Baking (continued!
Type of Food
Shelf Position
Angel food cake
A
, ,
,
,
,,, .....................
Biscuits or muffins
B or C
Cookies
or cupcakes
B or C
Brownies
B or C
Layer cakes
B or C
Bundt or pound cakes
A or B
Pies or pie shells
B or C
,,,
,, ,,,,...........
Frozen pies
A (on cookie sheet)
Casseroles
B or C
Roasting
B or R
Preheating
Preheat
the oven if the recipe calls for it. Preheat
means bringing
the oven up to the specified
tempera-
ture before putting
the food in the oven° To preheat,
set the oven at the correct temperature--selecting
a
higher temperature
does not shorten
preheat
time..
Preheating
is necessary for good results when baking
cakes,
cookies,
pastry
and
breads°
For
most
casseroles
and roasts, preheating
is not necessary°
For ovens without a preheat
indicator
light or tone,
preheat 10 minutes.
After the oven is preheated
place
the food in the oven as quickly as possible to prevent
heat from escaping.
Baking Pans
Use the proper baking
pan_ The type of finish on the
pan determines
the amount of browning that will occur.
= Dark, rough or dull pans absorb heat resulting in a
browner, crisper crust° Use this type for pies_
° Shiny, bright and smooth
pans reflect heat, resulting
in a lighter,
more
delicate
browning.
Cakes
and
cookies require this type of pan_
• Glass baking
dishes also absorb heat. When baking
in glass baking dishes, the temperature
may need to
be reduced by 25°F (13°C)o
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
11/z-inch
(2.5-to
4-cm)
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.
Baking Guides
When using prepared
baking
mixes, follow
package
recipe or instructions for the best baking
results.
Cookies
When
baking
cookies,
fiat
cookie
sheets
(without
sides) produce
better-look-
ing 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.
For best
results,
use only
one cookie
sheet
in the
oven at a time.
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 reflects
heat away
from the pie crust; the cookie
sheet helps retain it.
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
recom-
mended
will usually
be crisper,
thinner
and drier than
it should
be_ If baked
in a pan smaller
than
recom-
mended,
it may be undercooked
and batter may over-
flow,, Check the recipe to make sure the pan size used
is the one recommended.
Aluminum Foil
Never entirely
cover a shelf
with aluminum
foil. This will
disturb
the
heat
circulation
and result in poor baking.
A
smaller
sheet of foil may be
used to catch
a spiltover
by
placing it on a lower shelf sev-
eral inches below the food°
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
cook-
ing allows
heat to escape
and makes
baking
times
longer. Your baking results
may also be affected_
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