Aluminum is a toxic heavy metal that, like mercury, is absorbed by the body and then accumulates in the tissues. It has been linked to serious illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease. For this reason, avoid cooking with aluminum foil.

If you are going to use it, for example, when barbequing, put your food in parchment paper first and use aluminum foil as an outer wrapping. This keeps the parchment paper closed (it doesn't seal tightly like foil does) and prevents direct contact between your food and the aluminum foil. Parchment paper should not be heated above 420°F, so if using it on the barbeque, keep the temperature on low to medium.

Parchment paper can be found in grocery stores in the same section as plastic wrap and aluminum foil. It can be used to line cookie sheets, cake pans, baking pans and casserole dishes without the use of oil or butter to prevent food from sticking, or to wrap meat, fish or vegetables to seal in flavour and moisture when cooking.

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