FACT: Ovens Can Be Woefully Inaccurate!
By Alice Osborne
But not to panic - a reliable oven thermometer will tell you what's really going on with your oven. I've been baking for years without one, and the results have been so-so to OK (most of the time). But what if I'm better than so-so to OK? It's time to find out!
So off to the Internet I went to research oven thermometers. On the cooksillustrated.com website I learned that they come in two styles: bulb and dial-face. The testers at cooksillustrated (aka America's Test Kitchen) preferred dial-face brands. They said that the tinted alcohol used in bulb thermometers can get stuck, compromising accuracy.
They advised that the oven thermometer you buy should not just give accurate temperature readings, it should also be easy to read and easy to mount securely and safely out of the way. And of course, it should also be durable. The testers said, "Even if an oven thermometer only costs a few bucks, you shouldn't have to keep replacing it." Amen to that!
The thing I love about America's Test Kitchen is how thorough they are with their testing, so when they do recommend a technique or product, you can count on it. Such is the case with their oven thermometer recommendation. Their most recent favorite is a dial-face model that uses a bimetal coil. They said this is important because the different metals in the coils expand and contract at different rates when heated or cooled, moving the dial on the thermometer face (who knew?).
The winner? The Cooper-Atkins Oven Thermometer, which sells for $5.95. The Test Kitchen testers love this thermometer for its accuracy and design. Here's what they say about it:
"Basic, sturdy, accurate, and the least expensive model tested, this commercial-style thermometer (it provides food safety guidelines in small print on the face) rose to the top of our rankings. Designed to either sit on or hang from oven racks, it stayed safely out of our way as we baked and roasted. After six months of constant testing, the face was still easy to read and temperature readings remained spot-on."
So from Internet researching to shopping I went. I found the above recommended oven thermometer at our local restaurant supply store and paid just about what the Test Kitchen folks said I would. The minute I got home I tested my oven. Mine is a convection bake as well as a regular bake oven, so I tested it twice, accommodating the different settings.
Uh huh, just like they said, my oven was inaccurate. The bake setting was 20 degrees cooler than it should have been. The convection bake setting was about 17 degrees hotter than it should have been.
With this information up my sleeve, I next baked a batch of cranberry nut bread (using the recipe found on the back of the bag of cranberries), adjusting my temperature accordingly. HAH! People, this bread came out perfect, without the over-done sides and under-done middle that I usually end up with. Bottom line, I'm convinced and on my way to better than so-so OK baking. So if you want 2012 to be the year your baking reaches new heights, then you too may want to consider turning to an oven thermometer!
