How To Use Foil For Baking Food In The Oven

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Which side to put the foil in the oven: matte or glossy

Every housewife in the kitchen has a roll of aluminum foil paper. For many, she has become an irreplaceable assistant in the culinary business. But few women know what properties a matte and glossy finish has. Let's try to figure it out.

Properties of the matte and glossy sides of the foil

The glossy side, due to its specularity, better reflects the heat rays and thereby prevents your dish from roasting too quickly, becoming covered with a dense crust. And matte, on the contrary, absorbs heat, that is, it heats up faster. Knowing these properties, you can use one or the other side of the culinary "helper" for the preparation of various dishes.

As a rule, manufacturers do not write about these properties of the material on the packaging, and many people tend to believe that this technological feature does not affect the cooking speed. Nevertheless, those who know the laws of physics very well apply them in practice in cooking.

Juicy dish

If you are planning to cook a juicy dish, for example, meat on the bone with vegetables, then you need to place the food on the glossy surface of "metal paper". In this case, a gentle heat treatment takes place, after which all the nutrients in your dish are almost completely preserved.

This method is perfect for cooking poultry with a whole carcass, large pieces of meat, lean fish. They will simmer in their own juice and bake evenly.

Vegetables are baked in the same way. It is better to wrap large specimens separately, and if it is a vegetable casserole or stew, then they are cooked in heat-resistant forms, which are covered from above with aluminum "paper" with a matte surface outward. It will absorb more heat this way and shorten the cooking time, while retaining the juiciness and flavor of the vegetables.

It should be noted that food practically does not stick to a glossy surface. This is important when cooking without oil. In this case, dry and low-fat foods are best placed on gloss, so you will prepare a dietary low-calorie food.

Fried dishes

The matte base of the culinary "helper" is used to obtain dishes with a golden brown crust. So, for example, they cook browned and crispy nuggets or chicken wings, fatty fish.

By reducing the time of heat exposure, more nutrients are retained in finished food than in traditional frying in a pan. It is also important that no oils are used when baking, therefore, the calorie content is significantly reduced.