Do you preheat your oven?

Elawin

Elawin

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I rarely preheat my oven, whether it is on normal, fan, or turbo setting, preferring to add a little more time at the end if necessary. Exceptions to this are items which require a very short cooking time, and sponge cakes (which seem to prefer being put in a heated oven. Also, in winter, I preheat the oven when baking bread as the heat from the oven provides enough heat in my icebox of a kitchen for that final rise. But what do you do?
 
For me, it is absolutely essential. It only needs about five minutes. But it is the same as getting your frying pan hot before you put whatever you are browning into it. And vegetables or pasta - never put them in cold water. Boil the water first add then add whatever you are cooking to it. And you still want it to come back to the boil as quickly as possible which is all about making sure you have plenty of water for the amount of whatever you are cooking. But putting vegetables in cold water and then boiling it is a sure fire way to finish up with overcooked, lank vegetables. And to come back to your question, it is the same point. Even if you do preheat the oven, you still have to allow a certain time for whatever you are putting into the oven to come up to temperature, but that time is minimised if the oven is already hot before you put it in.
 
I used to preheat the gas oven but since I bought the halogen oven, I find that there is little need.

If I'm boiling vegetables or pasta I always bring the water to the boil first. Except for hard boiled eggs. I place them in tepid water (because that is all I got) and then bring to the boil. For poached eggs I bring the water almost to the boil before adding the eggs.

[I tell a lie - I start boiled potatoes in lukewarm water if they are destined to be mashed]
 
I was always told that root vegetables (except for new potatoes) should be put into cold water, and all other veg in hot water.

If I'm doing a roast, I don't preheat and I put all the root veg in the oven - in cold water for 90 minutes if the cooking time of the roast is longer than that, or in hot water for 60 minutes if the cooking time of the roast is shorter than 90 minutes. It's more or less the equivalent of a simmer on the hob and even potatoes very rarely get too soft. All the cooking water is used for gravy. There is usually enough residual heat in the oven to finish off cooking and keep the food warm enough to eat.

My old fan oven instructions (1970s) said not to preheat and to cook food at the usual oven temperature and for the same overall times as a conventional oven. This oven was only a fan oven; there were no other settings.

The new oven is a bit more complicated. It has settings for a conventional oven, or a fan oven, or a turbo oven (which is basically a fan oven with the grill turned on at the same time). The instructions do not give any timings but rather tell you how long to cook for certain weights of food. They also tell you which type of oven should be used to cook certain foods, and which type of oven should be preheated. It seems complicated to me, so I usually just have it set to fan oven, which is what I am used to.

In the 1980s I had a gas and microwave oven combined. It was big enough to take a 35 lb turkey, and similarly had settings for either a gas, or a microwave, or a combination oven with instructions and recommendations to boot. Again there were no recommendations to preheat the oven, but it did give conversions for cooking times and temperature depending on whether you were using the combination oven or purely a gas oven, and settings for microwave only. Unfortunately the hob was useless and when that refused to work for the third time, I got it changed, and got a conventional gas cooker, a separate microwave, a dishwasher and new washing machine plus the difference in cost back in cash!

It was a British make, but unfortunately the spares for this particular cooker came from Australia so getting it repaired quickly was a problem. However, I still have the cookbook that came with it and, bearing in mind that microwave cookers when were only 400W, it doesn't look impossible to use the same recipes in my newer oven with the turbo setting. Time and a bit of experimentation will tell. But I still won't be preheating the oven :D
 
Elawin said:
I rarely preheat my oven, whether it is on normal, fan, or turbo setting, preferring to add a little more time at the end if necessary. Exceptions to this are items which require a very short cooking time, and sponge cakes (which seem to prefer being put in a heated oven. Also, in winter, I preheat the oven when baking bread as the heat from the oven provides enough heat in my icebox of a kitchen for that final rise. But what do you do?
Click to expand...

What about for bread? Does that work starting in a cold oven?
 
I preheat the oven when the recipe calls for it and I'm baking the dish instead of broiling meat like steak, pork chops or fish. Preheating isn't necessary for broiling.
 
Elawin said:
I was always told that root vegetables (except for new potatoes) should be put into cold water, and all other veg in hot water.
Click to expand...

Well certainly, because the simmer times of root vegetables are more extended it is more possible to come up with a reasonable timing even if you are starting from cold. But I would still suggest that carrots, for example are very easy to overcook. But perhaps I can make the point clear if I tell you that for me, if I am cooking frozen peas for example, boil the water first, add the frozen peas and return to the boil as quickly as possible, simmer time, 1 minute. No more. Fresh green beans, perhaps 3 minutes max. Okay, carrots a bit longer, but they should still have some crunch when served. All of this is easier to get the timings right when you boil the water first.

