7 Oven Tips to Make Cooking in the Oven more Efficient

We all know cooking in the oven just makes food taste better but we also know that it can also take more time than we have an heat up our entire kitchen. we thought we would share some oven tips that could make cooking in the oven more efficient.

• Don't Overheat –  Preheat your oven for as little time as possible. You can also turn off your oven a few minutes before the end of cooking time; plenty of heat is retained inside to finish the job.
• Stagger – If you are going to be cooking more than 1 dish, make sure that you stagger them around to maximize airflow for even cooking.
• Use Glass – Did you know you can cook food at 25 degrees cooler in a glass pan than you can in a metal pan? Using a ceramic baking dish also works well too.
• Programmable Ovens– Take advantage of those programmable ovens.  I can put something in mid-afternoon and set it to start cooking and shut off while I'm out dropping off/picking up kids from their activities. We get home to dinner waiting for us in the oven and I'm not worried about anything getting burned. Gail Klanchesser, Newington, NH
• Keep It Closed – Resist the temptation of opening that oven door to check on your food because you will lose 20 degrees every time you do that. Make sure your oven door is clean so you can see through and use that oven light.
• Keep it Clean – Wash those oven racks in warm soapy water instead of leaving them on during self cleaning. This will keep your racks looking fresh and new instead of turning blue or black.
• Convection Oven – Cooking your items such as pizza in front of the fan helps give it a nice crunch. Custards don't do so well in convection ovens.