Can You Use Foil In Breville Smart Oven? We’ve Been Foiled Again

Foil In a Breville Smart Oven

You would think it is a reasonably straightforward question that is easy to answer however unsurprisingly there is some mixed messages we need to sort through to get the answer.

Here is a summary of what you will find in more detail below:

• Overall smart ovens are designed to cook by maximizing airflow.  That’s what makes them smart ovens.
• Breville recommends NOT using aluminum foil because it can restrict airflow. However, they also have recipes on their website that include using foil.

So what’s the answer?

You can use foil with a Breville Smart Oven but… you have to make sure the foil is nowhere near the heating elements. Ensure it is fitted securely and you are using the middle rack.

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Using Foil In Breville Smart Ovens

Let’s look at what Breville says about using foil in its smart ovens. This is in the support section for smart ovens on the Breville website so these instructions should be the safest to follow except for not using foil at all…

Breville says concerning the…	Comments:
Rack Height:	When using metal foil to cover accessories, pans, and dishes, it is recommended that the Wire Rack is in the middle or bottom location.
Optimum Airflow:	Use oven-proof baking dishes, roasting pans, pizza pans, or cookie sheets with very low sides, and place them on the center of the Wire Rack to let maximum airflow reach the food. For the same reason, do not cover foods with metal foil or any other type of lid or cover for maximum airflow.
Slow Cook Function:	Caution should be exercised when using metal foil to cover accessories, pans, and dishes. Be sure that the metal foil is fitted securely as close contact with the oven’s heating elements can cause overheating and the risk of fire. When using metal foil to cover accessories, pans, and dishes, it is recommended that the Wire Rack is in the middle or bottom location.

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How Customers Are Saying They Use Foil In Breville Smart Ovens

I have looked at the following smart oven and below is a list of related comments made by customers who are using foil.

*You will see people saying they are using foil to line the bottom of the oven to save cleaning. In the next section below you will see comments from a Facebook group saying this is a big No-No.

The comments below are what people are saying they are doing. It gives you an idea of what can be done – but that doesn’t make it right!

Breville BOV900BSS Convection and Air Fry Smart Oven Air

The only thing I do is line the bottom with heavy duty foil when I’m going to use the air fry basket or make homemade pizza. I have a tendency to overload the crust with toppings.

• I lined it with foil and poked a bunch of holes in the foil, then I placed a large piece of foil under the fryer tray to catch the drippings.
• The air fryer is also great but I do put some foil under my pies to keep them clean as apple always seems to drip.
• I covered the broiler pan with Aluminum foil and place them on the grid, they broiled nice and brown but splattered the sides of the oven.
• We put a sheet of aluminum foil on the base for anything that might drip.
• Air fry works as expected but remember that anything greasy in nature WILL drip when cooked so make sure to use a common-sense drip pan that takes some scrubbing and some things are hard to clean off. If you want it kept a spotless line drip tray with foil before the first use and place the foil-lined baking sheet beneath the basket.
• I do have a small issue with the quality of the crumb drawer. I cover mine in aluminum foil. It makes cleaning up much easier.
• The crumb-catching tray is a shiny metal inside that is easier to clean than the old one. That being said, I’d still advise lining it with foil so you can clean it REALLY easily.

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Breville’s Facebook Page

I stumbled upon an interesting conversation on Breville’s Facebook Page involving the use of foil. It kind of just adds to the confusion.

Here is a bullet list of the main points:

I also called the company who told me never to put foil or parchment inside because if it touches the element it can start a fire. And I’m not supposed to put foil containers in it either to cook she said.

• Also, you can’t line the crumb tray with alfoil. I’ve used foil trays on the shelf to cook in without issues.
• I called Breville and they told me I shouldn’t be putting foil containers in it.
• When I called Breville they told me NO foil paper in it at all and NO foil containers in it either.

Here are some more reasons you might want to avoid using foil in your Breville Smart Oven…

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Aluminum Foil Has The Potential To Spark

While cooking with foil is a convenient cooking method, the high temperatures reached inside the Smart Oven can cause an aluminum foil package to become electrically charged and spark when placed on the top of the oven.

1. Despite what you might think, you shouldn’t be using foil in your Breville smart oven. If you’re wondering why we say that, it’s because foil can produce sparks in the oven, potentially causing a fire.
2. More than that, you’ll also be reducing the oven’s air circulation, preventing your food from cooking properly.

Aluminum Foil Is Flammable

While it is common knowledge that regular foil is not flammable, aluminum foil is quite flammable.

1. And while it’s rare that you’ll find yourself using aluminum foil in a Breville smart oven, it’s best to keep yourself informed.
2. If you do use aluminum foil, make sure it’s not too close to the heating elements, and that it isn’t touching the heating elements.
3. The Breville smart oven will not automatically shut off if there is aluminum foil in the oven, so be careful.

Aluminum Foil Can Overheat Your Smart Oven

Foil is made of metal, which conducts heat very well.

The outer surface of a layer of aluminum foil is composed of a very thin layer of aluminum.

When you touch an aluminum foil that is heated, you feel that the heat is mainly conducted through the thin layer of metal instead of being lost through air conduction.

So… while it would be extremely rare the possibility exists that the foil being an excellent conductor of heat will elevate the temperature inside your oven causing potential issues.

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In summary, the best advice is what was stated earlier by Breville themselves.

Mainly this…

Use oven-proof baking dishes, roasting pans, pizza pans, or cookie sheets with very low sides, and place on the center of the Wire Rack to let maximum airflow reach the food.

So look for alternative ways to cook without using foil. Remember the Smart Oven is already designed to cook 30% faster than conventional ovens and restricted airflow is really restricting the ability of the oven.

You are basically transforming your Smart Oven back into a conventional oven.

You may also be interested in… Can You Put Foil In Your Air Fryer? (If So How and Where?)