Oven Calibration

In a previous post I mentioned the impact a calibrated thermometer has on properly cooked protein. That’s all fine and dandy, but what if your oven thermometer is off? Did you know that could even happen?! It’s a real problem that could be the culprit for uneven cooking and baking. Ever since we moved into our new house I noticed the oven was “off” based on how long it would take to cook things I had down to a science. For months I complained that we need a new oven (I still agree) but it’s a costly investment for a solution that could easily be fixed for under $10. How, you might ask?

Easy. Grab an oven thermometer from the hardware store and place it/hang it in your oven. The easiest test is this: preheat your oven to whatever temperature, say 350 degrees. After the oven is preheated simply turn on your oven light (don’t open the door) to see what the temperature on the thermometer reads. I let it “warm up” for an additional half hour just to be sure that the thermometer wasn’t just slow moving. I came to the realization that my oven said 350 but in fact was only registering an internal temp of 325. That makes a big difference!

I also moved the thermometer to different areas of the oven to see what it read to account for hot spots, which is very common.

If you find the differential like I did, you can do one of three things. Mentally note the difference and set your oven that much higher/lower when you’re using it. Secondly, you can actually make a calibration adjustment to the oven(link here). Lastly, you can call in a professional to repair it.

This little thermometer has been a huge help for me to monitor what’s going on inside my oven! Hope this helps you too!