A World of Cooking Wrappers
Foil and clay are just two of the many wrappings that are used for cooking lean poultry, Chinese baked chicken is encased in soft pastry that seals in moisture and is then served with the finished dish. In the Caribbean, birds for roasting are wrapped in banana leaves; in Senegal, baobab leaves are used.
One turn-of-the-century English chef recommended roasting birds in special paper bags; but a modern, heat-resistant nylon bag is safer, Moisture trapped inside it bastes the bird and the cooking time is shorter than it is in conventional roasting. Caution: Nylon bags must be pierced to allow some steam to escape and thereby prevent explosions during cooking.