Always burning cakes? Your oven is probably set wrong, here's how to fix it

Every oven has its individual quirks but there are a few rules of thumb that should help you keep your cool.

Easy nectarine and cream layer cake Source: Adam Liaw

--- Find baking tips and more onThe Cook Up with Adam Liaw, second season airs weeknights on SBS(Ch.30) at 6.00pm and 7.00pm on SBS Food(Ch.33). All episodes are available anytime on SBS On Demand. --- 

 

Did you know you're supposed to cook everything 20 degrees cooler in a fan-forced oven? That's only if the recipe you're using is based on a conventional oven, of course. Some recipes account for the fan-forced factor from the very beginning, in which case if your oven is old-school conventional, you'll need to set the temperature 20 degrees higher to get the results you're after.

But how would you know?

"While we try our darndest here at SBS to make sure our recipes include as much info as possible, sometimes a recipe doesn’t stipulate whether the oven temperature is for a conventional or fan–forced oven," says SBS Food's recipe editor Christine Osmond. "If in doubt - and as a very general rule - 180 degrees celsius conventional or 160 degrees celsius fan-forced, is a good place to start for most baked goods."

For most roasting and browning, Christine recommends starting at around 220 conventional or 200 fan–forced.

But let's take a bit of a deeper-dive into exactly what the difference is between these two most-used ovens.

Conventional verses convection ovens

Conventional ovens - sometimes called a traditional oven or regular oven - have elements on the top and bottom of the oven space that radiate heat.

Fan-forced ovens - known as convection ovens - have these elements but also use a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity.

You'll need an accurate, consistent oven temperature to pull off the mighty sponge cake. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Layered passionfruit sponge recipe here.

The circulating air in a fan-forced oven helps keep the temperature consistent throughout the oven. That means the top rack of your oven should be the same temperature as your bottom rack - something conventional ovens have never managed. Not only does this make things more convenient when you need to use both racks of your oven at the same temperature, it also means your oven uses energy more efficiently. That's why you can set the temperature 20 degrees cooler than for a conventional oven.

The majority of ovens sold today are fan-forced ovens - you get the best of both worlds.

That said, when baking many people prefer using a conventional oven because the circulating air of a fan-forced oven can cause the outside of a bake to cook and rise too fast for the middle to rise effectively. Cue lopsided cakes and soggy bakes.

The thing is, you can use a fan-forced oven as a conventional oven simply by turning the fan off. This is why the majority of ovens sold today are fan-forced ovens - you get the best of both worlds.

Preheating the oven

It's not just a fan-forced/convection oven fight to the death, though. There are other important considerations when cooking in your oven. 

David McGuinness of Bourke Street Bakery fame knows a thing or twenty about getting the most out of your kitchen workhorse. He can't emphasise enough the importance of correctly preheating your oven.

Depending on how zippy you are at loading in your trays, you can lose as much as 50 per cent of your oven heat when you open the door

"I like to preheat the oven to 20-30 degrees higher than the required baking temp," David explains. "I preheat the oven until the thermostat has reached the required preheat temp. Then I let it sit for 20 minutes at the required preheat temp to ensure the oven is well heated and will hold its temp when the door is opened to load."

Once you open that oven door, don't delay sliding your dish onto the rack if you want to keep the temperature steady. Source: Adam Liaw

Oven-baked chicken thighs with olive, tomato and lemon recipe here.

David makes a critical point here - depending on how zippy you are at loading in your trays, you can lose as much as 50 per cent of your oven heat when you open the door. Preheating accounts for this heat loss and ensures your oven temp is the temperature you need once your dish is cosily tucked inside.

"Baked goods need to go in at a certain temperature, not be gradually warmed up," agrees Anu Haran from popular Sydney bakery Flour Shop. "With cakes, there's a chemical reaction taking place - baking powder requires heat to activate. With pastries or bread too, that initial jolt of heat is important for the final rise in the oven- that's when croissants and bread gain an additional 30-40 per cent volume and develop their crumb structure."

So, without exception, preheat your oven.

Thermometer rising

Of course, you'll want to be sure that the temperature you're preheating is in fact the temperature you need. Ovens are remarkably individual things, with each oven setting its own notion of what 180 degrees might be. 

"At home I have two ovens," says David. "One of the ovens bakes a perfect cake at 180 degrees, the other at 160 degrees..."

Anu adds that even the time of day you're setting your oven can influence the time it takes to heat to a particular temperature. "A lot of bakeries try to turn their ovens on during non peak hours when electricity charges are less, he explains. "And because less people are using power at 1am, the oven heats up faster."

At home I have two ovens, one of the ovens bakes a perfect cake at 180 degrees, the other at 160 degrees...

Both David and Anu recommend getting to know your own oven and all its quirks. Check its temperature using a separate oven thermometer and make a note of what the oven is saying and what the actual temperature is so you can work out your settings for baking different items. David recommends keeping a handy list written down for your own oven. For example:

• Bread bakes at X 
• Cakes bake at X
• Veg roast/bake at X
• Meat roasts at X

Christine sums it up perfectly: "At the end of the day, ovens are a bit like kids (apart from the fact they come with manuals) - you know how yours works best, so use the recipe as a guide and make adjustments when necessary."

Old-school temperature setting

Most modern recipes will helpfully state the oven temperature rather than just mention 'cool, moderate or hot'. However, if you want to bake something from your grandmother's copy of 'Australian Home Cookery', you'll need to know your old-school temperatures.

Keep your cool

If you've ever held a dinner party, you'll know how helpful it is to be able to keep food warm in your oven after it's finished cooking. This is when a 'cool oven' - sometimes called a 'slow' or 'very slow' oven - is called for. But beware, a cool oven for warming food is not the same cool oven you need for baking something like a sweet tart.

A delicate tart like this one needs a conventional oven set to a gentle 160 degrees or 140-fan forced. Source: Bonnie Savage and Alan Benson

Treacle and vanilla salt tart recipe here.

"If I was holding something in a cool oven to keep it warm I would consider this to be a 100-110 degree oven," says David. "If I was baking a tart, cake or custard in a cool oven I would consider this to be 140-160 degrees."

Not all things in moderation

A 'moderate' oven is your basic middle-of-the-road oven temperature. It's a good baseline temperature for most roasting and baking. If you're not sure the oven temperature a recipe needs, stick it on moderate and keep an eye on it.

You'd use a high oven to get a good crackle going on your roast pork or to quickly brown lean cuts of meat.

It's generally accepted that 180 degrees is a moderate conventional oven, or 170 degrees fan-forced. A 'moderately-hot' oven is 190 degrees conventional, or 180 degrees fan-forced.

Hit the highs

A hot oven - sometimes called a high oven - is your basic scorcher at 220-230 degrees for conventional or starting at the 200-degree mark for fan-forced.

Crackle that rind in a hot, hot, hot oven. Source: SBS

Pork belly one tray roast and roast potatoes recipe here.

You'd use a high oven to get a good crackle going on your roast pork or to quickly brown lean cuts of meat. Generally, an extremely high oven is only ever used for a brief cooking period before the oven is turned down.

"Traditionally, many breads are made in a falling oven - that is, turning off the oven after everything has been baked," explains Anu. "An example is the dark, dense pumpernickel loaf."

The exception for high heat cooking is dough. Most bread and pastries love prolonged very high heat and it's critical when cooking pizza in order to get a good crust on your dough, cook your toppings through and ensure the bubbliest cheese oozes over the lot.