Tips For Adjusting Your Oven Temperature Based On What You're Cooking

Your oven's temperature range contains a spectrum of cooking possibilities. It typically spans from a cozy 170 degrees Fahrenheit to a fiery 550 F. If you're lucky enough to have a warming drawer, you can even go as low as 120 F. But the truth is that most of your cooking adventures will occur in the middle of this range, around 350 F — which sits just above the point where the magic of the Maillard Reaction begins to take effect.

Of course, the temperature setting is there for a reason; some ingredients prefer things a little bit toastier, while others like to chill out in the shade. Pizzas, like things hot, are way hotter than most wall ovens can manage. Still, cranking up to 550 F and placing the dough on a pizza stone produces fantastic results. Suppose you want to roast vegetables to golden perfection. In that case, you should aim for somewhere between 425 F and 450 F, but for deliciously jammy slow-roasted tomatoes, a comparatively chilly 275 F will do the trick nicely.

Slow-roasted meats are at the bottom of the scale, often cooked at temperatures as low as 140 F — if your oven can manage it — but for extended periods. At such temperatures, there is no Maillard reaction — so don't expect any browning — but it still produces exquisitely tenderized meat. 

It's a fairly obvious point that food does not simply stop cooking because you have hit the power switch on your oven. Of course, the oven is still warm, which can be a good thing — more on that later — but the food keeps cooking even once you take something out.

This idea of carryover cooking isn't restricted to ovens — slightly undercooking grilled food is a common enough practice, after all — and resting pasta is part of the al dente experience. However, when combined with the generally fickle nature of ovens, giving room for food to rest becomes even more critical.

Several factors affect how much carryover cooking is likely to occur. The shape and size of the food play a part, as does the temperature at which it is cooked. For example, in an experiment carried out by ThermoBlog, a half-pound beef chunk cooked at 300 F and pulled at 140 F experienced 8.4 degrees of carryover cooking. Meanwhile, a 3-pound pork loin cooked at 425 F — also pulled at 140 F — was subjected to an extra 15.5 degrees of cooking.

Most recipes will indicate if resting times are required, and some give specific values based on what you are cooking. Still, trial and error is part of any chef's repertoire of skills, and getting to know your oven and learning to spot how different ingredients react to it are always good ideas.

Almost every modern oven has moveable racks; there are, after all, good reasons to include them in the design. Positioning allows you to tesselate all sorts of items when cooking multiple dishes. It's also of great value when attempting to achieve perfect temperature control.

As we've already seen, ovens are generally the hottest around the periphery, so the default position for placing a rack is in the dead center of the oven. Food should cook evenly here since the hot air circulates freely around it. It helps to remember, however, that you want the food in the center and not just the container. If your roast is on the larger side, you might want to move a rack down a peg or two to line up your equatorial regions.

Oven temperatures can vary by as much as 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and again, since this tends towards the periphery, these variations can be utilized when cooking multiple items. For example, when baking two trays of cookies, you can bake one on the top shelf and one in the middle and then swap them around halfway through. In other cases where two dishes require cooking at two different temperatures, you can move racks up or down to create two distinct zones of heat distribution. As always, the closer the attention you pay to calibrating the oven, the better results you are likely to achieve.

We've already seen how important it is to account for the effect of carry-over cooking when gauging the temperature of meat and other produce, but sometimes, you want to control the rate at which the cooking process grinds to a halt. 

When removed from the oven, food begins to cool; in most cases, this is precisely how you want it to behave. Sometimes, however, the relatively rapid pace at which food loses heat can lead to undesirable effects; in this case, turning the oven off and cracking the door open allows things to cool at a more gentle clip.

A baked cheesecake — to give just one example — does not respond well to sudden changes in temperature and, if exposed to them, tends to crack. World-class cheesecakes like to rest inside a cooling oven for around an hour before being removed and placed on the workbench, and while the wait can be agonizing, the result is generally worth it.

Broiling is a high-heat cooking method that can easily lead to burnt food if not monitored closely. However, by keeping the oven door cracked open as you broil, you can effectively vent steam, regulate the temperature, and maintain a watchful eye on your food, ensuring it cooks perfectly without any unpleasant surprises.

We've already established that the principal difference between conventional and convection ovens is that convection ovens use a fan to distribute hot air flow more evenly. This increased movement mitigates the occurrence of hot spots but also has an added benefit: It cooks things more efficiently.

The usual caveat applies — every oven is different — but at least one benchmark exists for those looking for a general rule of thumb. Known as the rule of 25, it suggests that when using a convection oven, you should either deduct 25% off the time or the same amount from the temperature.

Reducing the time and temperature variables by an aggregate score — such as temperature by 10% and time by 15% — is also an option. Still, conversion charts exist for those who prefer a less hands-on approach. Such charts offer options based on what you are cooking, with categories ranging from roasted meats to quiche to cheesecake.

A third consideration — that has little to do with actual temperature — is whether to use the convection setting at all. The increased agitation inside the oven is what drives its cooking efficiency. It's perfect for roasting meats, casseroles, and pies but less than ideal for delicate items such as cheesecakes and soufflés. It's best to leave the convection setting off when baking such things.

Unsurprisingly, convection conversion charts detail two principal metrics: time and temperature. Standard recipes generally follow well-established equations: Cook something for a specific time to a particular temperature.

Of course, as we have seen, the internal temperature of cooked food depends on a delicate balance. A roast chicken cooked at a high temperature might look tasty on the outside yet reveal itself utterly inedible upon carving. So, after calibrating your oven, mapping hot spots, and doing some quick slide rule calculations about how best to use your convection settings, you are left with one simple truth: Temperature, not time, is king.

It's always a good idea then to use a food thermometer. They help prevent over — and undercooking — are less intrusive than digging in with a knife and most importantly, guard against food poisoning. While kitchen thermometers are essential when cooking meat, they are also helpful for ensuring the safety of seafood and eggs and can even be used to check the temperature of your oil when you're in the mood to fry something up. Details of the minimum internal temperature of various food items can be found on the U.S. government's food safety page.