I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
'grand recipe'.
Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly

On Monday, March 3, 2014 9:39:26 PM UTC-5, Polly Esther wrote:
> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
>
> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>
> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>
> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
>
> temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>
> floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
>
> to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>
> 'grand recipe'.
>
> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
>
> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>
> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly

Wow! Just...wow. Please be careful about unleashing that big brain on the world. I'm not sure it can handle it.

"Polly Esther" < wrote>I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say
about pre-heating the
> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the
> correct temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the
> oven's floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated
> enough to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and
> insert the 'grand recipe'.
> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
And furthermore, when I bake bread, I set the oven at 425. After I've set
the bread in the oven, I reduce the setting to 325. Don't know if that sort
of magic will work elsewhere but it's good here. Polly

On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:55:16 -0600, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:

>
>"Polly Esther" < wrote>I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say
>about pre-heating the
>> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the
>> correct temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the
>> oven's floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated
>> enough to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and
>> insert the 'grand recipe'.
>> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
>> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
>And furthermore, when I bake bread, I set the oven at 425. After I've set
>the bread in the oven, I reduce the setting to 325. Don't know if that sort
>of magic will work elsewhere but it's good here. Polly

325ºF is very low for yeast bread... about 400ºF works much better.

On 2014-03-03 21:39, Polly Esther wrote:
> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating
> the oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it
> has reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that
> nice hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the
> correct temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way,
> the oven's floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be
> heated enough to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door
> and insert the 'grand recipe'.
> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me
> that this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate
> the perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make.


Some of us know more than some others. There are a number of factors.
There is a rush of hot air out of the oven when you open the door, or a
rush of cool air going in, but I don't understand the 20 minute thing.
The walls of the oven are steel and it is a pretty good conductor, and
the metal heats up as part of the preheating. When you open up the oven
door those hot walls help stabelize the heat.


Whether or not I preheat the oven depends on what I am cooking. If I am
baking or roasting potatoes or a roast I let them heat up with the oven.
I make sure to preheat when I am baking, and I usually time things so
that the oven is heating to cooking temp when the goodies are ready to
be baked.

"Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say, "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.

N.

On Tuesday, March 4, 2014 8:42:48 AM UTC-5, Nancy2 wrote:
> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say, "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.
>
> N.

In the USA you must be in a permanent state of clench.

http://www.richardfisher.com

On 3/4/2014 8:42 AM, Nancy2 wrote:
> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say, "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.
>
Not quite as bad as "pre-prepared"...

On 2014-03-04 9:13 AM, S Viemeister wrote:
> On 3/4/2014 8:42 AM, Nancy2 wrote:
>> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say,
>> "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
>> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things
>> that make me clench my teeth.
>>
> Not quite as bad as "pre-prepared"...
>


Is that a variation of the Boy Scout motto Be Prepared?

Yup, pre-prepared is worse. ;-)

N.

On 2014-03-04 8:42 AM, Nancy2 wrote:
> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say, "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.
>
>


??? You can heat up an oven anytime. Heating it up before you put
something in is preheating.

On Tuesday, March 4, 2014 9:14:49 AM UTC-5, Dave Smith wrote:
>
> ??? You can heat up an oven anytime. Heating it up before you put
> something in is preheating.

Pre-heating should mean the preparation you do before starting to heat.

http://www.richardfisher.com

You are right about heating the oven anytime.

Why not just say, "Heat the oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in." No need to say, "Pre-heat your
oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in."

N.

On Tuesday, March 4, 2014 2:21:43 PM UTC-5, Nancy2 wrote:
>
> Why not just say, "Heat the oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in." No need to say, "Pre-heat your
> oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in."
>
> N.

Quite right. However, it's not verbose enough for the US market.

http://www.richardfisher.com

Helpful wrote:
>Nancy2 wrote:
>>
>> Why not just say, "Heat the oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in." No need to say, "Pre-heat your
>> oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in."
>
>Quite right. However, it's not verbose enough for the US market.

Culinarilly "pre-heat" is perfectly correct nomenclature... it means
to fully heat the physical oven, not just the air contained within.

On 2014-03-04 2:21 PM, Nancy2 wrote:
> You are right about heating the oven anytime.
>
> Why not just say, "Heat the oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in." No need to say, "Pre-heat your
> oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in."
>


Because...... telling people to preheat the oven tells them to turn it
on to the prescribed temperature ahead of time.

On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:55:51 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>On 2014-03-04 2:21 PM, Nancy2 wrote:
>> You are right about heating the oven anytime.
>>
>> Why not just say, "Heat the oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in." No need to say, "Pre-heat your
>> oven to 350 deg.F., and put your [food item] in."
>>
>
>
>Because...... telling people to preheat the oven tells them to turn it
>on to the prescribed temperature ahead of time.
>
Preheat seems more economical than saying "Before you start preparing
this dish, heat the oven."
Janet US

Nancy2 wrote:
> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say, "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.
>
> N.


working hypothesis, repeat again, etc etc etc

it's you against millions of language users

good luck!

