Prevent Freshly Baked Brownies From Falling Apart With This Aluminum Foil Hack

Whether you are making cakey, fudgy, or chewy brownies, one thing is for sure: they are notorious for being difficult to remove from the pan. Brownies tend to stick, and when you are able to finagle one out, you risk scratching your pan as a result of the struggle. On top of that, chances are your brownies are going to crumble, sometimes a bit, sometimes a lot. How do bakeries and cafes get those perfectly clean cut brownies and bars on display?

They may be using one of the most useful kitchen aluminum foil hacks, which makes it easier to get a clean cut brownie, and also makes cleanup a whole lot easier too. The trick involves lining your brownie pan with aluminum foil both length and width wise, making sure there's a generous amount left hanging over the edges of your pan. The excess foil on the sides of the pan is bunched up into makeshift handles so that you've got something to grab once the brownies are done baking. This creates and aluminum foil "sling" that can be used to carry your brownies out of the pan and onto a flat surface for more efficient cutting.

It's important to let your brownies stay inside the aluminum lined pan until they cool to room temperature (at least 30 minutes). As brownies cool, the chocolate and the butter solidify, which is crucial in avoiding the dreaded crumble casualties. Once they have been carried out of the pan and placed on a flat surface, peel back the foil on the sides and cut your brownies with a sharp straight edge knife. A large chef's knife works best, and should be about as long as the pan that you have baked your brownies in so that you don't end up smudging your brownies and creating crumbs. 

Another knife technique for perfectly cut brownies is to run the blade of your knife under piping hot water and then wipe it dry after cutting each slice. The little touch of heat on the blade will melt the butter and chocolate in the brownies just enough to let the knife easily slide through without sticking. If you do this, remember to repeat the rinse and wipe with each slice, because if not, the crumb residue may smudge the brownies.