Sausages are a staple ingredient in many dishes, like a full English breakfast, bangers and mash, toad in the hole and traybake recipes. However, they’re just as delicious to eat on their own or in a sandwich. Just like with fried eggs, many cook sausages in a frying pan, which can result in a lot of mess and the meat being cooked unevenly.
Elizabeth Barbone, founder and recipe developer behind Cook Fast, Eat Well, favours cooking sausages in the oven. She claimed that the sausages come out “juicy and tender each time”. What’s more, the method is “less messy” than cooking sausage in a frying pan or on the grill.
Cooking sausage in the oven couldn’t be easier. Simply preheat your oven, line a baking tray with parchment or foil, and bake. That’s really it. There’s no need to oil the sausage or do any special preparation.
The parchment or foil catches the juices and grease and prevents the sausage from sticking. If you don’t have either in the house, lightly spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with oil.
While some people recommend using a fork to poke holes in the sausages, this removes the flavour and will make them dry instead of juicy.
The “best temperature to cook sausages in the oven” is 200C/180 Fan/ Gas Mark 6. At this temperature, they come out “crispy on the outside and juicy in the centre”.
For small sausages, cook them for about 20 minutes, and larger ones need cooking for 30 minutes.
To help the sausages brown nicely, leave a little space between each one of them. If you want the sausages golden brown on each side, flip them once halfway through cooking.
You’ll know your sausages are cooked through properly when the outsides are a lovely golden brown (not too brown or the exteriors go hard and dry), and the insides are a pale brown.