Aluminium Foil Will Help You

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 101, Issue 5, 15 November 1960, Page 537

Aluminium Foil Will Help You

For Cooking, Storing, and Carrying Food

. . . and It Has Many Other Uses

By

JUDITH FERRIER,

Home Science Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Christchurch

Aluminium foil is the answer to a hundred kitchen problems and has proved a most adaptable helper for cooking, storing, and carrying food. However, it has possibilities for much wider use to reduce the time every busy housewife must spend in her kitchen.

THE foil, which looks like heavy silver paper, comes in rolls of about 20 ft which vary in width from 12 in. to 20 in.—wide enough to wrap a turkey. In some countries it is available in different grades, according to weight and thickness, but only one grade is obtainable in New Zealand shops at present. It may be used double or triple thickness if heavyduty foil is needed.

The superiority of foil over the usual kitchen wrapping materials is that, among other things, it can be easily formed and moulded to retain different shapes, for example, when it is used to cover odd s ; zed containers. It is proof against grease and moisture and does not soften on contact with either, and it will act as an insulator to retain heat or cold fairly well in foods wrapped in it. Foil given careful treatment can be used several times. It needs only to be wiped with a damp cloth or rinsed in soapy water, smoothed out, and dried in a warm place to make it ready for use again. COOKING WITH FOIL Meat Cooked in the Oven If meat is wrapped and cooked in foil, the juices are sealed in close to the meat, keeping it moist and tender, and do not get a chance to evaporate as they would from an open pan. This method is ideal for cooking lean meats

which would normally be stewed or done in a casserole and for meats, such as venison, which tend to dryness. The less tender cuts of meat usually given long slow cooking in liquid can also be satisfactorily roasted or baked and will not shrink or become dried out if they are wrapped in foil and cooked slowly in the oven.

With the tougher cuts it is a good idea to add about J cup of liquid to the foil package before sealing it. Water with a little vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper, and possibly a few herbs will help to make a well flavoured gravy; or blend 1 to 2 tablespoons of packet soup mix (onion, tomato, or mushroom flavour) with the water. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat to meats to be roasted or baked. Method: Trim any excess fat and gristle from the meat. Place on a large doubled square of foil. Season, draw up the foil, and add liquid or fat if desired. Fold the foil down several times over the top and in at the ends to make a tight seal. Place in a roasting dish and cook about two and a half to three hours or until done, depending on size. Vegetables can be baked or roasted in the pan at the same time. The usual times and temperatures need not be altered when using the foil. Poultry Poultry will remain moist and tender when cooked in foil. Prepare as usual; then place (trussed and breast up) on a doubled square of greased foil. Mould this to the shape of the bird, covering it completely and sealing the foil closely. Put the package on a rack in a roasting dish. Cook at 350 degrees F for the usual time. If meat or poultry is to be browned, unwrap the foil and allow the food to finish cooking uncovered for the last 20 to 30 minutes. In this time it will develop a good colour if the tempera-

ture is raised to 400 degrees. There should be plenty of juices for making the gravy. For older birds this method seems superior to that of partly cooking them in water and finishing in the oven. It is an excellent way of dealing with large birds, such as turkeys, which are often too big for a covered roasting dish and tend to burn in an open pan because of their height in the oven. Temperatures are those normally used. No extra time is needed when food is cooked in foil, there are no hard-to-clean roasting dishes in the wash up, and oven cleaning is reduced to a minimum because there is little or no sputtering during cooking. Remember that food will not brown while covered with foil. To brown uncover for the last 20 to 30 minutes’ cooking. Fish and Small Meat Cuts Fish and smaller cuts of meat are best cooked in a foil packet. Place on a square of greased double foil. Draw the two long edges together above the food and fold down twice on to it. Flatten the ends and roll in toward the centre to make a completely airtight packet. (See illustrations on page 539.) This is referred to as the “drugstore wrap” in American home freezer handbooks and is one method by which food is wrapped for home freezing. Bake as usual with the packets on the oven tray. Packet Dinners Individual packet dinners are a boon when the family has to come in for a meal at different times or when dinner has to be left ready for them. For each dinner arrange the food on a large square of doubled foil buttered in the centre. A good meal would be: 2 mid-loin chops or a 1 serving of a piece of grilling seasonable root steak vegetable, diced 1 medium potato, 2 or 3 small tomatoes halved Seasonings 1 onion, sliced or chopped Place the trimmed meat in the centre and surround with the root vegetables. Pre-cook the onion lightly in butter and place on top with the halved tomatoes. Season each layer with salt and pepper and, if desired, mix a little chutney, pickle, or tomato sauce with the onion to give additional flavour.

