How To Use Aluminum Foil To Mimic A Roasting Rack In A Pinch

Necessity is the mother of invention, and when you don't have a roasting rack to roast your Thanksgiving turkey or make your favorite roasted chicken, aluminum foil can be your best friend. A roasting rack is simply an apparatus that lifts your meat and veggies ever so slightly off the bottom of the pan so the hot air can move in a 360-degree motion all the way around it. This ensures your meal is cooked evenly and thoroughly.  It also allows for all of those lovely drippings to form at the bottom of the roasting pan so you can later use them for a sauce or gravy. 

However, if your kitchen is not outfitted with a roasting pan and rack, there's no need to panic and rush out and buy one. You can create the same effect using a baking pan and some tin foil. This pantry storage essential will allow you to fashion a temporary rack by rolling a few sheets of it into individual cylinders.  

To perform this makeshift magic, you first need to make certain your foil pieces will fit inside your pan, so make certain you don't make your cylinders too long. The number of sheets of foil needed will vary, but you will need at least three. You want to ensure that you create sturdy enough rolls to support the weight of the meat you are roasting. Additionally, you want it to set flat and level within your pan so your food cooks properly.

If you are making a lighter meat like bacon where you may or may not want to save the bacon fat it produces, you can transform your foil into an accordion-shaped fan. The technique may seem elementary and that's because it is. It is just like folding paper back and forth to make fans you like did in grade school. So, the next time you need a rack in a pinch, break out your aluminum foil because you've got this.