Ovencooking

Ovencooking is a method of cooking food using an oven, where heat surrounds the food and is transferred by convection and conduction. It is used for dry-heat cooking and is common in home kitchens and professional kitchens. The term can encompass baking, roasting, and broiling, and may employ conventional or convection ovens.

Key techniques: baking is cooking primarily by surrounding heat, used for bread, cakes, casseroles; roasting refers to cooking solid foods like meats and vegetables with browning; broiling uses high heat from above in some ovens; convection ovens have a fan to circulate hot air, which can shorten cooking times and promote even browning, often at lower temperatures.

Equipment and settings: modern ovens offer ranges from about 200-500F (90-260C). Low temperatures around 250-325F are used for gentle baking and slow-roasting; typical baking and roasting run 325-450F (165-230C); convection settings may reduce time and temperature by about 20% or offer a dedicated convection mode. Cookware includes metal, glass, ceramic; metal pans conduct heat well; use parchment, foil or greasing as needed.

Applications: bakery items such as bread and pastries; casseroles; roasted meats, poultry and vegetables; gratins and lasagna; fish; desserts. Oven-cooking offers browning, moisture retention, and texture development through caramelization and Maillard reaction, depending on temperature and time.

Safety and tips: preheat when required, avoid overcrowding, use a thermometer to verify internal doneness, and follow manufacturer guidelines for cookware materials. Allow resting meat after roasting; store leftovers safely.