How to use a Gas Oven and an Electric Oven

In this article, you will get to know everything about ‘How to use a Gas Oven.’ Firstly, we will explain in-depth ‘How to use an electric & gas oven.’ After that, we will discuss 11 things that you should consider before using an oven.

Ovens are used for heating, baking food & preparing fascinating dishes. The majority of the ovens are easy to use, but you should follow some guidelines while using an oven. The Ovens are of two types:

Electric Oven
Gas Oven

You should always make sure that you are using the appropriate cookware according to the type of your oven. Moreover, make sure that you clean the oven thoroughly after use. You should clean it from every corner where you see the build-up of food.

Let’s understand How to use an oven (Electric and Gas)

Contents

1 Electric Oven – How to use it?
2 Gas Oven – How to use it?
3 11 Things That You Should Consider To Use Oven Like A Pro – How to use an Oven
4 Conclusion

Electric Oven – How to use it?

1. Get Familiar with the basics

Make sure to read everything that is mentioned in the user manual. Every bit of detail is mentioned in it, for instance, How to use the oven, how to move the racks up and down, set the temperature, cleaning, safety, etc. The electronic oven usually allows the users to put in the desired temperature directly.

Furthermore, it gives you an indication of when the oven is ready to use. You might find a light on your oven, which will go on and off, or it may make a sound to indicate that the oven is ready to use.

2. Preheat the oven

You need to preheat the oven as it takes some time to reach the temperature that you want. You should start preheating the oven when you begin to prepare the food so that you can save a bit of time. If you want to make sure that the oven is at the right temperature, then you should use an Oven Thermometer.

3. Use the middle rack for baking

When baking with an electric oven, the center rack should be used. Experts say that it doesn’t matter even if the recipe specifies to place the item at the lower rack or upper one; you should always use the middle rack while cooking with an electric oven.

This is because the middle rack is the place that has a lower chance of fluctuation of heat in the process of cooking. So, the result will be amazing as your food will be cooked more evenly.

4. Use the appropriate bakeware

Many types of bakeware are available in the market. One major benefit of using an electric oven is you can make use of a diverse range of bakeware. However, the different bakeware may provide you with different results. So, you should make sure that you are choosing the right bakeware for your cooking.

If you want to have a brown layer around the sides and bottom of your food, go for the Metal Bakeware. On the other hand, if you don’t want browning or less browning, then you should opt for Glass or Silicone-made bakeware.

5. Make sure to clean your oven

If you have an oven that has a self-cleaning feature, then you should take advantage of it. You can go through the instruction manual to learn how to use the self-cleaning feature. However, some ovens might take 2 hours to self-cleaning, and the oven will be locked for this time.

On the other side, if it doesn’t have a self-cleaning feature, clean it on your own.

How to Clean your oven

Firstly, remove all the racks and clean them. You can do this by laying a towel down on the bottom of your bathtub and then filling the tub with hot water. Add half a cup of the dishwasher in it and place those racks in this water for around 4 hours. Then you can just wipe off any kind of gunk and stains with the help of a brush. You have to coat the inside, sides, bottom, and top of the oven with a mix of baking soda and water.
After that, pour some vinegar over the baking soda mixture. You should allow the vinegar to sit on it for a time till it begins to fizzle. It will be a quick process, so you don’t have to wait for a long time. The vinegar will help loosen the dirt and debris so that you can clean it up easily by just wiping it off.
Finally, after cleaning the interior of your oven, place all the racks back in your electric oven and it will be ready for next use.

Gas Oven – How to use it?

1. Know about the basics

Make sure you have basic knowledge about your gas oven. You can gather the information by reading the user manual that comes along with your oven. You should thoroughly understand How to use a Gas Oven, start it, and turn it off.

Moreover, you need to understand how you can set the temperature and how to move the racks. You can adjust the oven racks according to the dish that you are preparing.

In the gas oven, usually, you have to turn the knob to turn it on. You can turn the knob to the right temperature at which you want to cook.

2. Measure the temperature by using an oven thermometer

When you use a gas oven, you must know that the temperature of these ovens tends to fluctuate.

It doesn’t matter that you have set the gas oven at a particular temperature, the heat of the oven may increase, or it can even fall during the process of baking.

It is advised that you should use an Oven Thermometer to measure the temperature of your oven. Accordingly, you can increase the heat level or lower it.
You can make use of the oven light to monitor the temperature of the oven. You should also keep this thing in mind that if you open the oven too often when you are cooking, then it can drop the temperature immediately.

