What is cooking in foil?
The “al foil” cooking technique involves wrapping the food in a sheet of food-grade paper, after having possibly seasoned it as desired with spices, fats and various aromas.
In general, the foil exploits two modes of thermal transfer, called conduction and convection, while the specific means of propagation are air, water and steam.
This technique can be applied in cooking in the oven (which is undoubtedly the most suitable tool), on the grill or even on the plate or in a pan (NOT non-stick).
How does it work?
The operation of baking in foil can be summarized as follows:
- Transfer of heat from the source to the conduction medium: from the electric resistances or from the oven flame to the air contained within it or to the lava stone of the gas grill; or from the flame of the stove to the solid of the plate or pan. Alternatively, irradiation can take place directly from the embers.
- Heat transfer from the conduction medium to the foil (aluminum foil or food paper that wraps the food).
- Heat transfer from the foil (secondary conduction medium) to the food.
- Cooking food for:
- Conduction of heat from the aluminum of the metallic foil to the food (solid and liquid parts).
- Conduction of heat from the food liquids (water and fats), and from the steam released as a result, to the solid parts.
Note: some foods can also be closed in the foil and cooked directly on the dying embers of a charcoal or wood grill; obviously, these are small foods, wrapped in aluminum, suitably greased with oil and turned very frequently on the sides of the wrapper.
