Why Slight Oven Temperature Differences Are Messing Up Your Baked Goods

I love to bake. I know my oven extremely well, and can cook up a cake from scratch like you wouldn’t believe. But if I go to my parent’s house and try to make break-and-bake cookies, it’s a whole different story. Then I bought an oven thermometer — and my life changed (in the best way possible).

With my oven thermometer, I realized that when set at 350 degrees, my parent’s oven ran closer to 395 degrees. What? But shouldn’t an oven read true to the temperature set? Don’t they have an internal thermometers to help ensure consistent heat? You would think so.

According to The Cake Blog, “Most ovens are calibrated inaccurately, leaving you unaware that you’re baking at a temperature above or below what your recipe specifies.”

This chart from The Cake Blog shows how differently baked goods can turn out when an oven is not accurate. But why?

When in the oven, the batter goes through complex physical & chemical changes. Each change takes place at different temperatures during the baking process. So if your oven isn’t the right temperature, this may be the reason your baked goods don’t turn out just right.

So mom, all those years I blamed you for burning the cookies because you didn’t properly set the timer, I’m sorry.

Photo by Simon_sees