The Crucial Step You Need To Take Before Cooking In Your New Oven (It Could Save Your Dinner)

If you're a fan of baking, you're surely familiar with the satisfaction of upgrading your old, worn-out oven to a brand new one. So if your oven cooks food unevenly, it might be time to replace it. A well-maintained electric oven can sometimes last for up to 15 years or more. But when it's finally time to change it, a new oven can truly feel like a deserved upgrade.

Many new ovens can have a thermostat that's slightly inaccurate, reaching up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit higher or lower than the temperature you're expecting. Instead of letting your oven overheat and ending up with a fire hazard in your kitchen, why not take a few minutes and test it with a thermometer? If your new oven keeps burning or undercooking your meals, then this is a good sign that the thermostat is defective and needs recalibrating.

Calibrating the oven is actually pretty simple. You just need to adjust the temperature settings through the options menu. The user manual can walk you through the steps. Start by placing a rack in the center of the oven and setting a thermometer on it. When you set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, let it fully preheat without opening the door. Once the oven is preheated, check the thermometer. If it's off by 15 degrees Fahrenheit or more, you may need to recalibrate it. Keep in mind that if you're calibrating an electric oven, the steps will slightly differ depending on whether your controls are analog or digital.

If by the end of the day you're still struggling with recalibrating the oven, then contacting a professional to handle it instead might be the safest option to adjust your oven temperature. Just make sure to keep in mind that professional service won't come free of charge. In fact, even a basic oven calibration can cost anywhere from $100 to 300, depending on the technician's rates, your location, and the complexity of the job. Suddenly, calibrating it yourself might not sound so bad.

If you don't have a thermometer but are experiencing trouble with your new oven, baking a tube of refrigerated biscuits on a shiny cookie sheet can provide the answer to whether your oven needs calibration. Make sure you thoroughly follow the package instructions. If the biscuits still fail to bake evenly in the given time, it's most likely a temperature issue. You can also track temperature changes over time using an air probe connected to a digital thermometer outside the oven.

Once the problem is solved and your temperature is calibrated properly, don't be afraid to get creative and enjoy the full perks of your new oven. You can then finally try out that mouthwatering lasagna recipe you've been keeping hidden in your kitchen cabinet for ages, or go for something simpler and bake a batch of extra chewy chocolate chip cookies that'll take you back straight to your childhood.