20
handling baking & grilling problems
PRoBLeM
CAUses
ReMedIes
Uneven cooking:
• Incorrect shelf position.
- select shelf that puts food in the centre
of the oven.
• oven tray too large.
- experiment with other trays or dishes.
• trays not centralised.
- Centre trays.
• food has not been rotated.
- Rotate food during cooking.
Baked products too brown on top:
• oven not preheated.
- Preheat until the oven indicator lamp
goes off.
• Aluminium foil in oven.
- Remove foil.
• Baking tins too large for the recipe.
- Use correct size tins.
• Baking tins not evenly spaced.
- stagger baking tins at least 3cm between
tins and the oven walls.
• Products not evenly sized or spaced
on trays.
- Make into same size and shape, & spread
evenly over trays.
• Baking temperature too high.
- Lower the temperature.
• food too high in oven.
- Cook on shelf lower.
Baked products too brown on bottom:
• Baking tins too large for the recipe.
- Use correct size tins.
• Baking tins are dark metal or glass.
- Change to shiny, light tins or lower the
temperature by 10oC.
• food too low in the oven.
- Cook one shelf higher.
• oven door opened too frequently
during baking.
- don’t open the oven door until at least
half the cooking time has passed.
• Baking temperature too high.
- Lower the temperature.
Cakes have a cracked, thick crust:
• Baking temperature too high.
- Lower the temperature.
• food to high in oven.
- Cook one shelf lower.
• Cake batter over mixed.
- Mix just long enough to combine
ingredients.
• Pan too deep.
- Check size of pan and use
recommended size.
• Baking pans dark.
- Change to shiny pans.
Baked products are pale, flat and
undercooked
• Baking temperature too high.
- Lower the temperature.
• food too low in the oven
- Cook one shelf higher.
• Baking time too short.
- Increase cooking time.
• Incorrect tin size.
- Use correct size tin.
Cakes fallen in the centre:
• Baking temperature too high.
- Lower the temperature.
• Baking time too short.
- Increase cooking time.
• Proportions of ingredients incorrect
in the recipe.
- Check recipe.
• opening door too early in baking.
- do not open the door until the last
quarter of cooking time.
Roast meat & potatoes not browning
in fan oven:
• Poor hot air circulation
- elevate food onto a rack to allow air
circulation.
Juices running out of meat:
- do not pierce meat with fork.
- turn with tongs.
Grilled meats overcooked on outside
& raw in the centre:
- Grill at lower shelf position.
Grilled chops & steaks buckling:
- Cut fat with knife towards the meat.
Handling baking & grilling problems