Is the oven hot enough?

I often wonder where the problem could be, if I have followed the recipe exactly from start to finish. But now I know where it gets stuck! The oven. That''s it! Alongside the recipe process, there is always a note about the temperature at which the dessert should be baked and for how long. But more and more often, it says at this step that the oven settings must be taken into account when setting the temperature. But, as a first condition to get to know your oven and its settings and operation, you need some baking experience.

But, getting to know the settings does not require "baking" a couple of cakes, you can also get to know the settings by baking a couple of pieces of bread.

1. How do I know how the oven behaves when baking?

Place six slices of plain white bread in a cold oven. Place each end of the bread on a wire rack. Place the rack at different heights in the oven to get a good idea of how the oven works. Slide the racks into the oven and close the door. Set the oven to 180°C.Check the bread pieces after 12 minutes, 18 minutes and 20 minutes. After 18 to 20 minutes, take the bread out of the oven and place it on a baking tray on the counter in the same configuration as they stood on the oven racks. Which of them is the most browned and which the least? This information tells you which part of the oven is the hottest. If any of the pieces of bread are burnt, this tells us that the oven is generating too high a temperature in that place.

2. A few more tricks and tips to check the oven''s performance

Pizza stone: Place a pizza stone on the lower oven rack. This does not mean on the heating element at the bottom of the oven, but on the lowest oven rack. The pizza stone or clay stone absorbs the heat and helps to disperse it evenly throughout the oven.

Infrared thermometer: Check the oven temperature with an infrared thermometer. If you can quickly check the temperature just before you put the dessert in the oven, this is one way of getting feedback on whether the oven is really well heated or not.

Calibrating the oven? Have your oven calibrated once a year. Sounds boring, is this the first time you''ve heard it? Who does it anyway? Get someone to calibrate the temperature once a year, maybe replace the gasket and the heat items that take care of the temperature.

In addition to the tips on getting to know how your home oven works, let''s not forget the confectionery tricks that are sure to make your next cake easier to make. Pastry tips are waiting HERE.