From The Straits Times    |

oven tips for baking and roasting

#1 DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR OVEN TEMPERATURE

The temperature in your oven may not be the same as what you’ve set on the dial, especially if you’ve had your oven for a few years. Use an oven thermometer to be sure.

You can get a simple one to place inside the oven that tells you how hot it is.

Or get a thermometer with a digital display and a metal probe connected via an oven-safe wire.

Coil the wire twice around the centre rack, making sure the probe is freely suspended in the middle of the oven cavity.
 
Close the oven door, keeping the digital display outside the oven. Set the oven to 180 deg C, and give it 20min to preheat. Check the reading on the digital thermometer, and keep the difference in mind the next time you use your oven.

#2 IDENTIFY HOTSPOTS

If you seem to be getting a few burnt cookies in every batch, your oven might be overheated in certain spots. To check, line a baking pan with bread slices and toast at 180 deg C for 4 minutes. If certain slices are significantly darker than others, you know where the hotspots are.

When you bake a batch of cookies, avoid these spots. As for roasting meats and baking cakes, rotate your pan three-quarters way into the cooking time to dampen the effect of the hotspots.

#3 FOR MEATS, THINK INSIDE

When it comes to whole poultry and thick cuts of meat, it’s the internal temperature that determines when you should take the dish out of the oven – just because it looks brown on the outside doesn’t mean it’s cooked all the way through. Nor do you want the meat to dry out.

Insert the oven thermometer’s metal probe midway into the thickest part of the meat, without touching the bone, and set the alarm to beep at the desired temperature. The culinary experts at America’s Test Kitchen recommend 70 deg C for getting pork to well-done, and 55 deg C for medium-rare steask.

#4 GIVE YOUR FOOD PERSONAL SPACE

An overcrowded pan means cookies will stick together as they expand during baking, and roasted vegetables steam instead of crisping up. Don’t forget about vertical space – fill muffin pans just three-quarters full, or you’ll end up with twin- or triple-headed muffins.

#5 PICK THE RIGHT HEIGHT

Roasts, cookies and cakes go in the middle – think of this as the default rack when recipes don’t specify a particular oven position.

The topmost rack works great for browning food quickly. To do this, use the broiler or top-heat function on your oven. It works for gratin, French onion soup, and caramelising the sugar layer of creme brulees – but keep your eyes peeled to prevent your food from going past brown to burnt.

The bottom shelf is ideal for foods where the bottom crust is important, like pizzas and pies, and also for slow-cooking braises and stews. 

If your oven has more than three rungs, it’s better to use the shelves that are just above or below the middle one, instead of the highest or lowest racks.