USING THE OVEN FOR BAKING
BAKING PANS
Use the proper baking pan. The type of fi nish on the pan determines the amount of browning that will occur.
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Glass baking dishes also absorb heat. When baking in glass baking dishes, lower the temperature by 25 °F and use
the recommended cooking time in the recipe. This is not necessary when baking pies or casseroles.
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Dark, rough, or dull pans absorb heat resulting in a browner, crisper crust. Use this type for pies.
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Shiny, bright and smooth pans refl ect heat, resulting in a lighter, more delicate browning. Cakes and cooking require
this type of pan.
PAN PLACEMENT
For even cooking and proper browning, there must be enough room for air circulation in the oven. Baking results will be
better if baking pans are centered as much as possible rather than being placed to the front or to the back of the oven.
Pans should not touch each other or the walls of the oven. Allow 1 to 1 1/2 inches of space between pans as well as from
the back of the oven, the door and the sides.
If you need to use two shelves stagger the pans so one is not directly above the other.
COOKIES
PIES
For best results, bake pies in dark, rough or dull pans to produce a browner, crisper crust.
Frozen pies in foil pans should be placed on an aluminum cookie sheet for baking, since the shiny foil pan refl ects heat
away from the pie crust; the cookie cheet helps retain it.
Check the recipe to make sure the pan size used is the one recommended.
CAKES
When baking cakes, warped or bent pans will cause uneven baking results and poorly shaped products.
A cake baked in a pan larger than the recipe recommends will usually be crisper, thinner and drier than it should be.
If baked in a pan smaller than recommended, it may be undercoked and batter may overfl ow.
Check the recipe to make sure the pan size used is the one recommended.
DON`T PEEK
Set the timer for the estimated cooking time and do not open the door to look at your food. Most recipes provide minimum
and maximum baking times such as ``bake 30-40 minutes``.
DO NOT open the door to check until the minimum time. Opening the oven door frequently during cooking allows heat to
escape and makes baking times longer. Your baking results may also be affected.
OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
Flat cookie sheets (without sides) produce better-looking cookies. Cookies baked in a jelly
roll pan (short sides all around) may have darker edges and pale or light browning may
occur.
Do not use a cookie sheet so large that it touches the walls or the door of the oven. Never
entirely cover a shelf with a large cookie sheet.
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