Knowledge Base > Fran Costigan - Your Oven Is Lying to You
Fran Costigan - Your Oven Is Lying to You
This event was on
Tuesday, June 02, 2026 at 1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern
When your oven dings to say it’s ready, Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry has one response: not so fast. That cheerful beep does not signal a fully heated oven. You… Read More.
Question:
I have an old oven which works well enough. I keep foil on the floor of the oven and wonder if it changes the way things cook, brown, timing etc. so what’s your advice on foil?
— Hilda P J
Answer:
Well, Hilda, my mother always had foil on the bottom of her oven, too, so I'm familiar with that, and I think that that's going to trap the heat of your oven hotter than you've set it to. You can get around that, again, by getting an oven thermometer in your oven and testing it with the foil and without the foil. I think if you would try to take the foil out of your oven, you might have a more even bake. But if it isn't broken, Hilda, don't fix it.
