A sad little tale of being 'Foiled Again' . . .
About a year ago I purchased a small roll of recycled aluminum foil at the grocery store. It was one of those special items at the end of the aisle that was a special price for shoppers with a store card (this particular store's card has the same name as my middle name - which always seems like a bit of a cheery inside joke . . . but that's beside the point). The point is, this foil was decidedly inferior - thin and papery and not really up to the task of wrapping corn or potatoes for grilling. We used it for less strenuous tasks (in other words, tasks that didn't really require foil) and I was happy to see the end of the roll.
What is the probability that I would purchase another roll of recycled foil? Twenty to one? Less? Well, the chance that I would buy that same brand from the same grocery store is slim to none. However, when I saw a different brand that was labeled 'heavy duty' at one of my favorite kitchenware/gourmet grocery stores I reconsidered. It was an extra-long roll and was in a big display beside the line that leads to the checkout area - and (here's what really suckered me in) it was at a greatly reduced price. Cooler heads would have realized that the greatly reduced price was a clue, like a little friend whispering in your ear, "this item isn't worth full price, no one is buying it at full price," etc. But, when the shopper in front of me put three boxes in her basket I was caught up in the frenzy of the moment - looking back I wonder if she was a plant . . .
After all, recycling aluminum foil is a good idea and, like recycling itself, not a new one either. Didn't your grandmother have a drawer of recycled aluminum foil - carefully washed, flattened out, and folded? Perhaps stored with the bits of string and paper bags? So the idea of recycled foil is a good one, but the two products I've tried are lousy. This new, improved foil is still papery and tears if you aren't careful when you fold it. It doesn't, however, tear at all when you're trying to get it out of the box - hence the frustration that led me to throw the box in the photo on the floor (I should state here that I am not normally a person who throw things in anger . . . well, throwing things at the deer when they're eating my hydrangea doesn't count!). And as for the box, it's flimsy so that when you grip it in your struggle to tear off a piece of foil, it collapses in your hand. So, I cannot recommend recycled foil to people who like foil or who like the environment - it can't be good to waste half a roll due to tears and flimsiness.
Last week I noticed that Reynolds Wrap now makes recycled foil . . . I wonder if the third time's the charm?
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