Help with cooking on gas!

computerwoman

:xmastree:Hi everyone I've been cooking on electric for 20 odd years now, when my cooker went I decided to go gas, as when I cooked at my late mum's house she had gas, and it seemed easy, wish she was here now to tell me what in the world I'm doing wrong, the cooker arrived on friday was connected up on saturday by the corgi gas man, so decided to buy some stock in to do some cookies and cakes, normally when at my mum's (over a year ago now) she always used to have the stuff in, so I'd cook cookies and cakes and pies, but I got a brownie mix from tesco's and it was a disaster, it was'nt cooked underneath, then the cookies came out a tad crumbly, and seems more like cakes than cookies, is it that I should start with my own ingredients and forget about the packet mixes or that I'm doing something wrong, I need to know now cos I've got a 5kg turkey to cook at christmas, and would like it to turn out ok on the day, can anyone help. please,T

nikibella

Hi,
probably you put the setting too high, or the dish was positioned too low, that is too close to the heat source. In fact for baking, an electric oven is far more reliable. Try to put the setting a bit lower and put the baking goods on a higher shelf, as with gas all the heat comes from underneath.
On the other hand, you will have less problems with the turkey, as meat can stand higher heat as baking and it will cook in less time.
Just check more often and add liquid if you need.
Have nice holidays.
Niki

myrnahaz

You have to make sure your baking trays are facing the right way to suit the heat source. The heat source in a gas oven usually runs along the back, on the floor of the oven whereas an electric oven usually has the heat source on each side - and the longest part of the tray has to follow the heat source so the heat reaches the food more evenly, so have the longest side going widthways in a gas cooker and lengthways in an electric oven . If you have a tray of cakes the wrong way round in a gas oven, the first 6 at the front of the oven could be undercooked and the 6 at the back could be overcooked.

I've just bought a new oven which is heated from the top (like a grill) and the bottom (like underfloor heating). It cooks absolutely fantastically, but it makes a dreadful mess if something spills - the whole room fills with rancid smoke.

Addiscomber

With regard to your turkey at Christmas, be prepared for it to take longer if the gas pressure drops slightly with the rise in demand as everyone starts to cook their dinner. Probably best to get it in early at a lower gas mark and adjust through out the cooking according to how it is doing.

bommer

Hi, i have always cooked on Gas and find it ok.

With regards to your Turkey I would recommend either cooking it over night on a low setting 2/3 or depending on size setting alarm clock and putting it on really early.

I use gas mark5 / 6 for most things and find that just putting stuff in the middle is usually ok. Cakes are fine. If you work on the principle that the middle is usually the setting - say GM 6, shelf below 5, bottom 4 and the top shelf 7ish. Works fine for me. So say if I were cooking a chicken I would do that in the middle, roasties go on top shelf & stuffing (for extra crispy) and to keep anything warm that is ready use the bottom of oven.

newlywed

myrnahaz wrote:

You have to make sure your baking trays are facing the right way to suit the heat source. The heat source in a gas oven usually runs along the back, on the floor of the oven whereas an electric oven usually has the heat source on each side - and the longest part of the tray has to follow the heat source so the heat reaches the food more evenly, so have the longest side going widthways in a gas cooker and lengthways in an electric oven . If you have a tray of cakes the wrong way round in a gas oven, the first 6 at the front of the oven could be undercooked and the 6 at the back could be overcooked.

Mum taught me to bake using her old gas cooker. She taught me to turn the trays round half way through the cooking time so they were evenly cooked. Also, if baking using all shelves, if they're all meant to be the same temperature then you can swap which shelf the trays are on half way through so they cook more evenly.

Got an electric fan oven now and although the oven is easier, the hob takes too long to heat up compared to gas!!!

pudding06

Remember too that every gas oven is different. What is gas mark 4 on one is not always the same a gas 4 on another. I have an all gas range cooker, with 8 burners and 2 ovens and a grill.
The ovens have doors that open differently and it makes a huge difference to the cooking temperatures. The top oven opens top to bottom (?) and is much cooler - I always put things into the top of this oven and knock it up one gas mark.
the botto ove open sideways and is incredibly hot, I have to knock this one down a notch and never put things on hte top.

You will get used to the oven - it just takes more time than say a fan or elec oven - but I love them and would never ever have another electric oven.

Try to experiment a little with temperatures - after all they are only guides.

pudds

MATH

myrnahaz wrote:

I've just bought a new oven which is heated from the top (like a grill) and the bottom (like underfloor heating). It cooks absolutely fantastically, but it makes a dreadful mess if something spills - the whole room fills with rancid smoke.

LOL I know exactly what you mean about the rancid smoke. The good news is that there is a solution. Put a cooling rack in the botton of your oven with a sheet of foil over the top. Any spills will lie on the foil which will not be in direct contact with the oven floor. Remember to change the foil regularly or the oil fieled on fire syndrom will return.

Give me leccy anyday. I have all leccy in the emids:j and all gas at the coast:mad: . With gas, both oven and hob, my cooking comes in two styles - RAW or BURNT LOL

Raspberry_Swirl

i had never cooked on gas till i got my own place and got a gas cooker and i think it's brilliant.

cakes are the best ever in it and people always compliment them. my aunt always swore that gas was best for baking.

some things just take a little longer to cook if you're used to a fan oven but it's worth persisting with it till you get it right!

computerwoman

:snow_grinthanks everyone I'll certainly take all this on broad when I'm baking again and cooking christmas dinner wish me luck thanks again T:santa2::xmastree::snow_grin