Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I
doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.

laurie

"laurie" > wrote in message
news:5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01...
> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
> the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
> never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I
> doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
> else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.
>
> laurie

Have you checked the temp with an oven thermometer?

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
...
> "laurie" > wrote in message
> news:5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01...
>>>
> Have you checked the temp with an oven thermometer?

Not with this oven, no, but nothing else burns- not cookies or roasts or
anything else- so I hate to adjust the temp if I don't have to. Do you think
that is the problem?

laurie
>
>

"laurie" > wrote in message
newshKAg.14$Fl2.8@trndny01...
>
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "laurie" > wrote in message
>> news:5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01...
>>>>
>> Have you checked the temp with an oven thermometer?
>
> Not with this oven, no, but nothing else burns- not cookies or roasts or
> anything else- so I hate to adjust the temp if I don't have to. Do you
> think that is the problem?
>
> laurie

I don't know, but it's the first thing I'd check, and an oven thermometer's
a good thing to have. How much trouble would it be to adjust the temp if
necessary? A push of a button?

Is absolutely everything else equal to your previous method with the old
oven? Exact same recipe? Exact same ingredients? Same position for the oven
rack? Exactly the same pan that produced successful results before?

"JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
...
> "laurie" > wrote in message
> newshKAg.14$Fl2.8@trndny01...
>>
>> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>> Not with this oven, no, but nothing else burns- not cookies or roasts or
>> anything else- so I hate to adjust the temp if I don't have to. Do you
>> think that is the problem?
>>
>> laurie
>
> I don't know, but it's the first thing I'd check, and an oven
> thermometer's a good thing to have. How much trouble would it be to adjust
> the temp if necessary? A push of a button?

I do have an oven thermometer, actually, as my last oven was very
inaccurate. It's no trouble to adjust the temp at all- I just meant that
then I'd have to adapt to the new temps for all the other things I cook, and
*I'm* not that adaptable.

>
> Is absolutely everything else equal to your previous method with the old
> oven? Exact same recipe? Exact same ingredients? Same position for the
> oven rack? Exactly the same pan that produced successful results before?

Same recipe, same pan, maybe not the same rack. I'll try that.

laurie

>
>

"laurie" > wrote in message
news:3mLAg.13$AF1.7@trndny03...
>
> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "laurie" > wrote in message
>> newshKAg.14$Fl2.8@trndny01...
>>>
>>> "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>> Not with this oven, no, but nothing else burns- not cookies or roasts or
>>> anything else- so I hate to adjust the temp if I don't have to. Do you
>>> think that is the problem?
>>>
>>> laurie
>>
>> I don't know, but it's the first thing I'd check, and an oven
>> thermometer's a good thing to have. How much trouble would it be to
>> adjust the temp if necessary? A push of a button?
>
> I do have an oven thermometer, actually, as my last oven was very
> inaccurate. It's no trouble to adjust the temp at all- I just meant that
> then I'd have to adapt to the new temps for all the other things I cook,
> and *I'm* not that adaptable.

For many things, the temp doesn't matter that much. You cook them until
they're done, a vary the time, leaving the temp where it is. But, for baked
goods, the temp CAN be important.



>> Is absolutely everything else equal to your previous method with the old
>> oven? Exact same recipe? Exact same ingredients? Same position for the
>> oven rack? Exactly the same pan that produced successful results before?
>
> Same recipe, same pan, maybe not the same rack. I'll try that.
>
> laurie

Another issue to experiment with: Flour settles during shipment and storage,
like cereal. So, if you open a new bag and scoop out an exact cup, it will
have a certain weight. If you poured that same bag of flour into a big
container and immediately scooped out a cup, it would be lighter than the
first cup. Come back to the container in a month and it will have settled.
Now, a measured cup would have yet a different weight.

A friend who's a pro chef explained this to me, and said that if the recipe
is one which he knows to be "sensitive", he'll always measure flour by
weight, not by volume.

laurie wrote:
> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
> the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
> never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I
> doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
> else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.


How thick are those glass or metal pans? Burning around the edges
before the center is baked means the temperature is hotter there--
uneven heat. This will happen in a small oven where it gets hotter
around the walls or any situation where the heat isn't circulating. But
instead of trying to solve the problem with the oven itself, the easiest
solution is usually a nice thick pan that distrubutes the heat. Quicker
still (not optimum but something you can try right away), make flatter
brownies. Use the same amount of batter, and put it in 2 pans. Take
the brownies out of the oven the moment the center is done.


