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How to avoid missing your preparations when cooking in the oven?

by Karine Lemoine

Even if your oven has several cooking methods,We have an annoying habit of always positioning ourselves in the same mode!

When receiving guests or cooking food for the family, we tend to turn on the “fan heat” mode thinking that it is the most convenient way not to bother. Maybe it has already happened to you?

However, it sometimes happens that the result of our preparation is not always there all the time.

Cooking your dish in the oven is sometimes a test of improvisation. You get in the oven, you press the button, you really believe in it, without knowing what to expect in terms of results.

We have all had the experience of taking a pie out of the oven that had not finished cooking on the bottom, or of serving dry or even charred meat to the table.

So have a good oven to cook at home, yes okay, butwellKnow how your oven worksIt's even better!

Are you interested in getting practical information aboutHow should you go about roasting in the oven, grilling meats or vegetables, baking bread, or making delicious pies?

In this article, we share tips foravoid missing your preparations when cooking in the oven.


The appearance of the electric oven

Until the 1940s,The cook(we are talking here about the cooking appliance) still had its place in the kitchen. It wasa fireplace, powered by wood or coal, which heated the stovetops and the oven.

The cook was alsoA means of heating in the living room of the house. The stove still exists in some homes, but it is becoming rarer.

As early as the 1940s,The gas stove or also called gas cookeris becoming widespread and making life easier for the housewife.No need to keep the charcoal stove on We turn the gas on and off. You slow down or increase the heat by monitoring the cooking of the dishes alternately.

Then the electric one appearsin the wake withnatural convection.

Gas or electric ovens and stovetops are revolutionizing cooking. The housewife is changing her habits.

The aim is to get a meal cooked more accurately without requiring a lot of attention.


The different types of oven

Various types of ovens can be found in appliance stores. And when you want to equip your kitchen with a new oven it is sometimes difficult to find your way around.

Here are the different ovens that you will find on the market:

  • The gas oven
  • The microwave oven
  • The classic electric oven with natural convection
  • The convection oven
  • The forced air oven

THE GAS OVEN OR GAS STOVE

The heat from the gas oven is static heat above and below. We can find a grill option. The downside is that the gas cooker does not heat up evenly. It may burn in some places. It is good enough for basic preparations such as gratins. It requires a lot of attention to adjust the temperature, raise it or lower it.

THE MICROWAVE OVEN

The microwave heats up and thaws very quickly. It is equipped with an electronic tube called a magnetron that produces microwaves from electricity. These microwaves crossSmells materials such as glass, paper, porcelain, and plastic and are transformed into heat when they come into contact with the molecules in the product. They cause the water molecules in food to rotate so quickly that they vibrate, creating friction and heat. Microwaves don't fully cook food. They penetrate the surface and diffuse over a maximum of five centimeters. Heat is communicated to the rest of the food by conduction.

There is also the 2 in 1 oven:Microwaves/Oven

The microwave can also be combined with the traditional oven, which combines the 2 types of cooking in one appliance. This type of oven is well suited when there is a lack of space in the kitchen but it is still an auxiliary oven for basic cooking of your dishes.

Practical info: Something that seems obvious but yet. Containers placed in the microwave should not get hot. If your container is hot it means that it is probably not suitable for this type of cooking. Dish manufacturers always report whether the container is suitable for microwave use or not. You usually have the special microwave logo written on the back of the product.

THE NATURAL CONVECTION OVEN

The natural convection electric ovenIt's the traditional oven, with heat that is distributed at the level of the roof and heat at the level of the oven floor (the oven floor).The heat is propagated thanks to integrated electrical resistances.

THE FAN OVEN

The convection oven hasbuilt-in natural convection to which is added a fan on the wall at the bottom of the oven that will stir the hot aircoming from the electrical resistances of the roof and the sole.We also talk about brewed heat.. Cooking with more homogeneous heat is thus obtained.

THE FORCED AIR OVEN

The forced air ovenhas a circular resistor, in addition to the fan,located on the bottom wall of the oven. The forced air will circulate the air around the food to cook it quickly and regularly.