Ja, I know it's a battle not to be won (use of "pre-heat"). But that doesn't mean I have to stop letting it
bother me. LOL.

N.

On 2014-03-04 2:18 PM, Nancy2 wrote:
> Ja, I know it's a battle not to be won (use of "pre-heat"). But that doesn't mean I have to stop letting it
> bother me. LOL.
>
>
I don't know why it would bother you. It is a term for turning on the
oven to a specified temperature ahead of time so that it will be ready
to cook whatever it is you are cooking when it is ready to go into the
oven, as opposed to putting it in and preheating.

When I cook bacon I usually start by putting it in the cold pan and
turning on the burner. The bacon cooks while it is heating up. When I
make pancakes I used a preheated pan. It is already at the proper
temperature range.

Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2014-03-04 2:18 PM, Nancy2 wrote:
>> Ja, I know it's a battle not to be won (use of "pre-heat"). But that doesn't mean I have to stop letting it
>> bother me. LOL.
>>
>>
> I don't know why it would bother you. It is a term for turning on the
> oven to a specified temperature ahead of time so that it will be ready
> to cook whatever it is you are cooking when it is ready to go into the
> oven, as opposed to putting it in and preheating.
>
> When I cook bacon I usually start by putting it in the cold pan and
> turning on the burner. The bacon cooks while it is heating up. When I
> make pancakes I used a preheated pan. It is already at the proper
> temperature range.

huhuh "putting it in" x2

On Tuesday, March 4, 2014 5:42:48 AM UTC-8, Nancy2 wrote:

> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say,
"Heat the oven." Pre-heat
>
> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things
that make me clench my teeth.
>
>

"Preheat" is a setting on my oven control knob. I use it when I want the oven
to be at the proper temperature when I put food in.

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
...
> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say,
> "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that
> make me clench my teeth.
>
> N.
>

Do you think Julie preheats her oven? Do you think the club at Dataw Island
preheats its ovens? Just curious.

On 3/4/2014 9:38 AM, wrote:
> On Tue, 4 Mar 2014 05:42:48 -0800 (PST), Nancy2
> > wrote:
>
>> "Pre-heat" is a misnomer. And it smacks of being clueless. Just say, "Heat the oven." Pre-heat
>> means to heat it before you heat it. Duh. It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.
>>
>> N.
>
> All same as the hot water heater
>
Would you mind repeating that? I didn't hear you when you peated it the
first time.

Jill

> On Tue, 4 Mar 2014 05:42:48 -0800 (PST), Nancy2 wrote:

>> It's one of those things that make me clench my teeth.

Much like your misconfigured newsreader client thich fails to wrap
lines and forces me to manually wrap your non-compliant usenet
standards articles.

nb

On 3/3/14, 9:39 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about
> pre-heating the oven....

we saw Alton Brown's show last night at Van Wezel hall in Sarasota -- the last stop of his current tour. His band mates and stage hands are all his staff from the fifteen years of Good Eats. Good show.

And if you had his "Mega Bake" oven -- the adult version of the Easy Bake Oven -- with its 54 1000 watt bulbs, drawing 450 amps of current, you wouldn't need much preheating at all!

-- Larry

On Monday, March 3, 2014 9:39:26 PM UTC-5, Polly Esther wrote:
> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
>
> oven. IF you set the for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>
> reached temp, it has.

Not MY oven. I swear it dings after a prescribed length of time ( I admit I've never timed it tho ) and it's NEVER at the desired temp. I go by my oven thermom.

BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>
> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
>
> temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>
> floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
>
> to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>
> 'grand recipe'.

Hell, I just leave it in long enough to look done thru the window, plus the old knife in the middle test. Good enuf for me.

On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:39:26 -0600, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:

>I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
>oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
>temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
>to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>'grand recipe'.
> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
>this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly

It's easy to set the oven thermostat like 25ºF higher when heating the
oven, then after placing the food in to cook turn the thermostat down.

On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:39:26 -0600, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:

>I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
>oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
>temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
>to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>'grand recipe'.
> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
>this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly

Yep! I learned a long time ago prehearting is most beneficial in
baking baked goods. Turkeys not so much becauise turkeys don't care.

Preheating the oven is just the best we can do.

John Kuthe...

