Aluminium foil heating problems in oven - am I going mad?

madget_2

I bought a Siemens built in oven a few months ago, but have noticed something odd, something which has never happened before in any of my other ovens.

Occasionally, I'll cover a dish of food I want to cook with tin foil in order to stop it burning on top. I then remove the foil for the last 15 minutes or so of cooking time in order to allow it to brown on top. This has worked perfectly well in every other oven I've owned.

However, I've noticed that it seems to slow down and almost bring to a halt the cooking of food in my Siemens oven. For instance, last night I placed a savoury bread pudding in the oven on 160 C (using the fan setting, as I always tend to do) for 20 minutes. When I removed the foil for browning, the pudding was lukewarm - even the cheese on the top showed no sign of melting. I've noticed the same thing whilst cooking a deep meat pie.

I'm particularly worried about roasting a joint of meat as I always cover that with foil in order to keep it moist and tender.

Has anyone else experienced something similar in their oven (any make, not just Siemens)? And does anyone have any suggestions, please, as to how I can remedy this?

When I open the oven door, I can feel the heat, and other non-foil-covered items cook perfectly well.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Gloomendoom

My first thought was that radiant heat was reflecting off the foil and upsetting the thermostat. What happens if use dishes with lids instead of foil?

madget_2

Gloomendoom wrote: »

My first thought was that radiant heat was reflecting off the foil and upsetting the thermostat. What happens if use dishes with lids instead of foil?

I wondered whether it might be something to do with the reflecting purposes of the foil, Gloomendoom. The fan oven (it has a fancy name with the Siemens - 3D Hot Air!) is described as heat from the back panel being distributed evenly throughout the compartment by a fan - in case the original location of the heating element makes any difference.

Although the manual advises you not to line the oven floor with tin foil because of the heating element there, it doesn't say not to use it for cooking.

The oven compartment is definitely hot, though, so I'm not sure about it affecting the thermostat and the ceramic dish itself was hot. That's a very good point about dishes with lids, though. I haven't tried one of those yet, but will do so to see what result I get.

If it works with a lidded dish, then at least I'd have that option for roasting meat.

Thanks!

jennifernil

That is a bit of a mystery!

3 points spring to mind......

Did you use more than 1 layer of foil?

Ceramic and glass dishes are not such good conductors of heat as metal ones.

In my fan oven, 160 for 20 minutes would not be very hot, but mine is old and takes a while to heat up.

madget_2

jennifernil wrote: »

That is a bit of a mystery!

3 points spring to mind......

Did you use more than 1 layer of foil?

Ceramic and glass dishes are not such good conductors of heat as metal ones.

In my fan oven, 160 for 20 minutes would not be very hot, but mine is old and takes a while to heat up.

Thanks for your input, jennifer.

I only used 1 layer of foil, but your point about ceramic and glass dishes may prove very helpful. For the savoury pudding, I used a ceramic dish and, thinking about it, I used a glass dish for the deep pie - both of which did not heat up. I'll try metal dishes and trays to see whether they make a difference.

I did pre-heat the oven and it definitely felt hot inside. Although, as you say, 160 isn't a terribly high setting. In fact, it might be worth cooking anything covered in foil on 200 instead of the lower temperature stated in the recipe book, then reducing the heat a bit after removing the foil for browning.

I'm starting to worry (bit early, I know!) about the large turkey I roast each Christmas when my family come to stay with us. Cold turkey, anyone?! :rotfl:

totalsolutions

Try without the foil. The heating element (one of several in modern oven units) is behind the rear wall surrounding the fan. The new ovens I think tend to be well sealed and almost air tight keeping heat, water vapour and juices in the oven cavity. Keeping foil on the dish I feel is not required and is keeping the heat out. The element is in the rear so browning does not occur, the upper element - grill can be utilised for browning if required.

madget_2

totalsolutions wrote: »

Try without the foil. The heating element (one of several in modern oven units) is behind the rear wall surrounding the fan. The new ovens I think tend to be well sealed and almost air tight keeping heat, water vapour and juices in the oven cavity. Keeping foil on the dish I feel is not required and is keeping the heat out. The element is in the rear so browning does not occur, the upper element - grill can be utilised for browning if required.

Thanks for that, totalsolutions. This would explain why I never experienced the problem with my previous ovens.

So you think it the meat would remain moist enough because of the seal improvement? I shall give it a try then, without the foil and see what happens.

bigdic

Similar thing happens in my oven too, still catches me out even after 4 years . Go to the oven to find whatever I've covered in foil is just warm. I find turning up the heat helps and giving it a bit longer.

I think what happens is that the as fan blows the heat around the oven and the foil on top reflects a lot of the heat away, also since the foil is so fine it doesn't hold enough heat to affect the coooking proccess so instead of being "surrounded" in heat the food is only being cooked from below. (I hope that makes some sense).

I find that lidded roasting dishes work well as the lids are much heavier than foil and so transfer more heat into your food.

madget_2

bigdic wrote: »

Similar thing happens in my oven too, still catches me out even after 4 years . Go to the oven to find whatever I've covered in foil is just warm. I find turning up the heat helps and giving it a bit longer.

I think what happens is that the as fan blows the heat around the oven and the foil on top reflects a lot of the heat away, also since the foil is so fine it doesn't hold enough heat to affect the coooking proccess so instead of being "surrounded" in heat the food is only being cooked from below. (I hope that makes some sense).

I find that lidded roasting dishes work well as the lids are much heavier than foil and so transfer more heat into your food.

Thank goodness it's not just me! I'm so glad you posted!

How do you cook your Christmas turkey, bigdic? I don't think the lidded pots would be high enough for ours.

Mind you, since the fan oven is looking like the culprit here, I'm wondering whether just using top and bottom heat, like a non-fan oven, might get around that problem?

jennifernil

My oven is a Miele multifunction (1988 vintage), but I mainly use it on fan. It has the element behind the back plate, round the fan, which seems pretty standard.

Using foil should not stop things cooking, but they may take longer. I always use foil when doing a large joint or turkey, generally cook them on a lower temperature for a bit longer, remove foil to brown near the end. I never have any problems with things not cooking or browning. I usually wrap the whole joint/bird and cook on the oven tray, rather than just covering another dish.

Those "roasting bags" work well too, but a covered dish is more MSE.

When cooking something like a "ready meal" that requires it to be covered with foil, again I have no problem.

However I generally use metal dishes in the oven rather than glass/ceramic.

I also use a meat thermometer to check things are properly cooked......never a good idea to poison the Xmas guests!

As said, for better browning you can use the top element/grill. Mine has a grill with fan setting that is very effective. It also has a "roasting mode" where it uses all the elements to quickly cook/seal the meat on the outside, then switches to fan only.
You will find that the meat keeps very moist if sealed first, then using foil is not necessary. I don't use foil on small joints, or on many things at all.

If you are not used to a fan oven, you need to experiment a little to see what works best. Often the instruction book will give some tips on how to get the best results

aboard_epsilon

i read up reports on foil a few months back .

foil has a dull side and a highly reflective shiny side

there are various forums discusing shiny side in or shiny side out..
most seem to say shiny side in ..dull side out

others say it dont matter.

try dull side out ..see if it does anything.

all the best.markj