My wife says that she has gotten advice on Facebook that using the plastic absorbent liner from packaging can also be used in the oven to distribute the heat more evenly. I am hesitant to put plastic in the oven in temperatures of 325 F.
Are there BPAs in the material? Is this a safe practice?
I can't imagine there's any benefit in using the tray liner as a cooking aid, anything about them distributing heat evenly is a load of garbage, that's what pans are for. Plus, cooking your food on a sponge of silica gel and plastic that's absorbed a bunch of blood is just plain gross.
It's impossible to say whether the plastics have BPAs, different manufacturers use different plastics so there's no way to know. Regardless of the BPA question melting plastic is never a good thing.
Please don't do this.
Personally, I wouldn't even consider it. If it melts both your meat & roasting tin are trash.
I also wouldn't consider it to 'distribute heat more evenly', it will start as a cold spot, then eventually become a steamer. It would probably prevent browning on the underside.
I'd consider it with the same scepticism I do most of the "clever hacks" I read on the interweb… based on hearsay, small test runs done by amateurs & incomplete information.
Unless it melts or tears, however, it's not actually unsafe.
Info from What’s That Absorbent Pad in My Meat Packaging (And What Happens if I Cooked It)?
