Optimal Baking Performance Tips

Optimal Baking Oven Performance Tips from geapplinaces.com

A variety of factors will affect the baking performance and time in your oven. To ensure the most accurate oven performance, GE Appliances suggests the following:

• Preheat oven to the selected temperature. This can take 10-20 minutes; most models have an alert which will sound when the oven is ready.
• Do not to place the oven rack too close to the bottom of the oven. Follow the owner’s manual instructions proper rack placement.
• Dark colored pans as well as non-stick gray pans, absorb more heat and can cause over-browning. To account for this, lower oven temperature 25 degrees below what the recipe calls for, or use a pan with a shiny finish.
• Glass baking dishes also require a temperature reduction; this is generally found in the baking instructions.
• Do not use pans which fit too close to each other or the oven walls. Make sure there is proper room for the heat to circulate up through the racks and around the food in the pans.
• Do not open oven door while baking where possible. If you do not have a window in the door, use a timer and check your food at the minimum baking time.
• Utilize the oven timer and do not check doneness before the minimum cooking time expires. This will stabilize the temperature.
• Avoid using oven thermometers – many are inaccurate and usually require opening the door to read them.
• Opening the door causes the oven temperature to drop which may lead you to believe your oven is not operating at the correct temperature.

Additional elements which may affect the length of cooking time include:

• Incorrect pan size
• Too much liquid, or over-mixing
• Placement of pan in the oven
• Pans without enough space between each other or to the walls of the oven (prevent air from circulating around the pans)
• Substituting ingredients with low fat alternatives
• Using airbake type pans (these are made with two layers of aluminum with a space of air) generally require a bit more time cooking time