Do you preheat the oven and why?

Most modern ovens gas or electric use temp sensors that are quite accurate. Older ovens use a diastat that is calibrated thru the oven control stem. If a thermometer is needed get a bakers thermometer. Pre-heating is a good ides as stated by others.
 
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?
Yes - though typically they aren't off by that much. I've had to calibrate 3 different ovens over the years...
 
There are many baked goods that just won't come out right without preheating. For example, many yeast-leavened baked goods rely also on steam-leavening. Unless the oven has been preheated you won't get the steam-leavening and the baked goods, for example yeast dumplings, won't rise sufficiently and will turn out very dense and even hard. In the case of larger loaves of read, if you don't preheat, the bread may end up burning on the outside while still not done on the inside.
 
There are many baked goods that just won't come out right without preheating. For example, many yeast-leavened baked goods rely also on steam-leavening. Unless the oven has been preheated you won't get the steam-leavening and the baked goods, for example yeast dumplings, won't rise sufficiently and will turn out very dense and even hard. In the case of larger loaves of read, if you don't preheat, the bread may end up burning on the outside while still not done on the inside.

Vavavroom is on the right track - can you throw your chicken nuggets in and set for a couple extra minutes, YUP! There isn't anything special going on there. BUT, baking is entirely different - it is a careful chemical reaction. Screw up the ingredient ratios/temp/time/preheat, and you won't get the product you are looking for.

My bride is an amazing baker, and has perfected chocolate chip cookies (the ONLY sweet thing I will eat), but I am a better chef. She has the chemistry and art of baking mastered, but is not so great at cooking. I am a great cook, and make most of our meals, but I am mediocre (more like poor) at best for baking.

Then you can throw in convection ovens vs. normal ovens...
 
Vavavroom is on the right track - can you throw your chicken nuggets in and set for a couple extra minutes, YUP! There isn't anything special going on there. BUT, baking is entirely different - it is a careful chemical reaction. Screw up the ingredient ratios/temp/time/preheat, and you won't get the product you are looking for.

My bride is an amazing baker, and has perfected chocolate chip cookies (the ONLY sweet thing I will eat), but I am a better chef. She has the chemistry and art of baking mastered, but is not so great at cooking. I am a great cook, and make most of our meals, but I am mediocre (more like poor) at best for baking.

Then you can throw in convection ovens vs. normal ovens...
Heat n serve - no observe … but watch it rise ? Must be wise !
 
With frozen pizzas it says to leave them in the freezer when the oven is pre warming. I think so they come out crispy.
 
With frozen pizzas it says to leave them in the freezer when the oven is pre warming. I think so they come out crispy.
A frozen pizza has been partially baked before it was frozen. If you defrost a frozen pizza it will get soggy and you won't get a good crust on a baking rack. You can get a good crust on a cookie sheet or even better on a pizza stone, though.
 
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?

I have with thermocouples and a data logger I had from work for some testing I was doing at home. Bake a lot of breads and stuff, so wanted to check.

My oven was within a few degrees of setpoint. My oven had a calibration option and I didn't have to even use it. Spot on at various temperatures. I was impressed!

Its a GE Cafe range.
 
Depends on the chemical reactions you're making happen in your oven. Cooking a pot roast is a lot different than baking a cake.
 
Cooking is cooking, but baking is chemistry. There is much less room for error in baking. Don't expect the same results when going from room temp immediatly to 350 as you would get moving from room temp to 350 slowly over 15-20 minutes.
 
My mother was/is religious about her cookies-pies-coffee cakes and would always preheat. Me...if it's not a recipe, I will throw anything and everything into a cold oven...especially if it's frozen....and as long as I'm not serving it to someone else.
 
I found by experiment that my oven temp drop 70F when I open it to put things in.

So I don't preheat, I just set it to 70F higher than I need, and when I put things in I also change it to the temperature I want right away. Works well so far.
 
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