What do you use to cover casserole dishes? | Henssler's Instructions, Tips & Tricks

In Henssler's Instructions, Tips & Tricks, we'll show you today how to properly cover Henssler's ceramic and porcelain baking and casserole dishes. Steffen demonstrates the best common kitchen tools for covering your oven dish. He also explains why it might be necessary to protect your food from the heat of the oven when baking, cooking, and roasting. ------------------------------------- Need a new casserole dish? Check out our kitchen utensils here 🍽️: https://bit.ly/36Ek8Ef ------------------------------------- Are you an amateur or professional cook? Delicious ingredients and delicacies can be found here 🥫: https://bit.ly/3JpQjF9 ------------------------------------ Need new cooking inspiration? Quick and delicious recipes here 🤤: https://bit.ly/34SnGl2 ------------------------------------- Need help with cooking? Helpful guides can be found here 📚: https://bit.ly/3GMr1zu ------------------------------------- Even more helpful suggestions for cooking and your kitchen: Instagram 🤳: https://bit.ly/3gM3VhU Facebook 🤝: https://bit.ly/3rMAD91 Web 🔗: https://bit.ly/3JqGxmh ------------------------------------- With ovenproof baking and casserole dishes made of ceramic and porcelain, all kinds of delicious oven dishes can be easily prepared and cooked in the oven. Vegetable and pasta casseroles topped with cheese, crispy potato gratins, or fluffy soufflés can be served oven-fresh in these decorative, colorful serving dishes. However, the baking and cooking process can pose a challenge for both amateur and professional cooks, as heat distribution and intensity can vary between ovens. For example, the top layer of cheese may be appetizingly crispy and brown, but the baking time isn't even up yet. So, that soupy casserole with still-hard pasta or raw potatoes still needs to stay in the oven. But how can you prevent the oven-baked dish from burning during the remaining baking time? To protect the delicacies in the ceramic casserole dish from unsightly burning, the already sufficiently baked top layer of the casserole or gratin must be protected from the heat of the oven. At this point, the circulating hot air directly affects the food, causing it to cook faster, dry out, and brown. Therefore, the baking and casserole dish must be covered as soon as the top of the casserole browns too quickly. But what is actually suitable for covering casserole dishes? There are three ways to cover your ovenproof dish, each with varying degrees of success. The first option is to cover the casserole dish with a lid, such as a glass lid. It's important that the glass lid fits perfectly against the rim of the ceramic dish. Only with the lid will the casserole dish be protected from direct hot air from above. Remember to lower the oven temperature for the remaining baking time, as the heat is even stronger underneath the glass lid. The second option is to cover the baking and casserole dishes with parchment paper. The coated paper is ovenproof, heat-resistant, and can be used multiple times. The downside lies in the effectiveness and handling of this covering. Parchment paper is unruly and difficult to secure to the casserole dish. To still be able to cover your porcelain dish with it, you should first crumple the parchment paper and unfold it again. The crumpled baking paper is less stubborn and easier to fold around the edges of your ceramic dish. Be careful when pressing it down and use oven mitts to avoid burning yourself on the hot casserole dish. Be sure to lower the temperature when covering with the baking paper, as the baking paper can only provide limited protection from burning caused by the hot air. The third method is the tool of choice for properly covering your cooking in a casserole dish. All you need is a piece of standard household aluminum foil. Aluminum has a key advantage that the foil takes advantage of. Unlike glass or baking paper, aluminum acts as an insulator. The blunt side allows heat to pass through, while the shiny side reflects heat. When used correctly, it can safely shield the contents of your oven dish from the heat. So, what's the correct way to cover with aluminum foil? Start by cutting a generous piece of aluminum foil from the roll. It should extend a few centimeters over all sides of your baking dish. If you're covering a large baking dish, it's best to remove it from the oven at this point. This will ensure you don't burn yourself on the hot oven components.