Oven preheat angst

10 years ago

Recently replaced our old (30 years), reliable oven with a shiny new Fridgidaire Gallery 27" oven. Everything is coming out undercooked/raw. After doing a lot of research and then testing with a good thermocouple oven thermometer I have come to the following conclusions: The oven is working normally, the oven display can not be trusted, the manufacturers manual can not be trusted, and apparently all modern ovens work similarly.

As an example preheating to 350 degrees, the oven beeps and the display reads 350 after 7 minutes; rapid preheat as advertised. But the actual temperature in the center of the oven is 280. The 350 degree target is reached in 20 minutes. The oven then cycles between 345 and 354 degrees. After researching a lot of others' experience that is probably quite good performance.

The frustrating thing is that the manual clearly states: "When the preheat stage ends, a tone will sound indicating when to place the food in the oven." I would be interested in any comments on my conclusions. Am I deluding myself to think this is normal operation for a modern oven? Would there be anything gained by placing a repair call?

Featured Answer

sushipup1

10 years ago

The initial preheat just heats the air in the oven. Open the door, and whoosh! The hot air escapes. By allowing a longer preheat time, you heat up the metal surfaces inside the oven thoroughly, better to hold the heat when you open the door. You can add heat mass to an oven by putting unglazed saltillo tiles on the lowest rack of the oven and just leaving them there.

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Comments (6)

Cavimum
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Check your owners manual again for re-calibration instructions.

One of my sisters got a new KitchenAid oven the week before Christmas and everything was coming out undercooked during her test drives prior to holidays. I loaned her my two oven thermometers and, lo and behold, the oven was off by 40°F. Her owners manual has instructions on how to re-calibrate the oven. She did and all is good. I had no idea, checked, and our Electrolux oven owners manual has re-calibration instructions, too.

Another thing . . . Elux rep told me to always allow a good 30 minute pre-heat for the oven to be heated up properly. Seriously. I think it applies to almost all brands of ovens, these days, probably because of the hidden element under the floor. Just my guess.

For small items and casseroles, I often bake in our Breville countertop toaster oven. Much less electricity used this way.
aa3km thanked Cavimum
dadoes
10 years ago
AA3KM,

You stated that the oven settles and cycles between 345°F and 354°F after the initial 20 mins is elapsed when set at 350°F so there's no need to attempt recalibration of the controls. It's not unusual that ovens nowadays operate this way, taking longer to settle at the target temperature but then maintaining the temperature quite accurately. I always wait 10 to 15 mins after the initial preheat signal triggers on my 11-years-old GE Profile when baking anything "serious" ... not so much for frozen pizza, canned biscuits, frozen garlic bread, etc.
aa3km thanked dadoes
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aa3km
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you Cavimum and dadoes. You both confirmed my suspicions that this is all very normal operation. It is just a bit of a shock coming from an old oven without electronic control and energy saving requirements. The greatest frustration is that the manual could have saved many hours of investigation by simply stating, "preheat for 30 minutes." But that would be a problem for marketing.
barryv_gw
10 years ago
I feel your pain. Long preheat times are a fact of live with large ovens. It sounds like the temperature control is extremely accurate, since the swing is only 9 degrees. A number of posts have said that an oven is fully preheated once it cycles on and off a few times, not just the first time, so I think the manual is at fault, not the oven. Adding a stone would not be a good idea, since it will only slow the preheat times.
aa3km thanked barryv_gw
weedmeister
10 years ago
Chances are you are dealing with the difference between an exposed heating element and a hidden element. The hidden element units take longer to preheat. It's just the way newer ovens are made.