Baking with an electric oven?

dionysoss

I have recently got into baking, but I am struggling with my electric oven, I am following the recipe right and setting the right temperature, but the oven heats up way too quickly, I tried to bake a banana bread which the recipe said to preheat oven at 170 C, which I did and its suppose to bake for an hour, literally 15 minutes later, the top of the banana bread was burned, it was not cooked in the middle, and I did place it in the middle of the rack. I have been having so many misfortunate bakes with this oven its driving me mad!!!!!! I had the oven on conventional heat as well so I don't know what other issue is?

Can somebody help me please?

debitcardmayhem

What oven is it , have you put it on a grill setting?

grumbler

dionysoss wrote: »

I tried to bake a banana bread which the recipe said to preheat oven at 170 C, which I did and its suppose to bake for an hour, literally 15 minutes later, the top of the banana bread was burned, it was not cooked in the middle, and I did place it in the middle of the rack.

Does it have "fan" option (hot air only) or "static+fan"?

grumpycrab

dionysoss wrote: »

oven at 170 C, which I did and its suppose to bake for an hour

was that with the fan? (equivalent to 190 C without a fan); and a banana bread (loaf?) shouldn't need more than 40min

Neil_Jones

When it's black its done

If stuff is cooking too fast it may imply that the temperature calibration is out and the oven is obviously too hot.

If you're used to gas oven cooking then electric ovens apparently dry the heat, an effect you don't get in gas ovens (it says here), which are slightly more humid. However apparently given a choice electrical ovens are the preferred choice of many a professional baker.

Easiest solution initially is turn it down a bit and see how you go. Of course if you see Bake Off and things like that it's all too common apparently to "cook" the outside and have an uncooked middle/soggy bottom even for people who think they're good enough to win the Bake Off.

that

what you want is an accurate oven thermometer to check the dial and oven temps marry up

Also https://coolconversion.com/temperature/gas-mark/What-is-_C_100_-in-gas%20mark%3F

When gas burns, it releases some water vapour as part of the process, similar to a car exhaust.

"I had the oven on conventional heat as well so I don't know what other issue is?"???
A convection oven uses a fan, the idea is that the whole oven stays one temperature as the heat circulates. A conventional oven means no fan, so is hotter on top and cooler to the items that sit lower in the oven, and that shelf height and temperaure sensor location counts. Choose fan assisted as you will get a more regular bake

the unasked answer to the bake-off ovens ( thanks to google) is Neff Slide & Hide® Oven
https://www.kitchenergonomics.co.uk/extras/great-british-bake-off-ovens/

poppellerant

Neil_Jones wrote: »

However apparently given a choice electrical ovens are the preferred choice of many a professional baker.

I've heard many times that the best combination of appliances are an electric cooker and a gas hob - apparently induction hobs are favoured almost as well as gas too.

Neil_Jones

poppellerant wrote: »

Neil_Jones wrote: »

However apparently given a choice electrical ovens are the preferred choice of many a professional baker.

I've heard many times that the best combination of appliances are an electric cooker and a gas hob - apparently induction hobs are favoured almost as well as gas too.

The Bake Off uses induction hobs during the competition, though that's presumably so the tent doesn't go up in flames (and nobody succumbs to Carbon Monoxide) as opposed to any real preference over style.

AndyPix

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

What oven is it , have you put it on a grill setting?

My guess is something like this causing it ..


On my electric oven, it has an element at the top, and one at the back with the fan ..
You can choose wether or not to have the top element in use or not.. I find that if I do then it just burns the top of all my stuff so I leave it off.


Look at your oven manual to see what the different symbols on the dial mean

sal_III

It might sound silly/condescending but have you read the manual for the oven? Sounds like you selected the grill instead of heating.

I have been using electric ovens for over 30 years and the only way to blacken most foods in 15min on 170 is with direct heat from the grill element.

Ideally if it's fairly modern oven it should have a fan mode, use that for most even bakes.

arciere

sal_III wrote: »

It might sound silly/condescending but have you read the manual for the oven? Sounds like you selected the grill instead of heating.

I have been using electric ovens for over 30 years and the only way to blacken most foods in 15min on 170 is with direct heat from the grill element.

Ideally if it's fairly modern oven it should have a fan mode, use that for most even bakes.

Agree, it does sound like you are using the grill.
The label on my oven explicitly says to leave the door open when using the grill function, I believe because it can get really hot inside.