| If your oven drives you crazy because it only heats up | | | | from the bottom unless you are broiling, so having food |
| on one side or the temperature is not accurate, do not | | | | in the center of the oven away from the heating |
| worry if you cannot afford to replace it immediately, | | | | element is usually the best place. |
| because there are some ways to make sure your | | | | Try Different Cookware |
| recipes will still come out nicely. | | | | Try silicone or glass cookware because different |
| You need to preheat the oven every time you use it. If | | | | materials conduct heat in different ways. Remember |
| your oven takes a longer time to heat up than it should, | | | | that you should turn the oven down 15 degrees F if |
| just be patient with it. Most pastry-based recipes have | | | | you are using glass cookware. |
| to go into a hot oven, rather than one, which is still | | | | An air-filled baking sheet is another idea. Using different |
| warming up. An oven thermometer is a good idea. | | | | cookware is cheaper than buying a new oven, if this |
| Even if your oven thermostat is broken, you can tell | | | | helps your food to cook better. Clay bricks or an |
| what the temperature is inside the oven by using a | | | | unglazed ceramic tile in the bottom of your oven can |
| separate thermometer. | | | | be helpful because heated earthenware distributes |
| Keep the oven door closed to allow the oven to do its | | | | heat throughout the whole oven. |
| job properly. If you open the door, the temperature | | | | More Tips for Temperamental Ovens |
| inside the oven will drop a lot and some foods are | | | | Just bake one pan or tray at a time. If you have a big |
| sensitive to this. Popovers, souffles, and similar dishes | | | | baking tray on the middle shelf, that might block the |
| will fall flat if you suddenly let the hot air out of the | | | | heat from reaching whatever is cooking on the top |
| oven, whereas meat dishes will just need a few extra | | | | shelf. Having two pans side by side is better, unless |
| minutes of cooking time. | | | | your oven tends to be much hotter on one side, in |
| Changing the Cooking Times | | | | which case you can simply switch the pans around |
| You might need to adjust the cooking times. If your | | | | halfway through the cooking time. |
| oven undercooks or overcooks things, you will need to | | | | If your oven is still not doing its job and you are not |
| become familiar with how long certain foods take to | | | | ready to afford a new one just yet, you can try other |
| bake in there. Use a timer and adjust the cooking | | | | cooking methods. Stew your meat or chicken in a |
| times and perhaps also the cooking temperature until | | | | crockpot or pan fry it, rather than relying on the oven. |
| the results are better. | | | | Perhaps your oven can be repaired. You might be able |
| Perhaps your oven is hotter on one side, in which case | | | | to get the heating elements, ignition, or thermostats |
| you might need to rotate your food by changing it | | | | fixed and this will be cheaper than replacing the whole |
| from left to right or bottom shelf to top shelf halfway | | | | oven. |
| through the cooking time. Oven heat usually comes | | | | |