Close
Photo:Eating Well/Getty Images
Eating Well/Getty Images
Whether you are baking homemadebread, roasting awhole chicken, or making a comfortingcasserole, one of the first steps is almost always to preheat the oven. It is one of those steps of a recipe that we often do instinctually, without putting much thought into it. But is it really necessary and, if so, why is it so important not to skip this step?
A very simple answer to this question is yes, you should absolutely preheat your oven (for almost all recipes), but the why requires a bit of culinary knowledge. For starters, consider that not all ovens heat up at the same speed, meaning it may take my electric home oven 10 minutes to reach 350°F but your gas oven may take 25 minutes. That may seem drastic, but it’s true. When I was a recipe developer in theEatingWelltest kitchen, we typically tested a recipe in multiple ovens, knowing they all performed slightly differently. Perhaps we’d need to adjust our recipe to make it more forgiving depending on the oven.
Steam Heat
Aside from the simple fact that not all ovens heat at the same speed, there is a more scientific explanation that can help us understand why it’s important to preheat your oven. We wanted to get some perspective from a pastry chef, someone whose job it is to bake delicious desserts and breads. So we put this topic up to Albi Rodriguez, pastry chef atDon’s Primeat the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
“From a pastry perspective, there is a lot that is happening in the initial 10 to 15 minutes of baking that is crucial to achieving a perfect product,” Rodriguez said. “‘Oven spring’ is what we call the initial rise, for example, for a cake, cookie or bread. You need hot temperatures to create the steam within the batter to start this process. If you start your baking with a cold oven, you will most likely end up with a dense and dry baked good.”
This idea of trapping steam, or evaporation, also applies to non-baked goods. If you were to place a whole chicken in a cold oven and then crank the heat to 425°F, the moisture from the chicken would essentially melt out of the meat, creating a very dry roast chicken. The other problem with this method would be seriously uneven cooking. The outside would cook much faster than the inside. Plus, there’s a food-safety risk of the raw meat not coming up to a food-safe temperature quickly enough.
Yes, You Really Should Use Room-Temperature Butter If a Recipe Calls for It—Here’s Why
Cold Oven Starts
This method effectively makes for a low-and-slow cooking method. The result is a pleasantly dense, caramel-like thick crust. And the longer cooking time allows the leavener (baking powder) to make a lighter, almost taller cake under that delicious crust. Next time you make your favorite pound cake recipe, try starting it in a cold oven. Just be sure to give it plenty of extra time for the crumb to properly set (yes, sometimes it’s OK to veer a bit from a recipe).
11 Healthy Quick Breads That Are Perfect for Fall
Preheating Tips
Rodriguez recommends getting in the habit of turning on your oven as you start to cook, even if it’s at a low temperature. “I never want to be waiting around for an oven to heat up,” he said. Here are some other tips related to your oven:
Is Cooking on a Gas Stove Affecting the Air Quality in Your Home? Here’s What Experts Say
The Bottom Line
A good recipe from a reputable source should have been tested to perfection, and if the developer of the recipe calls for cooking in a preheated oven, you should trust their process. The same is true for a recipe that calls for a cold start.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
