plunk Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 My wife and I just bought our first house and have recently noticed we've inherited an oven that cooks terribly unevenly. For example, a homemade pizza came out with one side burnt and the other side under done. We don't have the funds to spring for a new oven. Until we do, is there anything that we can do to eliminate the hot/cool spots? A water pan? Tiles? My wife likes to bake a lot and is getting tired of burnt/underdone cakes and breads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 My wife and I just bought our first house and have recently noticed we've inherited an oven that cooks terribly unevenly. For example, a homemade pizza came out with one side burnt and the other side under done. We don't have the funds to spring for a new oven. Until we do, is there anything that we can do to eliminate the hot/cool spots? A water pan? Tiles? My wife likes to bake a lot and is getting tired of burnt/underdone cakes and breads.Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion, because all I can think of is to rotate the pan partway through cooking. That won't work with something that falls easily, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktye Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I realize I probably sound like a broken record, but consider investing in a couple of pizza stones. I always leave them in the oven (except when making macarons!) since their thermal mass helps with nearly all baking (a big exception being macarons!) -- cakes, cookies (except macarons!), breads and so on. Just be sure to let them heat up long enough. I aim for 30-45 minutes when baking things at 350-375 degrees and preheat for a full hour for anything hotter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 My wife and I just bought our first house and have recently noticed we've inherited an oven that cooks terribly unevenly. For example, a homemade pizza came out with one side burnt and the other side under done. We don't have the funds to spring for a new oven. Until we do, is there anything that we can do to eliminate the hot/cool spots? A water pan? Tiles? My wife likes to bake a lot and is getting tired of burnt/underdone cakes and breads. Is it an electric oven? One of the heating elements may need replacement. A repair would probably be cheaper than a new oven. Sears will come out and fix appliances whether or not they were purchased there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 We had the same problem years and years ago in an apartment. It turned out the thermostat in the oven as well as one of the heating elements being bad were the culprits. Our landlords fixed it (I think it ran about $250 back then (15 years ago)). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 This might sound silly, but how clean is the oven? Years and years of built-up oily goo on the surfaces can change the way heat reflects, leading to uneven temps. Give it a real good cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plunk Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 Thanks for all the advice. I'll see if any of these suggestions can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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