Seal with the “drugstore wrap” and place the packets, sealed edge uppermost, on a baking tray in the centre of the oven set to 350 degrees. They will take one hour to cook at this temperature. Those needed a little later can be cooked more slowly lower in the oven, or, if it is more convenient, the dinners can be cooked longer at a lower temperature. Each dinner is opened when needed and eaten straight from the packet with a quickly cooked green vegetable or a salad to complete the meal.

For dessert, apples or pears would bake in the same time at 350 degrees, or a cold pudding could be left ready to eat. Be careful not to tear the foil with sharp bones, or the meat juices and melted butter will leak out into the oven. This idea can be adapted for picnics and barbecues with great success, either for small misters or for largescale entertaining. The packets are placed in the hot coals or on a grid over the fire. Potatoes and other root vegetables, apples, corn on the cob, and even eggs cooked in this way can all be good. Suggestions for Barbecues Potatoes Scrub the potatoes and peel if desired. Slice into four crosswise and insert slices of cheese or onion between the pieces. Season well and wrap each potato closely in buttered foil. Cook about one hour.

For several people, peel and slice the potatoes required to about the thickness of a penny. Arrange .in layers on well buttered foil, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper (and finely grated cheese if liked). Pour over the whole J cup milk. Seal with the “drugstore wrap” and bake about one hour. Several smaller packets are preferable to one very large packet. Tomatoes Use small tomatoes whole or larger ones halved. Seal in a packet and cook for 10 minutes. Apples and Pears Core and stuff, if desired, with chopped dried fruit and brown sugar topped with i teaspoon of butter. Wrap individually in buttered foil and cook for about 45 minutes. Bananas Choose medium firm bananas. Cook whole or slit the skin lengthwise on the inside curve , but do not peel. Make a lengthwise cut in the flesh, sprinkle with lemon juice, and stuff with either 2 tablespoons of grated chocolate or a mixture of 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and | teaspoon of cinnamon. Wrap and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. Eggs Break each egg directly on to greased foil. Season each and seal closely. Cook over the fire for three to five minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of grated cheese and 2 tablespoons of milk to each packet before cooking if savoury eggs are wanted. Cooking without a Saucepan Small servings of vegetables can be cooked without a saucepan if a flat cooking surface is available. Place

the prepared vegetable cut small on a square of doubled foil. Gather up the edges. Add salt and sufficient water to prevent burning. Twist the top to seal and flatten on to the hot surface. Cook for the usual time. It is possible to cook several vegetables at the one time in only the one saucepan if they are wrapped individually to prevent their flavours from mingling. Place each variety (prepared and seasoned) on a square of foil. Twist at the top to form a bag and put the bags in 1 in. to 2 in. of boiling water in a large saucepan. Keep the lid on and allow time for steaming vegetables. Asparagus is difficult to cook evenly, but the heads can be kept from flopping if the asparagus stems are placed in boiling water and the heads rested on crumpled foil, where they cook more slowly in the steam. Use a saucepan with a wide base and keep the lid on.

FOIL IN KITCHEN EQUIPMENT Some of the newer stoves now being produced overseas have a removable foil oven lining which can be changed easily by the housewife, so virtually eliminating oven cleaning. The value of this has not yet been proved conclusively, but many experienced New Zealand cooks line their grill pans and roasting dishes with foil to save on the washing up. Pie Plates to Individual Design Pies, small fancy tarts, and pastry cases can be made any size or shape by rolling the pastry out thinly on doubled foil to a circle of the required size. Mould the foil and pastry together to form a shell, trim away the excess foil with kitchen scissors, and flute foil and pastry together round the edge. Bake as usual. Shrinkage during cooking is prevented because the pastry is not stretched to fit the pie plate. The filling can be baked in or the shell can be baked “blind”. This is a work-saving way of making pies for packed lunches. The pie plate can be screwed up when the pie has been eaten, making one dish less to bring home and wash, though the foil can be saved, smoothed out, washed, and re-used. Wrappings and Moulds Sandwiches which have to be made ahead will remain soft and moist if they are wrapped and sealed in foil, but because fillings made with egg or mayonnaise should not come into contact with the foil, it is advisable to wrap sandwiches filled with these in greaseproof paper first.