I have learned this technique, when cooking a chicken breast for example, brown it each side in a metal handled frying pan for a few minutes, then bang it in the oven still in the frying pan. Absolutely essential that the oven is already hot when you put it in. It’s a great technique for getting properly cooked through but still moist and tender chicken breast. The first time I saw it demoed, by James Martin, it was duck breast he was cooking, and another key part of the reason for doing it that way was to get a crispy skin. You start by frying it skin side down, then turn it over, then bang it in the oven. It is a technique that just wouldn’t work at all if you were putting it into a cold oven.
 
It would depend on how you want the finished product to turn out. A hot oven is good if you want crispy outside like chicken skin, browned cheese, bread, etc...but, if you just want to cook something through, then a cold oven will be more gentle on it. I usually start out high then turn the temp down when I add whatever I put in....you will lose heat by opening the oven door so the higher heat will help compensate for the temperature loss...
 
I preheat my oven always for 10 mins only (I think they generally recommend 15 - 20 mins don't they)?

Maybe slightly off track but does anyone else tend to make full use of their oven? I dislike heating it just for one item so invariably incorporate it with things on other shelves, e.g. potato or roasting a pepper, baking an apple etc. With my oven temperature guage I worked out which shelf provides what temp, e.g. if it's Mk. 4 centre shelf then 2 shelves up will be Mk. 5 - which is useful.
 
Elawin said:
I was always told that root vegetables (except for new potatoes) should be put into cold water, and all other veg in hot water.

If I'm doing a roast, I don't preheat and I put all the root veg in the oven - in cold water for 90 minutes if the cooking time of the roast is longer than that, or in hot water for 60 minutes if the cooking time of the roast is shorter than 90 minutes. It's more or less the equivalent of a simmer on the hob and even potatoes very rarely get too soft. All the cooking water is used for gravy. There is usually enough residual heat in the oven to finish off cooking and keep the food warm enough to eat.

My old fan oven instructions (1970s) said not to preheat and to cook food at the usual oven temperature and for the same overall times as a conventional oven. This oven was only a fan oven; there were no other settings.

The new oven is a bit more complicated. It has settings for a conventional oven, or a fan oven, or a turbo oven (which is basically a fan oven with the grill turned on at the same time). The instructions do not give any timings but rather tell you how long to cook for certain weights of food. They also tell you which type of oven should be used to cook certain foods, and which type of oven should be preheated. It seems complicated to me, so I usually just have it set to fan oven, which is what I am used to.

In the 1980s I had a gas and microwave oven combined. It was big enough to take a 35 lb turkey, and similarly had settings for either a gas, or a microwave, or a combination oven with instructions and recommendations to boot. Again there were no recommendations to preheat the oven, but it did give conversions for cooking times and temperature depending on whether you were using the combination oven or purely a gas oven, and settings for microwave only. Unfortunately the hob was useless and when that refused to work for the third time, I got it changed, and got a conventional gas cooker, a separate microwave, a dishwasher and new washing machine plus the difference in cost back in cash!

It was a British make, but unfortunately the spares for this particular cooker came from Australia so getting it repaired quickly was a problem. However, I still have the cookbook that came with it and, bearing in mind that microwave cookers when were only 400W, it doesn't look impossible to use the same recipes in my newer oven with the turbo setting. Time and a bit of experimentation will tell. But I still won't be preheating the oven :D
Click to expand...
Rather than trying to figure out your oven, use the setting you are comfortable with.
I have a fan oven/conventional/toaster oven. I just use the conventional part. Then I don't have to worry about figuring out times.
 
creative said:
I preheat my oven always for 10 mins only (I think they generally recommend 15 - 20 mins don't they)?

Maybe slightly off track but does anyone else tend to make full use of their oven? I dislike heating it just for one item so invariably incorporate it with things on other shelves, e.g. potato or roasting a pepper, baking an apple etc. With my oven temperature guage I worked out which shelf provides what temp, e.g. if it's Mk. 4 centre shelf then 2 shelves up will be Mk. 5 - which is useful.
Click to expand...
Since mine beeps when it gets to temperature not sure how long it takes.
Yes, I multi-purpose my big oven. I tend to do several things at once that all require the same temperature. Unless I am doing cookies (biscuits) because of their short baking time.
I preheat for cakes and breads. Casseroles it just depends.
 
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