Tinfoil and ovens
February 22, 2010 2:19 PM Subscribe
If I cover a dish in the oven, does it make it hotter?
I screwed up my casserole and forgot to cook the chicken first. If I cover it with tinfoil will it get hotter in the casserole dish? Otherwise can I just cook it longer? I can't believe I forgot to cook the chicken.
I screwed up my casserole and forgot to cook the chicken first. If I cover it with tinfoil will it get hotter in the casserole dish? Otherwise can I just cook it longer? I can't believe I forgot to cook the chicken.
Best answer: If you cover it with foil, you can cook it longer without the top drying out and getting all crusty. Remove the foil about 15-20 minutes before you want to be done. Or remove it about 5 minutes before, and flip the broiler on.
posted by kaseijin at 2:22 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by kaseijin at 2:22 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: It's never going to get any hotter than what you have the temp of the oven set, so I say no. Covering it might keep it more moist if you're looking to nuke the hell out of it, however.
You can cook it longer, sure, but it might overcook some of the other ingredients depending on what they are.
posted by nitsuj at 2:23 PM on February 22, 2010
You can cook it longer, sure, but it might overcook some of the other ingredients depending on what they are.
posted by nitsuj at 2:23 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: It won't get hotter than the rest of the oven for obvious reasons. Covering with tinfoil will keep it from drying out and keep spattering juices from dirtying the oven. You can always microwave it before or afterwards to cook the chicken more. Remember to remove the foil when microwaving!
posted by JJ86 at 2:23 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by JJ86 at 2:23 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: (basically, what ShootTheMoon said about moisture...but with the added tip that ovens are a dry cooking environment, and retaining that moisture allows you to cook a lot longer than not retaining it would.)
posted by kaseijin at 2:23 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by kaseijin at 2:23 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: If you cover it with foil, the steam will build up inside the dish and moist heat will permeate the food more quickly than dry heat will (heat transfer goes up). It doesn't get hotter, it just helps in transfering the heat a bit better.
posted by lizbunny at 2:25 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by lizbunny at 2:25 PM on February 22, 2010
Response by poster: Cool! It's just chicken and rice and soup. and artichoke hearts and cheese. I don't know how long I'm supposed to cook it for. I'm going to give it an hour and then crumble some chips on top of it or something. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing.
I can't tell how hot the oven is because all the numbers have worn off. I'm kind of eye-balling it.
I'll keep it covered to keep the moisture in, uncover at 45 minutes, crumble the chips, then check it at 60 minutes to make sure the chicken's done.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:27 PM on February 22, 2010
I can't tell how hot the oven is because all the numbers have worn off. I'm kind of eye-balling it.
I'll keep it covered to keep the moisture in, uncover at 45 minutes, crumble the chips, then check it at 60 minutes to make sure the chicken's done.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:27 PM on February 22, 2010
Response by poster: thanks lizbunny that was what I suspected... just wasn't sure if I was right or not.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:28 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:28 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: I generally solve these kinds of mistakes with a little time in the microwave. If you want the casserole to brown, nuke it to cook the chicken then throw it in the oven on broil to get the crisp.
posted by srboisvert at 2:29 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by srboisvert at 2:29 PM on February 22, 2010
Response by poster: The oven doesn't broil, I don't think. It just has one knob. I figure gas ovens go from, what, 150 to 500 degrees? And probably the hottest temp is on the left of the knob, so I just put it at 2/3rds turn toward the left and hope that's about 350.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:36 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:36 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: As I understand this, covering a dish actually does make it hotter -- steam and a sealed environment increase pressure, which increases the boiling point of water. Under sea level pressure, water boils at 212F, and a water-based dish cannot get hotter than that until the water has been converted to steam. This is why pressure cookers can cook much faster than other cooking devices -- the water can get hotter. Now, a foil-covered dish in the oven is not likely to provide a tight enough seal for much pressure to get generated, but it probably has some slight effect. A heavy lid will have more, and so on. All of these will keep a dish from drying ou for reasons mentioned above.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:38 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:38 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: Now, a foil-covered dish in the oven is not likely to provide a tight enough seal for much pressure to get generated, but it probably has some slight effect.
No, it doesn't. Atmospheric pressure is 15 pounds per square inch. A foil cover won't even sustain 1% in excess of that before leaking, ripping, or coming off. A heavy lid might handle 1%, but there's no possibility of significant excess pressure being generated in the manner of a pressure cooker.
posted by Mapes at 2:46 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
No, it doesn't. Atmospheric pressure is 15 pounds per square inch. A foil cover won't even sustain 1% in excess of that before leaking, ripping, or coming off. A heavy lid might handle 1%, but there's no possibility of significant excess pressure being generated in the manner of a pressure cooker.
posted by Mapes at 2:46 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'd go the other route actually.
Cover it and turn the heat down and let it cook longer. If you want browning take off the cover and crank the heat for about 15 minutes at the end.
posted by bitdamaged at 2:49 PM on February 22, 2010
Cover it and turn the heat down and let it cook longer. If you want browning take off the cover and crank the heat for about 15 minutes at the end.
posted by bitdamaged at 2:49 PM on February 22, 2010
Response by poster: I just checked it... looks like the chicken is actually doing okay, but there's too much liquid. I'm ditching the foil for a bit. I think I added too much butter, too. I dunno if butter belongs in a casserole but I dig it.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: Why don't you buy an oven themometer? That way you don't have to eyeball it and hope it's roughly 350F. That's what I did when I lived at an apt with a stove that had all the numbers worn off the dial.
posted by kthxbi at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by kthxbi at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: Yes, it will get hotter if covered; steam = evaporation = cooling, though in a hot oven, probably not a huge difference.
posted by theora55 at 2:57 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by theora55 at 2:57 PM on February 22, 2010
Response by poster: I got an oven thermometer but it only worked for a week or two. It was a really nice one, too, so I was really disappointed. It's boiling good now.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:58 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:58 PM on February 22, 2010
Response by poster: Yeah just added the chips. I think this might actually work out.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2010
posted by Baby_Balrog at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: The oven doesn't broil, I don't think. It just has one knob.
What kind of oven is it? My old one had one knob, and you'd turn the broiler on by cranking it all the way; it sort of clicked.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:10 PM on February 22, 2010
What kind of oven is it? My old one had one knob, and you'd turn the broiler on by cranking it all the way; it sort of clicked.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:10 PM on February 22, 2010
Best answer: Remember, PV=nRT, or T = PV/nR.
So, if we effectively increase (P)ressure by covering the container, (T)emperature must also go up.
posted by sid at 8:35 PM on February 22, 2010
So, if we effectively increase (P)ressure by covering the container, (T)emperature must also go up.
posted by sid at 8:35 PM on February 22, 2010
While PV=nRT, unless you're cooking in a pressure vessel there isn't going to be any appreciable amount of increase in P.
That being said, covering things in the oven results in the reduction of water loss through evaporation. You should be able to cook it longer in such a scenario without it getting dry, but after a while the whole mix may start to get a bit goopy due to ingredients already present and cooked breaking down from a long exposure to heat.
posted by squorch at 10:47 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
That being said, covering things in the oven results in the reduction of water loss through evaporation. You should be able to cook it longer in such a scenario without it getting dry, but after a while the whole mix may start to get a bit goopy due to ingredients already present and cooked breaking down from a long exposure to heat.
posted by squorch at 10:47 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
How long does the recipe call for you to cook the dish? and at what temp?
posted by ShootTheMoon at 2:22 PM on February 22, 2010