This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Ovens: they’re such a crucial part of the baking process, but we don’t necessarily give them much thought.
That preheat ‘beep’ goes off and we throw in our cookies, brownies, or cake, set the timer, and walk away, right?
Well … not necessarily.
Unfortunately, most home ovens aren’t quite that simple and aren’t as reliable as we believe.
I get so many questions asking, “what went wrong?” when HTH readers try a recipe and it doesn’t turn out right. So many people think the recipe or their ingredients are to blame – and while that can be the case, oftentimes, it’s your oven’s fault your cookies turned out too flat, too crispy or burned.
Below, I’m using cookies to illustrate why becoming a little more familiar with your oven will help your baking more than you might think!
What You NEED to Know About Your Oven
Learn the three most important things to know about your oven and how to adjust, to be successful whenever you bake something in the oven.
1. Oven 101: Temperature
- The #1 fact to know about your oven: it’s lying to you about the temperature it’s really at.
- Many home ovens are off by 15°F, some by even 25°F or more!
- I’ve never had a home oven be 100% accurate.
- In fact, my new oven often tells me it’s preheated to the temperature I specified, when it’s actually 20°F cooler.
- It may not seem like a big difference, but baking at the wrong temperature can significantly alter your final product.
- In the image above, you can see what your cookies should look like if they’re baked at the correct temperature of 350°F, vs. how they’ll turn out if they’re baked at 25°F too cool or 25°F too warm.
- Too cool, and your cookies can overspread and not brown enough.
- Too warm, and your cookies may not spread enough, brown too much, and burn on the bottom.
- An oven thermometer is a necessity to make sure your oven is heating correctly.
- If your oven is not at the right temperature, you can adjust accordingly until your oven thermometer confirms it’s correct.
2. Oven 101: Placement
- The position of your oven rack can also have a surprising impact on your cookies.
- Certain recipes will specifically tell you where to position your oven rack, but most of the time it should be in the middle. Why? This is where the heat will be most even.
- If you bake your cookies (or anything) on the top rack, there won’t be as much browning.
- On the bottom rack, there will likely be too much browning.
- The same effect can occur when you’re baking multiple dishes at once. The other baking pans can block the heat from moving around freely and change the way the product is baked and browned.
- When possible, try to bake off one batch at a time instead of baking multiple pans at a time.
3. Oven 101: Conventional vs. Convection
- Unlike a conventional oven, which is the standard here in the U.S., a convection oven has a fan inside and an exhaust system that helps to circulate the hot air.
- This allows the oven to heat more quickly and evenly, and to bake more quickly and evenly.
- It’s more energy efficient and can even lead to better browning since the blowing air creates a drier environment.
- In many ovens, it also bakes so much more evenly, so you don’t need to rotate your baking trays.
When to Use Convection (if your oven has both convection + conventional settings)
- Convection is great for savory preparations like roasts or anything that is covered, like a braise or casserole.
- It can be good for cookies, pies, and pastries IF you make the proper adjustments (below).
- It’s NOT good for delicate foods like custards, soufflés, cakes, or quick breads.
How to Adjust
- If you’re using the convection (fan) setting in a recipe that doesn’t specifically call for it, be sure to drop the temperature 25°F.
- Also begin to check for doneness earlier, at least 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through the recommended baking time.
- Note that some convection ovens will automatically adjust the temperature when switching on the fan.
- Consult your oven manual if you’re unsure about yours.
Well, now wasn’t I being naive in that thinking that my new top of the line stove with all the bells and whistles had the perfect temperature, no need for an oven thermometer after spending all that money right??? Ha!! Soooo after several baking sessions and longer baking times with way too many overbrowned results I went and purchased an oven thermometer as per your recommendations and did several tests at various temperatures to see if the temperature was accurate and expecting to be no difference. Boy, was I surprised to see that the temperature in the oven was 15 degrees lower than the setting in every single temperature test that I did ranging from 300 – 450 degrees! The results for the convention setting (I prefer not to use convection for baking) were the same with each test. Go ahead and say it, “I told you so!” because you were absolutely 100% right!!!
Thank you so much for putting this article and video together with all of this information, you have saved me a lot of baking time and money for cookies, cakes and loaves that didn’t turn out right! 😀 Yesterday, I made your Best Ever Chewy Brownie recipe using the oven temperature as my guide and they came out to perfection in just 30 minutes – I’ll never bake without my oven thermometer again, such a small investment for the best baking return and an absolute must for any baker’s toolkit! Thank you again for this wonderful information and with the Christmas baking season approaching, I highly recommend that folks purchase one – it’s the best and cheap baking investment to add to your ‘ingredient’ list!! Thank you Tessa for all of your wonderful articles and recipes!!
Hi Rose! Thanks so much for sharing — and yes, even fancy ovens can be off by 10-15°F! I’m so happy to hear your brownies came out perfectly with your thermometer and excited for you to have the best holiday baking season yet! An oven thermometer is such a tiny investment that truly pays off.