3
USING THE OVEN
15
Uneven cooking
Baked products too brown on
top:
Baked products too brown on
bottom:
Cakes have a cracked, thick
crust:
Baked products are pale, flat
and undercooked:
Cakes fallen in the centre:
Roast meat & potatoes not
browning in fan oven:
Juices running out of meat:
Grilled meats overcooked on
outside & raw in the centre:
Grilled chops & steaks
buckling:
• Incorrect shelf position.
• Oven tray too large.
• Trays not centralised.
• Air flow in oven uneven.
• Grill dish affecting thermostat
• Oven not preheated.
• Baking tins too large for the
recipe.
• Baking tins not evenly spaced.
• Products not evenly sized or
spaced on trays.
• Baking temperature too high.
• Baking tins too large for the
recipe.
• Baking tins are dark metal or
glass.
• Food too low in the oven.
• Oven door opened too
frequently during baking.
• Baking temperature too high.
• Grill dish affecting thermostat.
• Baking temperature too high.
• Food too high in oven.
• Cake batter over mixed.
• Pan too deep.
• Baking pans dark.
• Baking temperature too low.
• Food too low in oven.
• Baking time too short.
• Incorrect tin size.
• Baking temperature too low.
• Baking time too short.
• Proportions of Ingredients
incorrect in the recipe.
• Opening door too early in
baking.
• Poor hot air circulation.
• Grill dish affecting thermostat
- Select shelf that puts food in the
centre of the oven.
- Experiment with other trays or dishes.
- Centre trays.
- Rotate food during cooking.
- Remove grill dish from oven on bake modes.
- Preheat the oven
.
- Use correct size tins.
- Stagger baking tins at least 3cm
between tins and the oven walls.
- Make into same size and shape,
& spread evenly over trays.
- Lower the temperature.
- Use correct size tins.
- Change to shiny, light tins or lower
the temperature by 10
°
C.
- Cook one shelf higher.
- Don’t open the oven door until at least
half the cooking time has passed.
- Lower the temperature.
- Remove grill dish from oven on bake modes.
- Lower the temperature.
- Cook one shelf lower.
- Mix just long enough to combine
ingredients.
- Check size of pan and use
recommended size.
- Change to shiny pans.
- Raise the temperature.
- Cook one shelf higher.
- Increase cooking time.
- Use correct size tin.
- Raise the temperature.
- Increase cooking time.
- Check recipe.
- Do not open the door until the last
quarter of cooking time.
- Elevate food onto a rack to allow
air circulation.
- Remove grill dish from oven on bake modes.
- Do not pierce meat with fork
- turn with tongs.
- Grill at lower insert position.
- Cut into fat every 2cm (
1
/
2
”).
Remedies
Causes
Problem
