Cooler temperatures means we’re getting close to baking season. All too often we run into customers who are having a difficult time achieving the results they want when they’re baking. There could be a multitude of reasons why your oven isn’t producing the results you’re aiming for. Before we get to the holidays, let’s troubleshoot your oven (and baking skills) so that when the holidays roll around, you’re primed and ready to go.
Here are 13 possible reasons your oven isn’t cooking as expected:
| Range isn’t Level | Try to level your range. Check your Use and Care Guide on proper instructions on doing so for your make and model. |
| The Temperature Wasn’t Set Correctly | Double, even triple check the temperature settings on the recipe you’re replicating. |
| Oven Temperature Needs an Adjustment | Check your Use and Care Guide provided by the manufacturer under the topic of “Oven Temperature Control.” |
| Oven Was Not Preheated | This is a blog in itself and we’ve actually touched base on this before. Preheating can seem like a science project at times, check out our blog on preheating to make sure you’re doing it accurately. |
| Racks Were Positioned Inaccurately | We’ve covered this in depth in a previous blog about Rack Positioning and Baking. Check it out! |
| Batter isn’t Distributed Evenly | Make sure before you bake, you evenly spread out the batter or contents of what you’re cooking. We don’t want to favor one side of the pan over the other. |
| Food is Darkening Inconsistently | This could be a result of dull or dark bakeware. It’s suggested to lower your oven temperature by 25 degrees or move the rack to a little higher position in the oven. |
| Food is Lightly Browning Inconsistently | This could be occurring as a result of shiny or light colored bakeware. Who would’ve thought?! We suggest lowering the rack position. |
| Cooking Time was Incorrect | Again, double and triple check what your recipe calls for and adjust your cooking time accordingly. |
| Oven Door Wasn’t Properly Closed | Make sure your pans are positioned to where it fits within the oven. Double check that it’s not preventing your door from closing all the way. |
| Oven Door Was Opened During Cooking | Sometimes we get anxious about the progress of our meal, but peeking into the oven often releases the heat, thus, resulting in longer cook times. |
| The Bottom of My Meal is Browning | Most likely the oven rack is too low in the oven. We suggest moving the rack up a position. |
| My Pie Crust is Browning Quickly | In the instance, you can either cover your pie crust with aluminum foil or reduce your baking temperature. |
As you can see, there are many reasons your oven may not be producing the results you’re striving for. Always check with your Use and Care Guide provided by your manufacturer before you get too worried. It could be something simple!
If you’ve tried the above (that’s a lot of pies) and you’re still not satisfied, give Guinco Service a call. We will send out one of our trained professionals to assess your oven. As always, thank you for letting our family help yours!
