How to Heat the Oven

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Before you bake something, you need to preheat the oven to the right temperature. Although it only takes a few seconds to turn on the stove, it takes several minutes for the oven to reach the desired temperature. The act of turning on the stove and letting it heat up to the right temperature is called “heating the oven”. Because of the long preheating time, most recipes recommend turning on the oven before starting to bake. This article will show you how to heat an oven with both electric and gas ovens.

Table of Contents

Electric oven heating

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Consider preheating the oven before starting to prepare dishes. Electric ovens usually take 10 to 15 minutes before reaching the right temperature. This time is usually enough for you to prepare the ingredients according to the recipe. If it takes more than 15 minutes, consider turning on the oven in the middle of the prep time.

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Open the oven and check to make sure nothing is left inside. If there are still items like baking trays in the oven, remove them and set them aside.

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Rearrange the oven compartments if necessary. Most of the compartments are located in the center of the oven, but sometimes the dish you are about to bake needs to be set higher or lower. See recipe instructions, and if necessary, remove the grill and put it back in its proper place. There are ledges inside the oven wall to fasten the compartments.

Items that need to be crisp and crispy on the top, like casserpe and lasagna, are usually grilled high in the oven. ^{[1] X Research Source}
Items such as cakes, cookies, and cupcakes should be baked in the middle of the oven, unless the recipe instructs otherwise.
Items that need to be scorched and crispy on the bottom like flatbreads or pizza are usually placed on the bottom shelf of the oven. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Turn on the oven and set the temperature. You need to see recipes for the right temperature. Oven temperature is often mentioned at the top of recipes, right in the first step. Simply hold the knob firmly, push it in, and turn it to the correct temperature mark.

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Wait until the oven reaches the desired temperature. Most modern ovens have a setting program that allows you to see the current temperature or beep when it’s ready. Some ovens have an indicator light when the oven has reached the correct temperature. The indicator light is usually next to the knob.

Most ovens take 10 to 15 minutes to heat up to the right temperature.
Old-fashioned ovens may not have knobs with multiple temperature markings on them, but only an on-off switch. If so, simply turn on the oven and wait 10 to 15 minutes before placing the food in the oven. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Consider using an oven thermometer. Sometimes the temperature in the oven is incorrect and does not really match the temperature indicated on the knob. An oven thermometer usually placed inside the oven will show the actual temperature. You should watch this thermometer instead of waiting for the indicator light to come on or the oven to beep.

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Place the food in the oven and bake according to the recipes. Be sure to close the oven door tightly, unless otherwise directed in the recipe, and do not open the oven door to look inside. Opening and closing the oven door during baking can cause the heat inside to escape, resulting in a longer baking time. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If you want to grill a lot of food and use multiple compartments, you need to move the food plates and pans in the oven so that they are not parallel to each other. This allows the hot air in the oven to circulate through the dishes and distribute the heat more evenly.

Heat up the gas oven

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Ensure ventilation. Gas furnaces consume more fuel and therefore emit more smoke than electric furnaces. You need to create ventilation conditions such as opening a window.

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Open the oven to make sure there’s nothing inside. If there is still a baking tray inside the oven, you need to remove it and put it away.

Adjust the compartments if necessary. Some recipes require you to reposition the oven compartments for even baking. See recipe instructions and adjust compartments. You simply pull out the compartments and re-insert them into the oven. There are shallow grooves inside the oven to insert the compartments.

Dishes like casserpe and lasagna need to be scorched and crispy on top, often placed high in the oven.
Cakes, cookies, and cupcakes need to bake evenly and are usually placed in the middle, unless the recipe instructs otherwise.
Items like flatbreads and pizza need to be crisp and crispy on the bottom. These dishes are usually baked on the bottom shelf in the oven.

Determine whether the oven is ignited with a flame or an electric one. The way the oven is ignited determines how the oven is turned on and the temperature set. Most older-style ovens will use a priming fire, while newer furnaces typically use electric ignition. Here’s how to determine your furnace’s ignition type:

If the oven uses a priming fire, you will notice that the flame burns continuously from high to low depending on the temperature.
If your oven has an electric ignition, you won’t see a flame until you turn on the oven and set the temperature.

