Here's When Preheating Your Oven Actually Makes A Difference

All home bakers and cooks have seen the instruction to preheat their ovens. It seems this line makes an appearance in every baking recipe on the planet to the point that preheating the oven is almost instinctive. Although preheating is a commonplace thing in all kinds of baking, the truth is that preheating your oven is not always required.

The point of preheating is to get the oven to a desired temperature before putting food inside to bake. It matters for certain types of dishes, like baked goods or egg based dishes like quiches. Wet dishes, dishes that have a long cook time, or leftovers do not need a preheated oven.

The key difference for dishes that need a preheated oven is they must start cooking at a high temperature rather than slowly warming up as the oven heats, hence why preheating is an important step in baking. Some dishes will not be greatly affected by starting at a lower temperature and getting hotter as the oven heats up. Other dishes, like breads, must be put in at high heat or else the bread could collapse completely and not cook properly.

The goal is to control the oven to get the ideal temperature for each dish. Preheating helps achieve this by warming up the oven to the imputed temperature over a period of time. If an oven is not preheated, food is essentially placed in a cold oven.

In some situations, a cold oven is not a problem. Dishes like vegetable side dishes do not necessarily need a preheated oven. Reheating leftovers like pasta also do not require a preheated oven. Last but not least, foods that need a longer cooking time like roasts can be placed in a cold oven without any issues.

What is important to remember is that baked goods like bread and pastries should only be placed in the oven after it has been preheated. Baked goods can turn out hard and rubbery if placed in a cold oven. As a general rule, it is best to preheat your oven when baking to ensure the final product comes out tasting, looking, and feeling texturally good.