Perhaps one of you readers out there will explain why some things cook better on gas than others. I made two cakes yesterday, one was ever so slightly underinflated and the other came out perfectly. Same recipe, same oven temp etc. The later one was the one that came out perfectly, the earlier one came out flatter and less inviting though I am sure it will go down just as well.
There isn't the luxury of telling me when the oven is up to temperature, do gas oven's have such a thing? Should I leave it on longer to warm up? Are there any tips you use to tell when your cooker is hot enough to cook a cake perfectly?
I need to cook some chocolate brownies, for my work buddies, who have been helping me with a huge mountain of work which is going to be resolved by a new colleague who starts work on Monday and with relief I will go back to just doing two jobs again.
4 comments:
Oh Lord, you are asking the worng person here LOL
My cake making is legendary, it was me who invented Frisbees you know....
Sage, I'm no expert in cakes, but it sounds very likely - as if the first was in an oven that was not quite up to the right temperature, whereas the second was timed for an oven that was still warm from the first cake.
I hope Foody won't mind me saying so, but I think she might know more of what to do in this situation. She is an expert in cake-making. :)
(judging by her blog pictures).
Your gas oven, just like an electric oven is controlled by a thermostat.
When the oven is first lit, the flames on the burner will be tall, when the set temperature is reached, the flames will reduce so the heat stays at the set level.
That's it. When the flame height reduces to minimum, the oven's reached the required tempperature.
most older gas cooking recipes will state "gas mark 4", instead of a set number of degrees.
If your oven has gas mark numbers rather than degrees, this may help: http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_gasmark.htm
The best cookbook i've ever met, for cooking with gas, is the much used and frayed edged one my mother got when, newly married, she and my father bought a new cooker, made by a company called (hahahaaa!) "Radiation". Yes, The Radiation Cookbook. You can find them in second-hand bookshops sometimes. Get one, and your baking will be less of a battle.
We have portable thermometers available which can be placed in the oven, so you can tell the temperature. I think some attach to the oven rack and some just sit in the oven. Might be a solution.
Mine has a light that goes out when the oven is at temperature. Guess I didn't think of it as a luxury feature.
Post a Comment