If it is an oven that uses a primer, turn on the oven and set the temperature. You may have to gently press the knob before turning it on.

If your oven uses a gas mark instead of Celsius or Fahrenheit, you’ll need to convert. Search the internet and use an online converter.
Sometimes the primer flame may be extinguished or need to be re-ignited before each use. In this case, you need to make sure the temperature at the crown is at the “off” line and locate the spark. Light a match and bring the flame closer to the fire. Remove the match when the igniter has ignited. If the fire is still not burning, you need to increase the temperature a little. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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If it is a digital oven, press “broil” or “bake” on the keypad and set the temperature. Use the up and down arrows to adjust the temperature. Once the temperature has been set, press “start”. The number on the display will change – that is the current oven temperature. Wait for the temperature to rise and reach the temperature you set. ^{[6] X Research Source}

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When the oven has reached the right temperature, put the ingredients in the oven. Gas ovens heat up faster than electric ovens, so your oven will be hot enough in 5 to 10 minutes.

Close the oven door tightly, unless otherwise directed in the recipe. Do not open the oven and look inside, as this will cause the heat in the oven to escape and prolong the baking time.
If you have a lot of dishes to bake and you have to use both compartments, don’t put too much on the lower shelf, as this will prevent the heat from reaching the top compartment. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Be careful if you smell gas. If you smell gas while you’re grilling, there’s probably a gas leak. ^{[8] X Research Source} Turn off the oven immediately. DO NOT use any household electrical appliances as this may cause an explosion. Open the window and run out of the house. Contact emergency services by cell phone or neighbor’s phone. Do not use cell phones while indoors. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Preheat the oven when in the highlands

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Remember the altitude above sea level. High altitude affects baking time, temperature, and even food composition. Most recipes are not for the highlands and need to be adjusted. If you are at an altitude of 914 meters or more, you need to adjust the recipe.

Increase baking temperature. When you turn on the oven, you need to set the temperature higher than the instructions in the recipe. If you are at an altitude of 914 meters or more, you will need to increase the baking temperature to 9°C to 14°C. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If at an altitude of 2133 meters to 2743 meters, you should consider increasing the baking time. ^{[11] X Research Source}
If at an altitude of 2743 meters or more, increase the temperature indicated in the recipe to 14°C. Then, once the ingredients are in the oven, lower the temperature as directed in the recipe. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Reduce baking time. Because of the increased temperature in the oven, your dish will cook faster than the time indicated in the recipe. For every 6 minutes in the recipe, reduce it by 1 minute.

For example, if a recipe calls for 30 minutes of baking, reduce the baking time to 25 minutes.

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Place food closer to the heat source. Most ovens get hotter on the bottom, and that’s where you should put your food to make sure it’s cooked properly. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Advice

Remember that every oven is different, and you may need to bake for longer than the time indicated in the recipe. Or vice versa, maybe your dish cooks faster than directed in the recipe.
Consider using an oven thermometer if you use an electric oven. The temperature in the oven is not always accurate. You just need to put the thermometer in the oven and see the reading instead of waiting for the indicator light to come on or the oven to “beep”.
When using multiple compartments in the oven, you should be careful not to keep dishes parallel to each other. This way the hot air will circulate more evenly.
Remember to close the oven door tightly. Do not open it while baking. You will lose more heat each time you open the oven, and that means your food will take longer to cook.
When you open the oven door, some heat escapes.

Warning

Preheating the oven (or letting it heat up to the right temperature) is important. If you don’t do this, your dish may lack fire or the baking time will take longer. That can result in unevenly cooked food.
However, some dishes do not require preheating the oven. See instructions in recipes.
If you are using a gas stove and you smell gas, it may be a gas leak. ^{[14] X Research Source} You need to turn off the oven immediately, and DO NOT use any electrical appliances as this could cause a fire or explosion. Open a window, leave the house, and use your neighbor’s phone or cell phone to call emergency services. Do not use cell phones in the house. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Steps

Electric oven heating

Heat up the gas oven

Preheat the oven when in the highlands

Advice

Warning

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