I know it sounds silly that I write an entire post on this but check these stats out:
– Since I started blogging, I have received 134 emails in total, with questions, comments, suggestions, etc
– 88 of them are baking-related questions
– 32 of them asked oven-related questions
– 18 of them are about pre-heating an oven
So, how do we pre-heat an oven. Its really very simple, in fact too simple, which is probably why many people have questions about it.
2 Steps to Pre-Heat your Oven
Step 1: Remove everything from the oven except the oven racks. Position them in the middle (where I leave them by default unless the recipe specifies otherwise). Turn on the oven and set the temperature to what the recipe specifies. Don’t worry, nothing will explode! (Been there, feared that)
For eg: if it says “bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C / 350F” then that means you should turn your oven on to 180C / 350F. If your oven uses Gas, then there will be gas marks on the oven, just go online to get a conversion from centigrade or fahrenheit to gas mark.
Step 2: In most ovens, there will be a light or a “ping” indicator that changes colour or makes a ping noise when the oven has reached the desired temperature. This should take roughly 10-15 mins depending on temperature so turn on the oven mid-way through the preparation steps.
Most recipes call that as the first step but I usually find that too early so I do it mid-way through the preparation of the dough or batter or whatever.
That’s it! Once your oven is pre-heated, place your item in and bake till done!
But wait, I hear some of you saying that your oven doesn’t have a temperature knob. My mom has been using one of those for over 30 years. There’s only an on-off button and absolutely nothing else, not even a light that goes green or orange. Its still okay, you can bake beautifully in this oven too. Just make sure you turn on the oven for a good 10 mins before placing the batter/dough in it to bake. Keep an eye on the time (as mentioned in recipe) and also the appearance of the baked item. For a cake, make sure you check if its rising, you can also try inserting a skewer to see if its coming out clean. If you need to, stop the oven for a bit, check and then re-start if its not done. Just make sure you are quick about it.
If you have any further questions, leave a comment and I will do an FAQ post 🙂
Does light go off in the middle while using oven and then again the oven gets ON
yes when the temperature setting is reached, the oven light may turn off and then on again when it needs to start heating. this all depends on your oven so please check the manual or talk to the retailer you bought the oven from
Hi i have got sharp microwave oven with grill and convection..now my chrismas cake receipe says 2 1/2 to 3 hours oven at 250degree fareheight..now how do bake my christmas..can give my instructions.
please check the manual that came with your oven.
Hi thanks a lot for the post….
I have a query if a recipe says preheat the oven at 350 degrees for 20 mins…It means one has to keep running the oven for 20 mins after it has reached that temperature? ..am I right?
no preheating means you keep the oven turned on with knob turned to the temperature until that temperature is reached. if time is specified you can keep for that amount of time but the real test is if the specified temperature has been reached
To preheat the oven, besides turn to the required temperature, do we need to turn the timing knob too? My question may sound stupid but if you only mentioned turning the temperature knob and nothing about the desire timing
yes turn on the timing knob as well, maybe to 15 mins or so?
which spring form pans r d best ? i heard the batter leaks in some spring form pans even wen dey r new?
not if you buy a good brand
hai, i am using morphy richards otg .give me the tips to how to use it.
please check your manual, i am not an expert on all types of ovens out there 🙂
Hey i am a beginner at baking. I tried making a pavalova but it failed.The top part didnt get cruchy.My question is what am i doing wrong?also if i preheat the oven then even after putting my dish in should i keep the temperature same or should decrease it?i have a gas oven.thanks
I have never baked a pavlova, so not really the best person to advice. Sorry!
I have got a LG microwave charcoal light heater oven which has alot of auto cook receipes. I want to use my oven for baking without the auto cook receipes but I’m not being able to pre-heat the oven. As soon as I set the mode to convection and set the temp I’m not able to set a time limit for preheating and if i just on the button then it displays cooking started. It does not consider or display preheating.
it’s fine if there’s no specific pre-heat button or option. just turn the oven on for 15 mins or so and then place the baking pan inside. that should be fine.
I’m preparing store bought cinnamon rolls and it says to “Heat oven to 350 degrees.” Not preheat. My husband thinks that means you DON’T preheat the oven. I say it means preheat. Who is right (and wins the $5 bet?)? 🙂
it means just turn the knob to 350F and bring the oven to that temperature. not necessarily “pre-heat” in this context. afraid he gets your 5 bucks 🙂
Hi. This is an awesome post and very helpful. I bought a microwave convention oven and tried to bake a simple chocolate cake. I set the temperature for preheat. Once it’s done, I heard 3 beeps and then the microwave ran for 10mins. My question is – when do I put my batter in..is it before the 10mins completes or after? I read the manual that came with it and it says “once preheated, it keeps the temp for 10mins”. Please help. Thanks!!
hello preeti, sounds like your MW pre-heats, beeps, and then maintains that heat for 10 mins so you can put in your cake to bake any time in that 10 mins. You can put it in immediately after the beeps also because it seems that the beeping sound comes after the oven has reached the right temp. hope this helps!