Steps to Great Foil Cooking

Posted on June 18th, 2010 in Cooking outdoors,Foil cookery by Gary House

Foil cooking is one of the best options when Cooking Outdoors. It is very economical and very convenient. Since some cooking methods need a lot of equipment such as tripods, racks or even a Dutch oven, with foil cooking you can just cook it anywhere without having the hassles of bringing in so much equipment. All you need is a heavy duty aluminium foil and you are ready to go.

Using aluminium foil has different functions. It can be used to protect your food if you are directly placing it in the fire. In doing so, you are able to maintain the moisture of the food, allowing the food to be very tender and moist. It can also serve as a package for your cooked food. If your aiming for food that does not have grill marks or if you don’t want your food to caramelize, then this is the cooking method for you.

Steps in Foil Cooking

a) You need a heavy duty aluminium foil which is thick and does not tear easily. In case heavy duty aluminium foil is not available, you might want to consider wrapping your food twice or even thrice to avoid your food from burning.

b) Place your food in a large torn piece of aluminium foil. You may cook your favourite vegetables combined with some meat or chicken. Add in seasonings such as salt and pepper. If you want to have a very aromatic dish, you may put a dash of rosemary, thyme or bay leaf. This is a very good combination since the steam will lock in all the moisture and flavour in to your food.

c) When you have combined all of your ingredients, ensure to fold the sides tight to make sure that the liquid does not drip off. The liquid from your food is bursting with so much flavour and aroma you don’t want to waste any.

d) When your fire is ready, place the foil packet close enough to the fire or on a bed of coals. You will observe that in a few minutes you will hear a soft sizzle. This means that your food is starting to cook. Keep in mind that it is not safe to place the foil directly into the fire or it will have the tendency to be brittle or worse, the foil will burn.

e) Since you have incorporated different types of food, some food will cook longer. This goes for beef or pork. As for chicken, fish and vegetables, this will cook faster. You may slightly open your foil pack to check if your food is cooked already. It’s ok to go high tech and use a thermometer here.

For those of us who love Cooking Outdoors, this cooking method is very easy. As mentioned, it is very economical and convenient. The best part of it is that you don’t need to bring in heavy cooking equipment. After cooking and eating, you can just easily toss up the used foil in the re-cycle bin.