If you are the type that relies on ovens for most of your cooking jobs, then you understand the important of getting the temperature right throughout your cooking. To be guaranteed of positive results when cooking different recipes, being able to monitor the temperature is always very important and an oven thermometer is always a good idea – you should consider the best oven thermometer for your kitchen.
A good thermometer normally means you will get accurate temperature levels and will be a worth addition to your oven especially if yours does not have one built into it. On the other hand, you can buy a new oven thermometer if at all you suspect that the current one is not working as it should.
How to Use Your Thermometer
At this point, I assume that you’ve already purchase the best quality oven thermometer for use. If already you have, here are the steps to follow as you use it: –
Place the Thermometer inside the Oven
Although this might sound like a kindergarten step, how and where you place the thermometer will determine its output accuracy. The positioning of the thermometer will be determined by a number of factors including the model and size of the oven. You should place your thermometer right at the middle of rack where you place your food so that the cold air does not influence the readings when the oven door is opened or hit by cold air from outside. Additionally, it will help ensure that only the temperature within the specific cooking compartment is recorded.
Set the Oven Temperature
With your thermometer in place, you can now set the oven temperature. Most likely, your oven already has a digital control which allows you to set its temperature in intervals of 5 degrees. If you are using the older models, then you can spin the dial to set the temperature. With the indicator showing that your oven is preheating, just wait without opening the door. Opening the door only releases the hot air and causes the oven to take much longer to preheat.
Monitor the Thermometer
With the door still closed, put on the oven light to see the thermometer readings. In most cases, the figures you see might not be very accurate and could be a little bit lower than is the case. Allow your thermometer some additional time so it can record an accurate reading. Check your thermometer again at least five minutes after your oven has indicated that it’s preheated. This will give you more accurate readings.
Adjust Oven Temperature
In most cases, the consumer level oven will be between 50°C and 100°C cooler that your set temperature. As such, you should adjust the oven temperature accordingly to avoid wrecking havoc on your recipes. Always consider the number of the degrees you need to add based on the thermometer readings and the set degrees in the oven. If your oven thermometer is reading 120°C and the set oven temperature is 180, subtract the thermometer readings from set oven degrees to get the difference. This will give you a difference of 60°C which you should add to 180°C to give you 240 degrees Celsius. Set your over at 240°C.
With these steps in place, you will always be able to regulate your oven temperatures for different recipes thus giving you great results. Always make sure you have the best oven thermometer for precise readings and monitoring.