Let’s be honest, this is something most of us do not do.  Especially in today’s world of no time to wait!  But it truly does make a difference in the end result.  Here’s why… most ovens will take up to 12-15 minutes for a basic preheat, and this will work for general cooking of any hardy recipes, meats or long cook time recipes.

If you’re baking short cook time recipes, delicate items, or even baked goods, you need to allow the oven to fully preheat for an additional 15 minutes after the initial basic preheat.  So that’s up to 30 minutes to get your heat where you need it.  Yes, that’s a long time, but it will make all the difference in the world for your food!  

Do not open that oven door during preheat!  For some reason, we are all tempted to open the door and peep around for a second, but many newer oven models will drop out of preheat mode and straight into cooking mode when you do this.  This will cause it to take longer for your oven to actually reach the desired temperature.  You also need to try to limit that compulsive oven door opening after preheat as well.  This causes a high loss of temperature with each door opening and your cooking time will take that much longer.

Also, be careful using a thermometer in the oven.  A lot of the over-the-counter thermometers are simply not accurate, and all too often will not represent the true current temperature as opposed to what is showing on the oven display.  Sometimes we try to “chase” a thermometer’s temperature reading by changing the temperature of the oven, but don’t do that either as it can create problems with cooking results.

If you think the temperature is wrong in your oven, check your Use and Care Guide.  Most manufacturers give you guidance for temperature adjustments +/- 30 deg F.  An old tried and true temperature check is to buy a new cookie sheet, some Grand Biscuits, turn on your oven per the instructions, set your temperature and wait 30 minutes for the oven to get to the desired temperature inside the oven. Put your cookie sheet of biscuity goodness into the oven and check them after the allotted time.  If they are not golden brown, allow the additional time as stated in the instructions to finish baking.  But If they are burnt before the allotted time is even up, your oven is too hot and the temperature needs to be lowered.  If your biscuits are still too raw inside then your oven is too cool and the temperature needs to be raised. It’s a process.  A kind of “getting to know you” with your oven.

You also need to adjust your racks before heating your oven so things will bake properly.  On a side note, using aluminum foil on the floor of your oven is not ever a good thing!  This can also cause damage in some models, and the manufacturer will not cover the repair for that. Always read your Use and Care Guide carefully for guidance on these things.