Calibrating Your Home Oven
Most thermostats drift as an oven ages, leading to burned edges or undercooked centers. Setting your oven to 350°F might actually result in 325°F or 375°F. You only need to verify this variance once to regain control over your baking and roasting.
Consistency starts with a truth-telling thermometer.
Do not rely on the oven's digital display or knob markings. Use a dedicated hanging thermometer designed for oven use.
- Analog oven thermometer
- Kitchen timer
Finding the Variance
Place the thermometer on the center rack and heat the oven to 350°F. After 30 minutes, read the thermometer; the difference between the display and the reading is your oven's offset.
The method.
Position the thermometer
Clip your oven thermometer to the center rack, roughly in the middle of the oven, away from the side walls or the heating element.
Preheat
Set your oven to 350°F. Wait for the preheat cycle to finish, then allow the oven to run for at least another 20 minutes to ensure the heat has stabilized.
Take readings
Check the thermometer reading through the oven window. Record the number. Open the door briefly to check again if necessary, but keep it quick to prevent heat loss.
Calculate the offset
Subtract 350 from your thermometer reading. If your oven shows 375, you have a +25 degree offset. If it shows 325, you have a -25 degree offset.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Place a sticky note on your oven hood with the offset calculation so you never have to guess.
If your oven is more than 50 degrees off, the internal thermostat probe may be faulty and need replacement.
Avoid placing the thermometer near the heating element or on the floor of the oven, as readings will be artificially high.
The ones that keep coming up.
How often should I re-calibrate?
Check your oven once or twice a year, or whenever you notice your browning times are significantly faster or slower than usual.
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