Kitchen Foil & Wraps

Kitchen wraps cover three jobs. Aluminium foil withstands oven heat, so it wraps fish and chicken for baking, covers a roasting tray and tents a tandoori joint while it rests. Cling film is a thin, stretchy plastic that clings to bowls and plates to keep food fresh in the fridge. Baking paper, or parchment, has a non-stick coating that stops cakes, biscuits and roast vegetables sticking to the tray.

Use each one for what it does best. Foil is the choice for the oven and the grill, and a double layer makes a quick parcel for marinated paneer or vegetables. Cling film is for cold food only and should never go in a hot oven; check the pack before using it in a microwave and keep it from touching the food. Baking paper lines cake tins and trays, and greaseproof paper wraps sandwiches and rotis for the journey.

Do not wrap very acidic food such as tamarind chutney, lime pickle or tomato curry in foil for long, as the acid reacts with the metal. Clean foil can go in most recycling collections once scrunched into a ball. For your baking, see baking, sugar and desserts; for the rest of the house, browse personal care and household.