--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> How thick are those glass or metal pans? Burning around the edges before
> the center is baked means the temperature is hotter there--
> uneven heat. This will happen in a small oven where it gets hotter around
> the walls or any situation where the heat isn't circulating. But instead
> of trying to solve the problem with the oven itself, the easiest solution
> is usually a nice thick pan that distrubutes the heat. Quicker still (not
> optimum but something you can try right away), make flatter brownies. Use
> the same amount of batter, and put it in 2 pans. Take the brownies out of
> the oven the moment the center is done.
>
>
> --Lia

I have one of those Chicago brand metal pans, which I thought were supposed
to be fairly decent, and the glass ones are just your typical Pyrex.
Thanks for the tips, I'll try what you suggested.

laurie


>

"laurie" > wrote in message
news:5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01...
> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
> the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
> never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I
> doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
> else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.
>
> laurie
>
>
>
I know this may sound simple, but is the the batter/mix spread evenly in the
pan and the same depth in all four corners? If it is, is the stove itself
level?
-ginny

"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote in message
...
>
> >>
>>
>>
> I know this may sound simple, but is the the batter/mix spread evenly in
> the
> pan and the same depth in all four corners? If it is, is the stove itself
> level?
> -ginny

Well sometimes it's those simple things that get you! I'll pay more
attention to the things you mentioned. Thanks.

laurie


>
>

In article <5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01>, "laurie" >
wrote:

> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
> the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
> never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I
> doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
> else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.
>
> laurie

Why do you care? :-)

IMHO those crispy edges are the best part!!!!!!

Seriously tho', what kind of pans are you using?
I found that that problem was worse in metal than in glass.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
...
> In article <5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01>, "laurie" >
> wrote:
>
>> .
>
> Why do you care? :-)
>
> IMHO those crispy edges are the best part!!!!!!
>
> Seriously tho', what kind of pans are you using?
> I found that that problem was worse in metal than in glass.
> --
> Peace!
> Om

Really? I don't care for the burned edges. See my previous post about the
pan. Thanks.

laurie


>
> "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
> -- Jack Nicholson

In article <FuLAg.16$QK.2@trndny06>, "laurie" >
wrote:

> "OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article <5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01>, "laurie" >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> .
> >
> > Why do you care? :-)
> >
> > IMHO those crispy edges are the best part!!!!!!
> >
> > Seriously tho', what kind of pans are you using?
> > I found that that problem was worse in metal than in glass.
> > --
> > Peace!
> > Om
>
> Really? I don't care for the burned edges. See my previous post about the
> pan. Thanks.
>
> laurie

Yes, I re-read it and noted that you had tried both types of pans.

Hmmmmm... perhaps the suggestion about flatter brownies would be the
best one. Or try tenting the edges like one would a pie crust?
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

"laurie" > wrote in message news:5XJAg.7$Fl2.6@trndny01...
> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around the edges
> (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies never did). I've
> tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I doing wrong? The oven
> seems to be right on temperature with everything else, so I don't think it's a
> temperature issue.
>
> laurie

Have you checked the temperature with a thermometer? What type of oven is it?
Conventional or convection? What type of pans are you using? Are they light or
nonstick (the metal ones)? How much room is there around them?

I've never noticed a huge difference when making alot of things, but with brownies,
there is a huge difference between using light pans, and dark or nonstick pans. If
your pans are dark or nonstick, try decreasing the temp and adjusting the cooking
time to accommodate the change. It also can vary according to recipe. I made several
batches of brownies for a bake sale, and there was one recipe, no matter what I did,
it would not cook in the center before the outside was hard as a rock. I changed the
recipe and that solved that.

Also when spreading the batter in the pan, make it so there is a slight indentation
in the center. It will even out for the most part during the baking, but it seems to
help the center get a little bit of a headstart.

Get an oven thermometer and check the temperature on your oven. Even a 10 degree
difference can matter. Make sure it's at the proper temperature before putting the
brownies in. Make sure your ingredients are the same (room) temp. Don't over-mix the
batter. Use light (colored), uncoated, medium to heavy weight pans, and you can line
the edges in foil or use those cake strips around the sides of the pan in the last 15
min or so.

Hope this helps.

kimberly

"Nexis" > wrote in message >
> Also when spreading the batter in the pan, make it so there is a slight
> indentation in the center. It will even out for the most part during the
> baking, but it seems to help the center get a little bit of a headstart.
>
> Get an oven thermometer and check the temperature on your oven. Even a 10
> degree difference can matter. Make sure it's at the proper temperature
> before putting the brownies in. Make sure your ingredients are the same
> (room) temp. Don't over-mix the batter. Use light (colored), uncoated,
> medium to heavy weight pans, and you can line the edges in foil or use
> those cake strips around the sides of the pan in the last 15 min or so.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> kimberly

That helped a lot, thanks!

laurie

>
>

laurie wrote:

> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
> the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
> never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am I
> doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
> else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.
>

I had all sorts of baking problems when I had a Viking oven. I was advised to
get better baking pans. That helped a bit. We got rid of that unit and got a
Maytag and things turned out beautifully.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> laurie wrote:
>
>> Whenever I make brownies or magic bars with my new oven, they burn around
>> the edges (well, the magic bars did even in my old oven, but the brownies
>> never did). I've tried both glass and metal pans, to no avail. What am
>> I
>> doing wrong? The oven seems to be right on temperature with everything
>> else, so I don't think it's a temperature issue.
>>
>
> I had all sorts of baking problems when I had a Viking oven. I was advised
> to
> get better baking pans. That helped a bit. We got rid of that unit and
> got a
> Maytag and things turned out beautifully.

THis is just a standard GE Electric with the flat burners. I like it a lot,
except for this issue.

laurie

>
>
>