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14
BAKING
(continued)
Preheating
Preheat the oven if the recipe calls for it. Preheat
means bringing the oven up to the specified
temperature before putting the food in the oven.
To preheat, set the oven at the correct temperature—
selecting a higher temperature does not shorten
preheat time.
Preheating is necessary for good results when baking
cakes, cookies, pastry and breads. For most casseroles
and roasts, preheating is not necessary. For ovens
without a preheat indicator light or tone, preheat
10 minutes. After the oven is preheated place the food
in the oven as quickly as possible to prevent heat
from escaping.
Pan Placement
For even cooking and proper browning, there must be
enough room for air circulation in the oven. Baking
results will be better if baking pans are centered as
much as possible rather than being placed to the front
or to the back of the oven.
Pans should not touch each other or the walls of the
oven. Allow 1– to 1
1
⁄2–inch space between pans as
well as from the back of the oven, the door and the
sides. If you need to use two shelves, stagger the pans
so one is not directly above the other.
Cookies Aluminum Foil
When baking
cookies, flat cookie
sheets (without sides)
produce better-looking
cookies. Cookies
baked in a jelly roll
pan (short sides all
around) may have
darker edges and pale
or light browning
may occur.
Cookies can be baked on several shelves at the
same time but browning may be uneven because
of reduced air circulation.
Do not use a cookie sheet so large that it
touches the walls or the door of the oven.
Never entirely
cover a shelf with
aluminum foil. This
will disturb the heat
circulation and result
in poor baking.
A smaller sheet of
foil may be used to
catch a spillover by
placing it on a lower
shelf several inches
below the food.
Do not put aluminum foil on the oven bottom.
Baking Guides
When using prepared baking mixes, follow package recipe
or instructions for best baking results.