Almost every package of food that goes in the oven says to preheat. How important is that and how many always do? If it says preheat oven to 350 and bake 30 minutes why can't you just stick it into a cold oven and set it for 35 minutes?
Do you preheat the oven and why?
- Thread starter atikovi
- Start date
I'm not much of a cook but yeah, if it's a 30 minute bake, why not. Just shove in a thermometer and verify that it reached temperature.
But preheat is pretty important for something like a pizza, which won't be in there that long.
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
Our convection countertop oven doesn’t need to preheat in most instances.
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
An oven that is heating up is outputting a lot of extra heat from the top or bottom. A pre-heated oven will be relatively isothermal, meaning the element or burner only comes on for short periods to maintain temp. The difference should be obvious.
It's also for the sake of consistency and repeatability of cooking/baking times. The time an oven takes to heat up to the set temperature may vary greatly depending on the type of oven and time of day.
Yep, that's it. The most likely outcome would be an underdone bottom and an overdone top of whatever you're cooking, but cooking is likely to be more uneven at any rate. Even a five or ten minute preheat would be a big help, unless your food isn't affected by this and turns out how you like it. Companies will also recommend this because ovens aren't universal and some may take longer to come to temp than others (but 350 degrees is pretty much 350 degrees).
You do it so your recipes turn out right, instead of using guesswork.
In addition to what has been said, if giving directions on how long to bake something, if the oven is pre-heated to temp, all ovens are the same. If you are starting from room temp, ovens heat up at different rates - more variables than you want for a consistent product.
How hard is it to say into your phone "Hey Google/Siri, preheat my oven to 350 degrees"?
I don't have such an oven but.. .
Has anyone compared the actual oven temperature with what it is set at? I can imagine that after 10 or 20 years of age the thermostat won't be too accurate. Set it for 350 and it could be 300 or 400?
Most ovens offer a provision for calibration - digital models usually via the +/- buttons and mechanical knobs often have a physical calibration factor. I know that the ubiquitous GE/Hotpoint ranges with digital oven controls can be set +/- 35 degrees. But who knows if the $6 oven thermometer from Kroger or Walmart is as accurate as a $700 range's, so I'd be a bit hesitant to calibrate, unless my oven habitually over-baked or under-baked.
Go for it if you want the food raw in the middle, bake much?
Not much. Some frozen stuffed flounder tonight. Preheated 6 minutes. Wonder if I could just have added 6 minutes to baking time in a cold oven.
Zee09
$200 Site Donor 2023
Never have and never had any issues.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
I don’t know I’m not an appliance mechanic lol. I just do as the instructions say I’ve had too much bad food to not listen to the directions.
You know it surprised me, we have a 43 year old Jenn-Aire electric oven and I was sure that the thermostat wouldn't be accurate and I did multiple checks and it is spot on. I am talking within a few degrees of the setting, I was amazed.
You can't get many parts for it now, so its days might be numbered, but then again it might last longer than a new one if we bought one right now! It works perfectly still, even the clock.
I have put stuff in without preheating, it just depends. if its something like biscuits that cook at higher temps like 425° and short times I always preheat it because it cooks them just right. If its a pumpkin pie going in for 70 minutes at 350° I dont preheat.