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:39:26 -0600, Polly Esther wrote:
>
>> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating
>> the
>> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the
>> correct
>> temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>> floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated
>> enough
>> to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>> 'grand recipe'.
>> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me
>> that
>> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
>
> Preheating the oven is very over-rated. If you're baking breads or a
> frozen pizza, or something like that, then go ahead and pre-heat. But
> for things like casseroles or long cooking roasts that do not require
> an oven sear, then just it in the oven and turn it on.
>
> My oven preheat bell goes off about 50F before it even reaches
> pre-heat anyway. It stays on until it reaches the set temperature,
> but for some reason it likes to announce itself early. I think that's
> typical for gas ovens.
>
I suspect that our oven pre-heats using both the upper and lower elements.
I haven't actually climbed in and checked. Wouldn't matter for somethings.
Polly

On Monday, March 3, 2014 5:54:32 PM UTC-10, Polly Esther wrote:
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:39:26 -0600, Polly Esther wrote:
>
> >
>
> >> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating
>
> >> the
>
> >> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>
> >> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>
> >> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the
>
> >> correct
>
> >> temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>
> >> floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated
>
> >> enough
>
> >> to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>
> >> 'grand recipe'.
>
> >> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me
>
> >> that
>
> >> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>
> >> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
>
> >
>
> > Preheating the oven is very over-rated. If you're baking breads or a
>
> > frozen pizza, or something like that, then go ahead and pre-heat. But
>
> > for things like casseroles or long cooking roasts that do not require
>
> > an oven sear, then just it in the oven and turn it on.
>
> >
>
> > My oven preheat bell goes off about 50F before it even reaches
>
> > pre-heat anyway. It stays on until it reaches the set temperature,
>
> > but for some reason it likes to announce itself early. I think that's
>
> > typical for gas ovens.
>
> >
>
> I suspect that our oven pre-heats using both the upper and lower elements..
>
> I haven't actually climbed in and checked. Wouldn't matter for somethings.
>
> Polly

I think you're right about the upper and lower elements being used to bring the oven quickly up to temperature. The top element turns off once it reaches the target. On my Samsung range, the top element in conjunction with the fan is called "convection roast." "Convection bake" is the fan and the bottom element. I used the convection roast to brown the top of my pizza last night. It works quite spiffy.

If I have something like a pork roast, I don't pre-heat. Most of the time, I try not to follow any of Alton Brown's advice. Things just work out easier that way.

On 2014-03-03 10:54 PM, Polly Esther wrote:


> I suspect that our oven pre-heats using both the upper and lower
> elements. I haven't actually climbed in and checked. Wouldn't matter
> for somethings. Polly
>

I just tested my (electric oven). I set it for 350 and pressed Start. I
touched the bottom element and it was warm within seconds. Then I
touched the broiler element and it was cool. I touched the bottom
one.... wow... almost burned my finger. Then I touched the top on
again...still cold.

You're right about it not matter for a lot of things. Things like
roasts and potatoes, casseroles etc can heat up along with the oven. It
takes a few minutes for the oven to heat up and there is heat transfer
to the food the whole time. It might make only a minute or two
difference in cooking time. However, when you are baking cookies, cakes
and pies, temperature and time is critical, so always preheat when baking.

That being said, it is quite common for pie recipes to call for a higher
temperature to start and then turning it down for a while. I can't tell
you how many variations I have seen on that one, starting off at 400,
425, or 450, cooking at that temperature for 10, 15 or 20 minutes, then
turning it down to 350 or 375 for 30, 40, 50 minutes.

I suppose the instructions are based on what the recipe creators tried.
I don't know if they experimented to see which one worked best.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:39:26 -0600, Polly Esther wrote:
>
>> I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
>> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
>> temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>> floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
>> to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>> 'grand recipe'.
>> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
>> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
>
> Preheating the oven is very over-rated. If you're baking breads or a
> frozen pizza, or something like that, then go ahead and pre-heat. But
> for things like casseroles or long cooking roasts that do not require
> an oven sear, then just it in the oven and turn it on.
>
> My oven preheat bell goes off about 50F before it even reaches
> pre-heat anyway. It stays on until it reaches the set temperature,
> but for some reason it likes to announce itself early. I think that's
> typical for gas ovens.
>
> -sw
>
> -sw

my electric oven also has the premature "I'm ready!" feature

On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:40:00 -0400, wrote:

>On Mon, 3 Mar 2014 20:39:26 -0600, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:
>
>>I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say about pre-heating the
>>oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
>>reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
>>hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the correct
>>temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the oven's
>>floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated enough
>>to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and insert the
>>'grand recipe'.
>> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
>>this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
>>perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
>
>
>He probably has shares in a power company - I might consider it vital
>to heat the oven up to temp for a souffle, but anything else isn't
>going to matter much.

When attempting to get a good crust on an artisan type bread, you
might want to heat the oven for 30+ minutes. If you are using a stone
or cast iron pan somewhere in your baking process, that amount of time
allows complete heating. After you place the bread dough in the oven,
you have approximately 10 minutes to get the oven spring and begin the
Maillard process. This way you get a thin, crispy crust with
appropriate shine and color. You don't want to mess that up with the
oven cycling on and off.
Janet US