The Effects of Aluminum Foil On Baking a Potato

1. The Effects of Aluminum Foil On Baking a Potato By: Jacob Morgan Erin Reed

2. Experimental Question What effect does Aluminum foil have in the baking of a potato? • What effect do the different sides of Aluminum foil have?

3. Experimental Design • Temperature of Oven set to 350 F. • 3 potatoes tested at a time. • 1 potato wrapped with shiny side of foil out • 1 potato wrapped with dull side of foil out • 1 potato with no foil • Temperature of center of Potato measured at varying time intervals.

4. Results

5. Results • Average time to cook (180 F) • No Wrapping - 42 minutes • Shiny Side Out – 49 minutes • Dull Side Out – 48 minutes

6. Discussion of Results • Dull side out cooks the slowest • Initially at the highest rate, the cooking process slows down as heat flux due to radiation decreases. • Wide range of differences with foil, due to finlike properties that occurred • Initial testing showed that the surface area of foil used had a large impact on heat flux. • If large amounts of aluminum foil were used (roughly 3 times what would normally be used) then cooking rates increased. • Uncertainty also due to difference in Potato volume. • No two potatoes are the same.

7. Conclusions • Don’t cook with Aluminum Foil • The unwrapped potato cooks fastest • (Jacob couldn’t taste a difference) • And buy Chevron Gas, it is the best gas in the world