We've all been there: standing impatiently in front of the oven with a full cake pan, ready to pop it into the oven as soon as the preheating light clicks off. But wait, says Dorie Greenspan. There's a good reason why you should give it another minute — or maybe ten.
When a Viking oven repairman came by to tune up her oven, Greenspan picked his brain about oven temperature cycles, and shares his expert advice on her blog. Ovens cycle on and off in order to keep a consistent average temperature, which means that in order to maintain an average of 350°F, an oven might go up to 375°F before turning off and drop back down to 325°F before cycling back on.
So why should you wait awhile after the oven initially preheats? Apparently, the initial rise in temperature is the most extreme, up to 50°F higher than desired. According to the Viking rep, after three cycles on and off, the oven is the most consistent, so it makes sense to wait a little bit before slipping a temperature-sensitive baked good into a just-preheated oven.
Of course, ovens are notoriously eccentric beasts, so the best advice is always to get familiar with the particular quirks of your own.
• Check it out: Preheating Your Oven: Count to 3 and Be Patient at Dorie Greenspan's blog
Have you picked up any tips for getting the most out of your oven?
Related: Starting a Cake in a Cold Oven - Does This Method Work?
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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Ha, I might consider this if my oven had any indicator lights. As it is, I just turn it on a bit ahead of time and hope it's ready when I am.
Someday, in the magical future where all things are possible, I will have a stove with fancy things like lights and a clock.
My hope is that someday I'll have an oven that doesn't randomly heat anywhere between 50 degrees below and 50 degrees above what I actually set it to.
Mine counts up to the temperature while it's preheating. I'm tempted to grab an oven thermometer so I can see what it's really at...I suspect it runs hot.
I really recommend an oven thermometer, to anyone. It has been very educational. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that my 1960s oven actually runs right on, though I did discover that just a nudge on either side of 350 can make a difference. I also discovered that just opening the door to take something out made it go down by 25 degrees almost immediately.
I second @norainapeartree's oven thermometer recommendation! I use one and now I know my oven runs about twenty-five degrees hot. In my last apartment, it was more -- about fifty degrees too hot!
I also keep a baking stone on the lower rack, which is supposed to help regulate/distribute heat evenly.
Ever since I got my oven thermometer, I use it to check on the actual temp in the oven. Almost always, I needed to wait at least 10 minutes after the 'ready' beep of the oven before I could put my baked goods in.
I also keep a baking stone on the lower rack, which is supposed to help regulate/distribute heat evenly.
So do I, but I think the baking stone also affects the preheating; that big slab of stone takes time to get hot, and while that's happening, it sucks in the heat that would otherwise be circulating in the air of the oven. (At least, that's what seems to happen. Does anyone who knows more about thermal energy want to chip in with an explanation or correction?)
There was an episode of Good Eats wherein Alton talks about this and also suggests waiting at least until the oven has cycled through heating a second time, because the whole oven, as opposed to mostly just the air inside it, will be evenly warm.
He also uses the baking slab to regulate and distribute the heat - I'm no thermal energy expert, but the hot thick, heavy stone will take longer to absorb and then release the heat, as opposed to the metal lining of the oven, or a metal sheet pan, which are thinner and can produce hot spots and tend to cool down much more rapidly.
In that I have neither a Viking stove or a Viking stove repair man to guide me life, I have to rely on my own wits and cheap rental stove.
Baking stone and oven thermometer work every time.
I use an oven thermometer too! Originally got it for making macarons but it has proven itself indispensible. My oven runs really hot, so I've taken to cooking everything at ten degrees lower on the dial (we're on the Celsius scale - I'm not sure what that'd be in Fahrenheit).
Also, re the pizza stone - they're amazing. They definitely help with heat distribution and you can also use them in other ways. For example, when making macarons you need slow heat from the bottom so the tray doesn't heat too fast. For this, I used to double tray, but have got better results using a cold pizza stone under the tray when it goes in. I recommend!
Is that why my first batch of cookies always burns?
I have got to get an oven thermometer. I made two 9x13 breakfast strata for a crowd this weekend, and was feeling anxious that they be ready on time so I impetuously turned the oven up 50 degrees. Not only were they ready on time, but they were baked perfectly. I now think that maybe my oven is a bit off...
I don't even pay attention to how long it has been pre-heating and somehow, magically, my baked goods turn out just fine.
My oven displays the temperature as it's heating up and indicates when it gets to the right temperature... in theory. I have an oven thermometer in there and I find it consistently takes about 15 minutes after the indicator goes off before it's actually up to temp. So glad I finally coughed up the $10 for the thermometer!
Ditto oven thermometer.
Also thermometers for the refrigerator AND freezer.
I just want a oven that's inside a range/stove that actually sits level.