Not all of us have people in our lives to teach us how life works. And to try to find the answers out there in the world can be difficult because there are many answers to many problems. One of the things to learn is how the kitchen works. The vast world of the kitchen is like an empty field for people to share their rights and wrongs.
To find what you are looking for in the sea of opinions is too time-consuming. To save you from this search, we prepared this entry about aluminum foil. Down below, you will find the dos and don’ts of aluminum foil and the answer to the question can you put aluminum foil in the oven?
Cooking is difficult. It takes lots of patience and requires a strong memory. How you learned cooking is also a grave factor on the difficulty level. If you learned from your mom or grandma, you probably do not have a concept of measuring cups.
If you learned cooking from online recipes, you could not cook without measuring cups. Despite the source of information, there is one thing every cook knows. The food wrapping is a lifesaver. It doesn’t matter if you use wax paper, aluminum foil, parchment paper, or even silicone liners; they are all little magical helpers.
You put them on baking trays, cover the leftovers, and use them on your pans for an easier clean-up. Of course, they all have different purposes, but today I will talk about aluminum foil. Below, you will find tips and tricks for aluminum foil and learn if you can put aluminum foil in the oven or not.
Best Ways to Use Aluminum Foil in the Kitchen
Aluminum foil is undeniably one of the most widely used kitchen tools. One can even say that it is present in every kitchen in the world. And there is a very good reason for that. Aluminum foil is very versatile. From wrapping your leftovers to lining your pans, aluminum foil can be used in every kitchen corner. I will list the best ways to use aluminum foil.
- Covering Dishes to Lock Moisture: If you use your oven for cooking – or baking – you probably notice that the food can be a little dry. All the moisture evaporates during the cooking process and leaves you with a delicious yet dry dinner. To stop this from happening, you can use aluminum foil. Cover the dish you are going to put in the oven with aluminum foil and go on as you normally do. When your food is cooked, you will see a difference in moisture level.
- Line Pans: At first, this may seem meaningless, but in a moment, you will understand what it means. When baking, the pans can get quite messy. On top of that, removing baked goods from the pan is not always successful. But to solve all the problems, you can use aluminum foil. This time, instead of covering the top of the pan, cover the inside and ‘line’ your pan. After lining the pan, you can pour the batter or put the dough in, depending on what you are baking and send it straight to the oven. When it’s baked, all you need to do is lift the aluminum foil, and voila. Not only are your baked goods easily removed, but also your pan is clean.
- Line Your Stove: One of my favorite uses for aluminum foil is lining stoves. You will love this if you are a messy cook like me. This one is for gas stoves, but I think it can be applied to some electric stoves too. First, you need to put away the iron grate on the stove. Then you need to take the aluminum foil and cut four pieces to fit both in the stove and gas rings. When all is set, cut the holes that will go under the gas rings, at this point, you get the idea. When you put the aluminum foil correctly, place the iron grate back on and continue using your stove. This will keep your stove clean and give you a healthier fire to cook with.
- Defrost Your Meat: The meat can cause many problems if not defrosted fully. You can use aluminum foil to prevent this and eat a slice of delicious meat. You can both defrost and marinade the meat with aluminum foil. Just wrap the meat with foil and leave it. Add all your favorite seasonings and toppings for the marinade and wrap them with everything. This will enable the meat to be juicy and flavourful. Perfect for the grill night.
Can You Put Aluminum Foil in the Oven
Essentially the answer to this question is yes. You can put aluminum foil in the oven. And by using aluminum foil when cooking, you make your job easier and food even more delicious. But there are some things you must avoid when using aluminum foil. If you want to use the oven, here are the things you should not do.
Do NOT Put Aluminum Foil in the Bottom of Your Oven
Yes, it may seem convenient to put aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven, for it will make cleaning drastically easier, but it is not what it seems. Despite looking tough and sturdy, the inside of an oven is quite fragile. The material used inside is prone to scratches. Even aluminum foil can damage the material and thus deprive you of the top performance of your oven. You may think, ‘how can little scratches do that?’ The answer is that the material coated inside is made for the best heat distribution and even little scratches disrupt the balance.
Also, aluminum foil is not resistant to heat, so it can melt and stick to the bottom, making your oven useless. Foil in the bottom of your oven can – and would – cover the vents and disrupt the airflow. Because of this, the heat in the oven will be uneven. And, well, no one on the table will be having a pleasant dinner.
Do NOT Cover the Oven Rack with Aluminum Foil
Most of the reasons you should not do this have been explained above. Covering the oven rack is something you should avoid at all costs for your oven to be in optimal performance and to eat not burnt food. By covering the rack, you also cover half of the oven. One side will be cold and the other scorching hot. This can damage heating elements as well.
The moral of this story is do not cover any part inside your oven with aluminum foil or anything in general. The cleaning may not be so fun, but so is a broken oven. There are alternatives to keep your oven clean while you are using it. You can place empty baking dishes in the rack under the one you use. You may say, ‘is it not the same thing?’ No, it is not. Baking pans can reflect the heat they get, giving you nicely cooked food while keeping your oven clean.
Conclusion
We all learn how to cook eventually. It doesn’t matter who teaches us or how, we learn at least a few dishes. But things can get overwhelming in the kitchen. Do I put the wooden spoons in the dishwasher? Do silverware need polishing? Can tomatoes and potatoes be in the same drawer?
The questions go on and on. Today I looked for answers to the question you asked yourself at least once in the kitchen. Can you put aluminum foil in the oven? The answer is yes, you can. There are some things you should be wary of, but other than that, you can safely put aluminum foil in the oven. I hope you found this helpful, and have a good day.