23
BAKING AND 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,
and 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 too 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
under-cooked
• 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
