Timing an oven to start while I am out - but what about preheating?
Many ovens have a timer which allows you to set the start time, so you pop your item in and later in the day it will automatically start cooking it unmanned.
But all the oven cooking I can think of requires I preheat the oven before putting anything in it.
Is it that preheating is desirable rather than essential, or is it that the timer feature is designed for those few cases where preheating isn't required?
Best Answer
Preheating is mainly needed for breads and anything that has a short cooking time (< 15 mins or so). I don't bother preheating when I'm roasting something for a longer time. If you're setting a timer, I assume this is something that will take a while to cook, so I wouldn't worry about preheating.
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Do you really have to wait for oven to preheat?
Preheating your oven helps ensure your food goes from refrigerator cold to blazing hot more quickly \u2014 spending as little time in the danger zone as possible. And even if this is a short amount of time, just know that some bacteria can multiply in the danger zone in as little as 20 minutes.Can you set a oven to come on at certain time?
Time Bake (or Cook Time), Automatic Oven Timers, and Delay Bake (or Delay Time, Delay Start) are options designed for the busy person that cannot be tied down to being in the kitchen or at home at specific times to turn the oven on or off. These controls can be preset to start and stop your oven automatically.What happens if you forget to preheat the oven?
So yes, you can get away with not preheating the oven for some dishes; they'll simply be cooked at a lower temperature for the first 5-15 minutes, depending on the target temperature and the strength of your oven. Therefore, it will take longer to cook than what the recipe indicates.Can I put food in oven while preheating?
In general, it's also ok if you do want to preheat the oven for these items. \u201cIt won't make much of a difference,\u201d he says, \u201cas the total cook time is fairly long and the oven temperature is relatively low.\u201d The exception: braised meats.More answers regarding timing an oven to start while I am out - but what about preheating?
Answer 2
Don't do this with your pizza but braising, roasting and casseroles seem to do OK without preheating. I'm OK with beef sitting in the oven without refrigeration but I have to brine chicken and pork to preserve it a little and it seems to help with taste and juiciness anyway.
Answer 3
I seldom preheat for the kind of cooking I do. Things like cookies and cakes probably need to be preheated. Anything where you cooking for long periods of time, especially if the food starts out cold, should be fine. The only thing to be careful of is how long the food will sit in the oven before it comes on.
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