make a birthday cake, a Valentine’s Day heart cake, a Christmas tree cake, or whatever shaped cake the occasion may call for. Just form a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil into the desired shape inside a large cake pan.
To restore your hardened brown sugar to its former powdery glory, chip off a piece, wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake it in the oven at 300°F (150° C) for five minutes.
No pastry bag handy? No problem. Form a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil into a tube and fill it with free-flowing frosting. Added bonus and time saver: There’s no pastry bag to clean — simply toss out the foil when you’re done.
Ah you 're in your salad days. You’ve invited half the neighborhood over for dinner, but don’t have a bowl big enough to toss that much salad. Don’t panic. Just line the kitchen sink with aluminum foil and toss away!
Ah, to paraphrase an old Swiss saying, " bread is not hard, but no bread is hard. Want to lock in the oven-fresh warmth of your homemade rolls or breads for a dinner party or picnic? Before you load up your basket, wrap your freshly baked goods in a napkin and place a layer of aluminum foil underneath. The foil will reflect the heat and keep your bread warm for quite some time.
Next time you pack for a trip, include a couple of cheese sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil. That way if you check into a hotel after the kitchen has closed, you won’t have to resort to the cold, overpriced snacks in the mini-bar. Instead, use the hotel-room iron to press both sides of the wrapped sandwich and you’ll have a tasty hot snack. Not bad, huh
Polish your Silver
Is your silverware looking a bit dull these days? Try an ion exchange, a molecular reaction in which aluminum acts as a catalyst. All you have to do is line a pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, fill it with cold water, and add two teaspoons of salt. Drop your tarnished silverware into the solution, let it sit for two to three minutes, then rinse off and dry.
And of course... the recipe for above Autumn Apple for that perfect pie crust your intrepid innkeeper ewas alluding to - adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 6-8 servings
Crust:
2C. all purpose flour
1T. Sugar
1t. salt
1/2 C. ( 1 stick ) butter
1/2 C ice water
Filling :
6 Med apples, sliced thin with skin on
1T. grated lemon peel
3/4 C . sugar
1t. groud cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/4 C all purpose flour
1 12oz raisins
To make crust:
In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Using pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter and shortening into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. add ice water, a little at a time, until crust comes together into a rough ball. Remove from bowl. Divide into 2 balls. Cover each with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 min
To prepare filling In large bowl mix together Flour, Lemon peel, Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Craisins . add apples and trun until apples are coated with mixture. Heat oven to 450* F. Place oven rack in lowest setting.
Assemble pie:
Roll out 1 ball of dough into 13-inch circle 1/4 inch thick. Fit dough into 9 inch pie plate.
Trim leaving 1/2 inch of pastry around edges. Fill pie shell with Filling mixture. Roll out remaining ball of dough into 13 inch circle 1/4 inch thick. Lay top crust over filling. Trim and crimp edges. Using Fork, perforate dough in several places.
Bake for 15 min . Reduce heat to 350*F. Bake for 30 to 40 Min, or until pastry's is golden. Serve warm or cold.
That's a wrap!
