The Ultimate Guide to Aluminum Foil Food Packaging

When your restaurant needs to select containers for take-out items or catering events, it has many options, such as those made of plastic and paper. However, they shouldn’t overlook the potential of aluminum foil containers. Discover the advantages of this material and the various options available in this ultimate guide to aluminum foil packaging.

The Benefits of Aluminum Foil Packaging

Although you may use aluminum foil at home to retain the freshness of your leftovers, you may wonder how beneficial it can be to your customers in the restaurant or catering world. The answer is that it can deliver a host of advantages, allowing your food business to thrive. Read on to learn about these benefits.

Aluminum Foil Containers Offer Convenience

One reason why your food business should use aluminum foil containers is that they provide your customers with more convenience. When they carry their unfinished dinners or side items home in one of these packages, they will find them to be relatively light compared to other products. This will make the burden of transporting them home much easier.

Additionally, they should find it easy to store their food in their freezers, since they won’t have to remove it from the containers. They can also leave their leftovers in their containers as they reheat them in their ovens.

Manufacturers design and build these products so that consumers can use them for cooking, while the material itself ensures a consistent distribution of warmth throughout your food. That prevents customers from discovering that one part of their meal is cooler than the rest.

They Help Keep Customers Safe

If you have any concerns about the aluminum foil possibly contaminating your customers’ food and poisoning them after they warm it up, you can put those fears to rest. Unlike some containers that can release chemicals at high temperatures, aluminum foil does not. In fact, the aluminum shouldn’t even alter the taste of your food, so that your clients will enjoy every morsel just as you intended.

Aluminum Foil is Stronger Than You Think

When we previously mentioned that aluminum foil is very lightweight, you may have concluded that the containers are not very strong. However, the opposite is quite true. These packages can carry considerable portions.

In addition, the containers do not leak easily and will provide a more than adequate safeguard against any contaminants that would spoil your clients’ meals and threaten their health. You can rest assured that aluminum foil can provide the durability and security that you and your clients need.

The Material is Eco-Friendly

One last advantage of aluminum foil packaging is that it helps align your restaurant or catering business with green goals. After users have finished eating the contents of their containers, they can wash the boxes off before depositing them into a recycling bin. This can initiate a sequence of recycling that can continue indefinitely, as there are no limits to how often plants can recycle aluminum and companies can reuse it.

Different Kinds of Aluminum Foil Containers

In the next section of our guide to aluminum foil food packaging, we will examine examples of the various types of containers available. Each of the ones listed below can fit the needs of specific food orders that you will serve to your take-out or catering customers.

Oblong Pans

One example of this packaging is the oblong pan, which can carry meals weighing up to 2.25 pounds. These containers are especially ideal for toting around meals such as pastas. Restaurant owners should also find it easy to organize them in their storerooms.

Suppliers often sell lids for oblong pans that help prevent their contents from spilling out. While restaurateurs can give their customers a preview of their future meals with transparent lids, they can also provide them with foil-lined toppers. These lids will keep the meal’s warm temperature inside the pan, so it doesn’t get too cold on the ride home.

Pie Pans

When your customer wants a warm chicken pot pie or an apple or pumpkin pie to go, an oblong pie won’t quite fit the shape of their order. Fortunately, you have more circular options with different aluminum pie pans.

For example, you can put the pot pie in a foil model or protect their treats with a pan that features a smooth wall. The latter consists of strong aluminum that will safeguard its contents from exterior damage.

Both will also ensure that the entire pie gets an equal amount of heat during cooking and reheating. Additionally, your restaurant can utilize these containers for orders beyond pies. For example, a pie pan can easily house a delicious Quiche Lorraine or a sweet blueberry tart if your customer orders one.

Rounds

Other circular foil containers that restaurants can use fit into the “rounds” category. If you want to give your guests a convenient container for taking home their side items or a sauce that pairs well with their dinner, try using a foil utility cup. These cups can also hold up to four ounces, making them ideal for sending customers home with small desserts.

If you need something larger for your customers’ take-home items, try providing them with a seven- or nine-inch round container. These are effective for transporting both cold and warm items, including pastas, small personal pan pizzas, or even desserts that were too large for the utility cup. You can also place transparent or board lids on top of them, like the oblong pans.

Sheet Cake and Steam Table Pans

Two other rectangular options are the foil sheet cake and the steam table pans. Bakery and catering businesses can use cake pans to prepare and deliver the desserts featured in their namesakes, along with items like casseroles.

Meanwhile, steam table pans can provide an excellent option for catering large-scale events where you need to serve large quantities of food, such as lasagna, barbecued meats, or salads. Businesses can purchase the pans at various depths, including full, medium, and shallow.

After learning about the different foil packaging options available and their various benefits, don’t hesitate to add them to your restaurant or catering business’s storeroom. You will select an option that will keep your customers’ food safe and fresh, while making it easier for them to take these items home.