Review: If You Care Products

Ever thought about the food preparation and storage products you use?  Aluminum foil is an extremely useful product.  It's great for the BBQ, or lining a baking sheet to reduce mess during clean up.  And what do you do with the foil afterwards?  Toss it?  Recycle it?  I used to cringe inside when I pulled out a huge piece of foil to wrap my food in or bake with.  But I often did it because of its convenience.  Aluminum foil is extremely easy to recycle, but did you know that most foil is not made from recycled aluminum?  If You Care foil is made from 100% recycled aluminum.  It is 95% more efficient to make than non-recycled aluminum!  One roll of aluminum foil made from non recycled aluminum takes 1.39 cups of fuel to produce, compared to making it from recycled aluminum, which takes only 0.07 cups!  And consider the extra fuel savings: bauxite, used to make aluminum, is mined in tropical and subtropical countries, so the transportation costs are significantly lower when using recycled aluminum to make foil.  By using recycled aluminum foil you are significantly reducing your carbon footprint in that respect. 

I discovered the benefits of parchment paper when I discovered If You Care products.  Parchment paper also allows for easy clean up but it is made from renewable resources.  You can use it as a non-stick lining for baking, without using extra oils or butter.  It is oven safe to 425F.  If You Care parchment paper goes a step further than may brands: all their paper products are made from 100% unbleached paper.  This has a considerable health benefit to yourself and the environment.  Chlorine derivatives "produce toxic chlorinated organic compounds, such as chloroform, a known carcinogen."  Pulp and paper mill runoff is environmentally destructive, and baking on chlorine bleached paper is potentially toxic. 

If You Care waxed paper is coated with soybean wax, an organic substance derived from soybeans.  Most waxed paper is coated with paraffin wax, made from petroleum products.  Petroleum products are non-renewable and hazardous to your health.  

If You Care also makes sustainably-produced baking cups, coffee filters, cheese cloth, twine, household gloves, firelighters, snack and sandwich bags, sponge cloths, compostable and recycled trash bags. 

But do they work?  The products I have tried have been great.  The aluminum foil is tough (especially if you buy the extra strong kind). The waxed paper and the parchment paper work the same as any other kind.  The cost is higher, but the environmental impact is so significantly lower that I don't even hesitate when I pick up a package to purchase. 

All If You Care products are packaged in 100% recycled and biodegradable paper.  Please recycle the products and their packaging when you are done with them!

So breath easy... these products are a much safer and eco-friendly alternative to regular brands, and they work great!  You don't need to feel guilty when using aluminum foil any longer!  Find them in our USA Amazon store, or at most natural foods stores.