Do I Need To Cover Food In The Oven?

[nostalgic]

I live in an apartment and share an oven with a gluten-eating roommate.  We honestly haven't used it that much since I've been gluten-free (or at all) but we're planning on using it a lot more for gluten-free meals.  It isn't a self-cleaning oven so I plan to scrub it down as best I can but still not put foods directly on the rack.  Do I also need to put a cover over the food?

 

[kareng]

Not if there is nothing to fall in it. If the " roof" is clean, there will be nothing to fall in. If you are cooking a gluten thing and a gluten-free thing, I would cover. Just in case the gluten one spits a bit in the oven.

[Marilyn R]

Your oven is safe. Don't worry about covering food unless it's going to burn.

 

I tried to think of things that would explode containing gluten.  Cam't come up with any, they usually spill over.  The aromas can't get you either.   That's my opinion, though, and I guess I could be wrong.

[notme]

i/we still bake (crusty 'regular' bread, frozen pizzas, etc) for the gluten-eaters and sometimes it recommends placing the (whatever) directly onto the oven rack.  so if i am using the rack below it, i will cover it.  <in case any stuck on gluten bakes off and drops into what is baking below it) or JUST USE THE TOP RACK!  (@ my HUSBAND!!)  for the life of him, he remembers it exactly wrong almost every time lolz bless his little pea pickin' heart  

[Adalaide]

i/we still bake (crusty 'regular' bread, frozen pizzas, etc) for the gluten-eaters and sometimes it recommends placing the (whatever) directly onto the oven rack.  so if i am using the rack below it, i will cover it.  <in case any stuck on gluten bakes off and drops into what is baking below it) or JUST USE THE TOP RACK!  (@ my HUSBAND!!)  for the life of him, he remembers it exactly wrong almost every time lolz bless his little pea pickin' heart  

 

omg my husband is like this too! He does those frozen pizza things that say to cook right on the rack. Then I have to remember to switch the racks if I have something to bake that needs to be uncovered in the middle. I always just give the racks a quicky scrub if I'm going to be doing something like cookies or w/e. (Since it involves using both racks and moving things around all the time and I could knock whatever lose crumbs are there off.) But if you aren't cooking something like pizza or w/e directly ON one of the racks, or don't do something like cook a gluteny angel food cake in a springform pan on Mother's Day that spills out all over I wouldn't worry about it at all. Besides, those sorts of things should probably be cleaned up anyway. "Should" and "probably" being the key words.