Should you be lining the bottom of your oven with foil? No, as it can easily damage your oven.

It seems like a sound plan in theory. For instance, you’re making a cheesy lasagna that seems in danger of dripping over the sides onto the bottom of the oven. By lining the bottom with foil, all the oil, cheese, and other overflow will be caught by the foil which can easily be removed.

This, however, would be a mistake.

Lining your oven with foil can ruin your cooking and damage your oven. By lining your oven with foil, you change the flow of heat and air. This leads to food either being overcooked, under-cooked, or cooked unevenly. Further, the foil lining an oven cannot handle high temperatures. The foil will melt, permanently damaging the oven. The element of an electric oven can burn out due to the redirected heat, and in gas ovens the interference with the flame can even damage the stove. Attempting to stop a small mess can have catastrophic results for your oven.

So what’s the solution?

Putting a cookie sheet underneath your food can act as a make-shift drip tray to catch any overflow. The cookie sheet can then be taken out and cleaned.

Special silicon liners are sold for electric ovens. These liners can withstand the heat, so they won’t melt all over your oven. However, they only work for electric ovens, and not gas powered.

The damage caused to your oven by a foil lining is easily preventable. This tip should prevent unnecessary damage, and contribute to your oven living a long and clean life.