The electric oven, thanks to its advanced technologies, will offer different cooking methods.This way you can select the mode according to and adapt to each dish you are going to prepare.

The advantage of having an electric oven is that you gain in temperature accuracy because it allows you to obtain constant heat, maintain it and raise or lower the temperature using a thermostat.

To use your oven optimally, you must therefore understand how it works..

What type of oven do you have? Gas oven, natural convection, convection, or forced air?

Below we will list everything that can be done with an oven.


Functions and cooking modes to select for your dishes

With an electric oven, today, virtually all cooking functions are possible, or almost all:

► We canReheat your dishprepared in advance for the evening when coming home from work or, once the small family is gathered around the table to eat.

dish heated with smoke

Practical info: Reheating your plate is possible for any type of electric oven. All you need to do is use the natural convection mode. You can reheat your dishes between65 and 100 degrees.

► We candefrost food. The defrosting time varies fromDepends on the nature and quantity of the food.

frozen spinach patties in a bowl

Practical info: Defrosting is possible for any type of electric oven, simply reheat to a temperaturenot exceeding 60 degrees.

If you have the forced air or defrosting function, it's better if not, you just have to choose the convection heat because it will have the function of dehydrating the food.

Dehydrationis entirely possible in a conventional oven if you don't have a dehydrator.

dried tomatoes, dehydrated

Practical info: If you have pulsed mode or convection heat, it's better, activate them otherwise, natural convection will also be suitable. To dehydrate fruits and vegetables,a maximum temperature of 70 degreesis recommended. However, dehydration takes quite a long time, so it's best to do it in the morning! It is necessary to count oneminimum of 5 hours.

RoastThe meats

Roast prepared in the oven

Roast, well, when it's dry it's grated! So convection and forced air will speed up cooking but it can also dry out your roast. Natural convection will cook the roast irregularly.

The little trick:If you use convection heat or forced air, then place greaseproof paper on top of the meat to prevent the meat from drying out.

If you opt for natural convection mode,Pre-cut the meat halfway through cooking to soak it in its juices, a tip I got from my mom. She always prepares her fillet of beef for us this way when we get together with the family. The meat is so tender and tasty, a real treat!

If theThe roast is overcooked and the outside is burntin places, check the temperature again!

If theRoast has a nice appearance but the sauce is burnt, choose a smaller dish and make sure there is always juice!

Natural convection is also suitable for lean pieces of beef, veal and game meat. In natural convection, the meat will be seared below and above, the meat will be well grilled and soft inside.

GrillingSausages

grilled sausages

The grill function is possible on all ovens. Attention, cooking is very fast and requires supervision!

The entire surface under the resistance of the upper grill is heated. You can grill multiple steaks, sausages, fish, or toast.

For even cooking, make sure that the pieces of meat are the same thickness.

The little trick: Bake the drip tray at level 1 while cooking. It recovers the meat juice and the oven gets dirty less.

Simmeror cook at low temperature or slow cook

Baked pot

Simmering in the oven is very easy! In natural convection mode, convection heat or forced air,The cast iron casserole with its lid remains the ideal containerto preserve all the humidity in the casserole and obtain tender and tasty meat.Switch the temperature to slow cooking mode, 120 to 130 degrees, forget about your preparation and a few hours later, your preparation is transformed enormously into a delicious dish!

In this case, it is the cast iron material, perfectly adapted to the oven, which will allow the food to be cooked homogeneously. and keep all the heat.

Bake delicious pastries

Muffin pan out of the oven

Shortcrust pastry or puff pastry with the natural convection oven is ideal., the leafing will increase very quickly.

If you're baking cake on one level, use natural convection instead.

Yeast-dough cakes, baked in a mold and soufflé are the best with this natural convection cooking method.

The little trick: Check if your sponge cake is cooked: Using a wooden stick, prick the top of the cake about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time indicated in the recipe. The cake is cooked if the dough no longer sticks to the stick.

In the event thatyour cake is sinking,Make sure the dough is less liquid or reduce the oven temperature by 10 degrees. Respect the mixing times indicated in the recipe.

