Aluminium foil is a life saver in the kitchen but can you put aluminium foil in the oven? Is it safe to do that and if so, what are the possible implications of placing it in your oven?
We are going to look at that and more in this article. Lining a modern oven with aluminium foil is a practice that can damage it and significantly reduce its lifespan.
Though it was necessary to do that in the old days, it’s not something you would want to do right now even if it means extra cleaning.
Aluminium can also seep into your food and that is not a good thing. There are a lot of benefits that aluminium foil gives when it comes to evenly cooking your food.
You also have the added benefit of a clean oven after you are done cooking your food while also reducing the amount of smoke that comes from your oven during cooking.
Why Put Aluminium Foil in Your Oven?
Aluminium foil is a material that has high temperature resistance. This is one of the main reasons that a lot of people use it for cooking different types of food in it.
Food cooks evenly and you greatly reduce the possibility of food getting burned. It’s great for baking potatoes in the oven or over a gas or charcoal grill.
No wonder so many people hold it in high regard and use it often. It has been in use for decades and I’m sure you’ve seen your grandmother’s oven lined from wall to wall with it.
Why did they do it though? Aluminium foil was used to line ovens because it helped keep the oven clean meaning that you wouldn’t have to do the hard cleaning once you were done preparing your meal.
All the food residue and splatter would simply get onto the foil and not the inside surfaces of your stove. Is it a good practice to do this though barring the benefit of keeping your oven clean?
The Downside of Aluminium Foil to Your Oven
Putting aluminium foil in your oven poses a few challenges. Most people will line the bottom, walls and trays of the oven. This practice can lead to both oven inefficiency and oven damage. Let’s look at these individually.
Oven Inefficiency
Getting good cooking results in the oven depends, in some part on the free flow of air in the oven. When you line your oven trays with aluminium foil, you hinder this from happening. This means that your food will be unevenly cooked. It will also take your oven much more time to cook your food meaning that your energy consumption will increase considerably.
Oven Damage
Another thing that will happen to your oven is that there will be damage to the wall lining. This happens because the heat will be reflected back from the aluminium foil onto the oven walls.
Though you will be able to keep it clean, you will also be doing significant damage to it. You will notice that the surface of your oven, especially at the bottom where the element is, will begin to discolour over time.
You would want to avoid this as much as possible. Another possibility is that the aluminium foil can end up sticking to the bottom of the oven especially if you don’t change it out every time you use it.
This can be very messy and trying to remove it at that point can lead to damage to the ceramic surface at the bottom of the oven.
If you have to use aluminium foil in the oven, make sure that it doesn’t cover the whole tray and allows for free movement of air in the oven.
Many people talk about the need to catch the drip from food being cooked when they talk about aluminium foil in the oven.
Cut out a piece of aluminium foil making sure that you leave space around the tray to allow for the free flow or air in the oven.
Alternatively, you can use a piece of baking paper to catch the drip but same rule of allowing some space around the tray for air flow applies.
When you do this, make sure to leave a few inches between the tray with the foil or baking paper with the food and the bottom of your oven. This is important for sufficient airflow.
Can I Use Aluminium Foil in a Convection Oven
https://youtu.be/IGlsOs27PVA
A convection oven is designed a bit differently from your regular oven and in some cases the element is positioned to the side just over the fan that blows the hot air into it.
The question that most people have is can aluminium foil be used in a convection oven. Aluminium foil can be used in a convection oven.
You need to make sure that the foil does not touch the edges of your oven and there is sufficient space to allow for air to circulate.
Though air flow is important for a regular oven, it is essential for a convection oven. That’s a core part of how it operates. It cooks food by blowing hot air around the oven.
Conclusion on aluminum foil in oven
So, can you put aluminium foil in an oven? In principle, you can definitely use aluminium foil but just like using wax paper in the oven you just need to make sure that you follow the safe practices highlighted in this article in order to safeguard your oven and to ensure the health of you and your family.