A loaf of bread wrapped closely in foil will keep moist for several days out of a tin. Another idea for children’s school lunches is to make foil containers by moulding foil round the base of a glass or mug and set jellies or fruit whips in them. Leave enough foil at the top to seal over and exclude dust and pack into the lunch tin when set. Similar containers- are useful for cooking individual savoury dishes and for steamed and baked puddings. At Christmas and for children’s parties set home-made sweets in tiny foil cases moulded on the base of an egg cup. Casseroles and oven dishes without lids can be covered with foil moulded to fit. Food browning too quickly in the oven can be covered with a piece of foil to prevent further darkening. Brown sugar stored in a foil-lined container will keep soft and moist, and an opened jar of jam covered closely with foil will not become sugary on top. On Oven Trays Much time can be saved when biscuits are being baked if two pieces

of foil are used alternately on each oven tray. The foil should be cut slightly smaller all round than the trays. Put the uncooked mixture out on to the foil and when each batch is done slip the foil with cooked biscuits off the tray and replace with the other pieces of foil and the uncooked biscuits. No time is wasted between batches in waiting for the biscuits to cool before they are firm enough to be transferred to the cooling rack. Grease the foil if this is usually done. Standby Cookies The American housewife finds ice box cookies a great standby, as the dough is prepared ahead in quantity, wrapped in aluminium foil, and stored in a refrigerator ready for biscuits to be sliced off and baked in as much time as the oven takes to heat. A basic dough and suggested variations are made as follows: Ice Box Cookies 3 cups of sifted flour 11 cups of brown 2| teaspoons of sugar baking powder 1 egg, well beaten i cup of butter 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 teaspoon of salt essence (Makes about five dozen)

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together twice. Cream the butter and sugar with the vanilla until very light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Blend in the flour mixture thoroughly. The dough will be stiff, but do not be tempted to add more liquid. Flour the hands and shape the dough into blocks about 6 in. long and 2 in. wide or into rolls about 2 ’ in. in diameter. Wrap each in a double layer of aluminium foil and place in the ice box of the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to chill and harden the dough. Remove and store the wrapped dough on a lower shelf, where it will keep for three weeks to a month. When fresh biscuits are wanted heat the oven to 375 degrees F and in the meantime unwrap the dough and use a very sharp knife to slice biscuits i in. thick on to ungreased oven trays. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Store when cold and crisp. Rewrap and return the remainder of the dough to the refrigerator. Variations Divide the mixture into two and add one of the following to each half.

Chocolate biscuits: Add 1J tablespoons of cocoa to the dry ingredients. Mocha biscuits: Add teaspoons of cocoa and 2 teaspoons of powdered instant coffee. Spice biscuits: Add J teaspoon each of cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg to the dry ingredients. Nut biscuits: Add J cup of very finely chopped nuts to the dry ingredients. Spotted biscuits: Add 2 oz of dark chocolate chopped into small pieces to the dry ingredients. Choconut biscuits: Add 1| tablespoons of cocoa and j cup of desiccated coconut to the dry ingredients. Chequers biscuits: Make plain and chocolate dough. Form separately into sticks about 1 in. across and 6 in. long. Press four together firmly,

alternating dark and light on top and bottom. Wrap and chill. Bullseye biscuits: Make plain and chocolate dough. Form the chocolate into sticks about 6 in. long and 1 in. in diameter. Roll the plain dough J- in; thick into oblongs 6 in. long and about 3 in. wide. Wrap firmly round the chocolate centre. Wrap and chill. The dozens of variations in flavours and patterns which are possible make the dough well worth having on hand. Large Quantities of Ice Cream The problem of making and storing large quantities of ice cream at home for special occasions is solved by lining the trays with aluminium foil. Do this neatly as you would a cake tin and allow sufficient depth of foil at the sides to fold over the top of the mixture when it is frozen. Pour in and freeze the mixture as usual. When it is solid, remove from the tray by pulling gently on the foil at both ends.

Fold the foil down over the block of ice cream to seal it completely and store in the ice cream compartment, where several wrapped blocks can be held safely for a few days, leaving the trays free. To serve, simply unwrap and slice. This method gives much neater portions than those spooned directly from the tray. If deeper than usual blocks are desired, use a foil-lined meat loaf tin, but remember to allow extra time for freezing the greater depth of mixture. Aluminium foil has a very definite place in the home freezing of foods, too, but its uses are by no means limited to the kitchen. One well known magazine recommends punctured aluminium foil to its younger readers as an excellent covering for tin cans containing live fishing bait, as apparently it keeps it fresh. Photographs by Green and Hahn.