Siyour cake has risen more in the center than at the edges, do not grease the side of the removable mold. After cooking, carefully unmold the cake using a knife.

SiYour cake is too dry, instead, increase the temperature by 10 degrees and reduce cooking times.

Bake your homemade bread

The natural convection mode with steaming is ideal for baking bread.but not everyone has the option built into their oven. Again, the heat is distributed uniformly onto the cake through the roof and the bottom of the oven. The moisture that is extracted from the cake during cooking remains in the oven in the form of water vapor. The pastry does not dry out.

Yeast pastries, such as bread, rolls or yeast dough braid, are therefore particularly successful. This cooking method is also ideal for puff pastry.

In case you don't have this function,The way to recreate this humidity condition is the casserole. You put the bread into the casserole with the lid closed and your bread will be very soft and crunchy. A few minutes before the end of cooking, you can remove the lid to give color to your homemade bread.

Another method to maintain humidity in your oven, before cooking,Place water in the drip pan that you will place on level 1!


Two more practical ways to use the oven

I also use the oven to sterilize and rise my bread dough, especially in winter.

WAY NO. 1: I sterilize my jars quite easily and quickly with the oven. Simply set the temperature to 100 degrees for 20 minutes. Make sure your jars are clean and dry first.

WAY NO. 2: It is very practical to raise your dough in the oven, especially in winter when the ambient temperature is rather insufficient to promote the rise of the dough. Simply turn on the oven at the lowest temperature and then turn it off so the dough is ready to rest at the right temperature.


The little trick: A tip to save less energy In general, I either turn off the oven before cooking or I arrange to cook another dish in the process.

Preheating the oven

Natural convectionGo ask15 minutesPreheat the oven so that the walls are hot and cooking can take place.

Circulating heatGo ask6 minutesPrecha timeUffage, the temperature rises more quickly.

Pulsed heatA requestno warm-up, it's a big advantage! Cooking the dish can be started directly in the cold. Be careful to take this less time into account in your recipes!


Cleaning the oven

For the hygiene and longevity of your device,Clean it regularly or even graduallyto remove dirt more easily.

We also avoid leaving burnt remains that will give an unpleasant charred smell to your current preparation.


An indispensable tool for cooking in the oven

The cooking probeis an essential tool to have in the kitchen to avoid missing the cooking of your meats with the oven cooking mode.

You can find ovens withthe integrated probethat can be plugged directly into the oven and that will alert us when the temperature is reached but you can also havean external probethat will do the trick.


There you go, the electric oven has no more secrets for you.Cooking in an electric oven allows us to obtain more precise cooking temperaturesThat the gas oven is certain but that does not mean that you have to let the oven work alone.

Even if technology has greatly improved our cooking habits and our daily lives, that's not everything. Cooking at home takes a bit of time. It takes a pinch of patience and a dose of best practices! Sometimes wanting to go quickly by shortening cooking times or increasing the temperature doesn't always work.

A minimum of well-adapted programming is necessary to obtain a successful and effective result of your preparation..

The time you will take to program will be less time catching up with burnt dishes.

Follow our practical information forSucceed with your meats, your homemade breads or your pies in peace!

Everyone in the kitchen! Do not hesitate to leave a comment or to share one of your baked dishes.

Bon appetit!

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Source images: freepick


Also to be read:

How do you cook potatoes in the oven in 20 minutes?


FAQ

Are convection heat and stirred heat the same thing?

Circulating heat includes mixed heat and forced heat. The difference is that circulated heat works with a fan that moves the air and forced heat, on the other hand, has a third heat point circulating around the fan.

Why aren't my pastries evenly browned?

For consistent pastries, select a slightly lower temperature. Cook delicate pastries on one level using natural convection cooking mode.

What is the purpose of a drip pan?

Lechefrite can be used to prepare fondant cakes, pastries, reheat frozen dishes and large roasts. It can also be used to recover fat if you place grilled food directly on the grill.

Why is the top of the cake overcooked?

We recommend choosing a lower temperature and baking the cake a bit longer. This will result in a cake that is baked more evenly.

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