Home bakers know this to be true more than anything else: knowing how to work your oven can make or break a homemade dessert. It takes time to understand your oven at home, too! Whether you are baking with a gas or an electric one (yes—they often produce different results), we have baking tips for using both kinds.
Gas Ovens
1 Rotate your pans halfway between baking times
Gas ovens are known for having hot spots, largely due to their systems that project heat primarily from the bottom of the oven. Whenever you are baking cookies or bars, rotate your pans halfway between baking times to make sure the cookies bake as evenly as possible.
2 Turn up the heat in the first 15 minutes of your baking time
Because many gas ovens do not have a second burner or heating system on the top part of the oven, achieving crisp tops on your muffins can sometimes be a struggle. Turn up the heat in the first 15 minutes of your baking time, and then adjust it to the regular temperature to bake through afterwards. This will help both in getting a good rise on your muffins and a good crust on top.
3 Be patient: avoid peeking!
Avoid peeking when it comes to baking in your gas oven—while it does heat up quickly, it’s always best to keep the door closed and let the heat circulate as evenly as possible.
Electric Ovens
1 Make sure that you set your temperature right
Electric ovens differ from gas oven in terms of providing heat that is dry and very even. Because you’ll be baking with a steady, constant source of heat, make sure that you set your temperature right—a few degrees higher and you can easily overbrown or burn your cakes, cookies, and muffins.
2 Choose the right bakeware
Choose the right bakeware for the job—baking chewy cookies? Go for light metal cookie sheets. Whipping up buttery pound cakes? Use darker pans to get a good browned crust on the outside.
3 Preheat your oven at least 20 minutes before baking
preheat your oven at least 20 minutes before putting anything inside. While electric ovens do have strong, steady sources of heat, they take time to get hot enough for baking.
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