3. Rotate your baking trays

We know that the heat tends to change in a gas oven. So rotating the trays is an effective method to help cook evenly from every side. You have to rotate the trays of muffins, cakes, and bread to 90 degrees halfway through baking.

Moreover, if you are using more than one rack, then you should also switch the top and bottom trays. Also, for making the casserole dishes, they need to be rotated multiple times during the process.

4. Put a baking stone on the floor of the oven

Baking Stone is used for making Pizzas, Bread, and cookies. You can place it at the bottom of your gas oven or put it on the lowest rack. After that, place the food above the stone. It will help in cooking your dish more evenly because the temperature will be regulated in an even way.

5. Increase the temperature for more crispiness

Gas ovens are more likely to be humid, which can affect the crispiness of the food. If you are baking potatoes in a gas oven, they will not get crisp as easily. If you want crispier food, then you have to turn up the temperature to about 25 degrees.

For instance, if the food needs to be baked at 180 degrees, then you have to increase the temperature up to 25 degrees, which is 205 degrees.

11 Things That You Should Consider To Use Oven Like A Pro – How to use an Oven

Here we are going to address the 11 thing things that you should consider while using an oven. It will help you with baking any type of food perfectly.

1. Make use of the window

Instead of trying to open the door, try peeking through the window of your oven. If your window is dirty and you can’t see what is cooking inside, clean it up first, and then start cooking in it. It will help in maintaining the temperature of your oven so that food will be baked perfectly.

2. Don’t Overstuff Your Oven

It doesn’t matter if your oven is roomy; you should not overload it at any cost, it is essential to leave some space around the pans so that air and heat can circulate properly. It will ensure that the food is evenly cooked from each side.

Also, Make sure that you are leaving some inches of space between the pans. They should not touch each other as well as the sides of the oven.

3. Place pans on the perfect spot

If you want to know how to use an oven in such a way that cupcakes and pies bake perfectly, then it is advised to place the pans in the center of the racks. This is the spot where the temperature does not fluctuate much. Hence, your food will be baked perfectly and evenly.

4. Make use of both the Racks

When you are cooking more than one meal, then you should place them on the different racks of your oven. If you have double ovens then, you can even separate the ovens.

However, if you are using one oven for cooking, then you should position it in such a way that the food placed at the bottom rack does not block the heat for the food on the top rack.

5. Use Silicone Oven Liner

You might have heard that some people suggest lining your oven with aluminum foil to protect it from drips. But, we do not recommend aluminum foil.

This is because it doesn’t only reflect the heat that cooks your food faster but can also cause damage to your oven. There have been some instances where the foil started to melt, and the heat reflected off of the foil.

This has resulted in burning the heating elements of the oven. So, if you want to use something to protect your oven, then go for a Silicone Oven Liner.

6. Clean Your Oven

If you leave some kind of drips and crumbs of food on the bottom of your oven, then you can face some really serious issues while baking. These food bits can also catch fire or smoke, which can result in overheating of the oven. These drips and crumbs can also make your baked goods taste bad.

7. Figure out your Hotspots

In your oven, some areas might be hotter than others. So, when you figure out your hotspots, place your pans on the hotspots so that you can properly bake food. It helps in evenly baking the food.

8. Try not to open the door while cooking

It is always tempting to open the oven door and have a look at the cakes and cookies. But you should try to resist this urge because if you open the door, the temperature of the oven will drop, and your food will not be baked perfectly.

You will be startled to know that internal temperature can drop up to 25 degrees when you open a door in the middle of baking. The fluctuation in the temperature will degrade the quality of your cake, and it will take a long time to cook.

9. Leave the door closed to save your bird

The fluctuation in the temperature of the oven can dry out the chicken that you are cooking. Also, it can dry the turkeys too. So, if you want to keep your poultry moist, then you need to skip the basting and coat them in oil or butter. You should leave the door of the oven closed as much as you can.

10. Consider cooling racks for having more space

Do you need more space in your oven for cooking?

If yes, then you should use Cooling Racks as it will increase the capacity of the oven.

Moreover, it will ensure even heating.

11. Clean the oven after every use

The self-cleaning feature of the oven is an easy & great way to keep the oven clean, but it does have its cons. So, after the oven has cooled down, wipe the interior with a damp cloth to remove any kind of soot. After that, leave the door open so that the air in the oven can escape.

Conclusion

By now, you have gained enough information about How to use a Gas Oven for baking perfectly in an oven. We have covered the basic guidelines and expert tips on how to use an oven. If you still have any questions & queries regarding Ovens, please feel free to leave a comment below.