Tin foil heat question?

Question

Ok, so i covered a baking pan with tin foil so I wouldn't have to clean it after I was done. I noticed when I took it out of the oven that the tin foil itself cools down very quickly. Then I thought about how when you want to keep food warm (say, at a barbeque) you wrap it in foil. So, my question is this: How does something that loses heat so quickly keep heat in so well?

Answer 1

Tin foil is reflective. It reflects a large portion of the heat energy that comes in contact with it. Like how the emergency space blankets work. Since it does not "absorb" energy (it does a little) it doesn't stay hot for real long.