# Plastic Wrap in the Oven?



## fl italian

I need some advice and help here.... As I've never done this but have read that many of you do use plastic wrap under aluminum foil and putting it right in the oven.   Can I do that?

I'm having a major party here and am working today on the prep for a lot of my courses (it's an Italian Festival so you know there's a lot of courses!!) and I want to know if I can wrap my dishes in wrap before the aluminum foil?   I'm using a lot of aluminum steam table bins to do the actual baking so let me know if that'll work.   I've got plenty of good Costco Plastic Wrap to work with.

Thanks!!!


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## bobbleheadbob

I do it all the time at home and in my work kitchen. Just cover the pans with plastic making sure it does not hand down the side of the pan, cover with foil and in the oven. Not knowing what plastic wrap you have you are probably safe up to 375 or so NO BROILER.


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## kyheirloomer

Why would you use the broiler on a covered dish?

The oven temperature, btw, is irrelevent when using this double-wrap technique. Why? Because what makes it work is that steam from the cooking food maintains the film at a constant 212 degrees, which is below it's melting point.

If any of the film is exposed outside the foil covering, however, it will melt and burn.


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## chefbillyb

Hey my boy, hows it...........I use plastic wrap under all Italian dishes, so the sauce doesn't eat through to the foil. I only use it when the food touches the foil when cooing in the oven................Have fun buddy......................ChefBill


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## siduri

I never heard of this, but I have heard that plastic wrap *shouldn't even be used to cover hot food directly* because of the chemicals it releases into the food under heat. I can't understand why you wouldn't just use foil at that point? 
It's also bad in the microwave for the same reason. 
I know there is a kind of plastic wrap that doesn't release these substances, but i don't know how available it is where you are. I'd be careful.

Anyway, you can always put plastic wrap OVER the foil when you store the food, which will seal it well, and then easily remove it after.


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## chefedb

Hospitals wrap their pans in  plastic wrap first, then foil. 1. Stops food from drying out. 2. Stops contact of food by foil which forms aluminum oxide or graying when acids from food come in contact with it.Foil also shreds sometimes and could get in food.specially in convection ovens. Restaurant plastic wrap(reynolon)and household Saran Wrap are two different things, composd of different chemicals in their manufacturing.


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## siduri

Thanks ed, i don;t know the chemical components, but i have heard that some wraps release bad stuff into food and some don't.  I believe they do sell one of the good ones here, in some remote supermarkets.   

The fact that hospitals use it doesn;t much convince me though.  Hospitals serve jello to sick people -  jello - artificial color, artificial flavor... it's really not any harder to make gelatin with apple juice (transparent like jello) and sugar and lemon, but they use the crap stuff.  I once had a discussion with an American dietologist in Rome who said that italian hospitals were really backward in the dietology department.  I then, snidely, i admit, asked her why they serve jello to convalescents in american hospitals.  She said it's transparent and so doesn't cause problems.  I asked if apple juice would be equally acceptable.  She said yes.  So i pointed out that jello is made of chemicals and apple juice is not - she politely remembered she had to move over to the other side of the room!


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## bobbleheadbob

Some people do silly things so that is why I said not to use the broiler. If the pan is not full and you turn the oven up too high the plastic will melt along the outside top egde as there is no food to keep it below the boiling point.


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## schreinon

Thanks so much for your information. I've used this method for osso bucco and the results are wonderful. But I always DID wonder about the temp of the oven. I've always kept the oven under 300 agrees, for fear that the sedan wrap would melt.  Here's another question for you, tho. If the double wrap method keeps the sedan wrap at a constant temp of 212 degrees, do higher temps shorten the cooking time any? It sounds like, regardless of the oven temp, the inside of the roasting pan will never be higher than 212? Is that correct or is my thinking wrong?


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## nicko

I remember using plastic wrap in the same way but couldn't you achieve the same results with parchment paper. This would avoid the use of plastics and the release of chemicals.


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## seahag1961

Jello isn't chemicals, as long as you don't use sugar-free.  It's gelatin, which is an animal by-product (collagen).  Also uses sugar (natural) and natural flavor....so feeding this clear, albeit not nutritious, snack/treat to old people in nursing homes and hospitals for easy digestion isn't a bad thing....


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## kingfarvito

Steam can get much hotter than 212. 212 is simply the boiling point of water.


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## ed buchanan

Nicko   You can't get parchment paper to cling air tight. It also contains chemicals, all brands vary but most contain a form of silicone.


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## ed buchanan

Great for diabetics!


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## berndy

If you want to use parchment you have to wrap it he whole package in foil to make it air tight.


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## cheftalk

Years ago I had a Giant 12-Inch Cookie "like in the Mall" Recipe which was made from a bought chocolate chip cookie dough and baked in a pizza pan; then wrapped with Saran Wrap and put in the oven (don't remember temp) to shrink wrap. I've been on internet several hours now and can't find anything like it.

Over the years this "favorite" recipe was lost due to computer viruses and I would love to recover it or one like or similar to make as a gift. Can you help me out.

Thank you.

With fingers crossed,

[email protected]


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