How Do I Calibrate My Oven?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSenior Vice President of Content at AT Media
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and former Editor-in-Chief of The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning, The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
Follow
published Mar 16, 2010
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Q: How do you calibrate an oven? We got a new one when we moved into our apartment, and when I got an oven thermometer, it turned out it was about 50 degrees off.

Thoughts on the best way to address this? It’s TINY, but it also significantly hotter at the back than the front. I’m not sure how to deal with this either.

Sent by MaryWynn

Editor: MaryWynn, this is going to vary quite a bit from oven to oven. If your oven is brand new and you still have the manual, then check the manual to see if it has instructions. If it is brand new and that far off where it should be, then you should also look into having a repair done under your warranty agreement.

If the oven is an older oven (just new to you!) and you don’t have the manual, you may be able to calibrate it using these instructions. This applies to ovens that have a manual knob for adjusting the temperature. Electronic ovens may have the ability to be adjusted, but you’ll need to check your manual.

• DIY Oven Maintenance: Adjusting the Temperature Gauge
• Calibrate the Oven at Home Repair Forum

Failing all that, then you are still on the right track by using a thermometer and checking the hot spots in the oven. If you know where the hot spots are you should be able to adjust cooking time and temperature to allow for them.

Readers, any advice for MaryWynn?

Next question?

Related: Best Product: Sunbeam Oven Thermometer

(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)

Filed in:
appliances
Tips & Techniques