Unsuccessful Baker? Maybe It's Your Oven
by
jillbcooks
2/5/2010 7:10:00 AM
Famous for underbaking foods or always burning them? The problem could be your oven.
Inspired by my recent blog post on chocolate chip cookie cakes, I made a batch of cookies today. I am famous for forgetting food in the oven, so I made sure to set a timer. The bake time for the cookies was supposed to be 8-10 minutes. I set the timer for 8 minutes, and went to fold some laundry. I went back to the oven when the timer rang and the cookies were not even browned. Set the timer for two minutes. Came back, still not done. I did this about three more times until the cookies were lightly browned and set up enough to be fully baked. I decided to pull out my digital thermometer and test the temperature. As I had been suspecting for a little while, by oven is a bit sluggish. Even though the oven was set at 375 degrees, it was registering only 313 degrees. Thankfully my oven is under warranty, so I am going to call a repair service to have a look. Since I develop recipes for a living, I need to have accurate tools, so turning up the temperature to compensate is not a good solution.
Calibrating your oven can be a do-it-yourself activity. Here is a thorough guide that walks through the process. Or, check your oven with this hanging thermometer.
Tags:
baking, chocolate chip cookies, thermometer, oven
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