Using an Oven
Ovens are another tricky appliance, there are “hidden” functions that impact how it works when preparing food. First, lets look at the different types of ovens:
What a Gas!
The first question is it gas or electric? The cook differently depending on the fuel. Why? Well, when you burn gas, it produces carbon dioxide and water vapor. That water vapor will tend to keep food moister. Great for braising, not as good if you want a crispy skin. Also, burning more gas to heat faster is easier than providing more power to an electric oven, even a large house has an upper limit on how many amps are provided.
Electric provides dryer heat, and more radiant heat if the coils are exposed. Great for crisping up the outside of meat and making sure there the crusts don’t get soft. Electric is common in apartments and condos, while gas tends to be the standard in single family homes.
Which one you have is a matter of luck and your personal taste. Personally, I prefer gas, I find it more flexible. Electric is cleaner, and depending on where you live, cheaper. Gas tends to be more powerful, but electric has less “drift” from the set heat.
Wait, what do you mean “Drift”? Well, most home ovens, gas or electric, are thermocouple controlled, meaning there is on, and there is off. Drift is how low the temp drops before starting the heat source, and how high it goes after shutting off. My oven is fairly nice, at an average 15 to 25 degree shift. The semi-professional Viking at a relatives house will trim the gas flow to keep it in a narrower range, about 5 degrees, much tighter and close to a profession oven. Mostly it does not matter, but you will have to keep an eye on the food, as the cook time may vary.
There are bizarre hybrids out there, with gas + electric, or even Microwave + gas/electric. I really don’t care much for them, to be honest. However, I do have a gas + electric, but the electric is there to boost the broiler and preheat the oven faster. Otherwise, it never turns on... which is fine by me, electricity is expensive where I live.
The other major question is does it have a circulating fan? This is called a Convection Oven, which is weird, because convection is caused by hot air rising and cool air falling... and the fan disrupts that process by moving air.
Convection works great for long cooking processes, like baking and roasting because it keeps the temperature even in oven. It can usually be turned on or off, and most recipes will specify different temperatures and times for cooking with a convection oven.
Where you put things in the oven changes how it will cook the food. Generally speaking the top of the oven is the hottest part, and may also be for broiling. Broiling is a lot like a grill, except you are cooling the top, not the bottom. Most ovens have a broiling setting which keeps the flame on continously and gets extremely hot. Use it to finish cooking a steak, melt cheese on food, or brown the tops of food.
NEVER WALK AWAY FROM AN OVEN ON BROIL! Best case: burn the food. Worst case: Set the kitchen on fire.
The middle area is the most common place to put things. Here the heat is most even and almost all cooking is done at this level.
The bottom section is for braising or slow cooking large items like a turkey, rack of lamb, or a large roast. The lower temp will help keep the food moist and slow cook properly. Not the most used place. It can also be used to hold or rewarm a food while the middle section or broiler is in use.
