Why do so many things cook at 180C/350F
It seems that many, if not most recipes, that involve cooking something in an Oven specify a temperature of 180 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit (if using a Fan oven, 20/70 more if not). This also seems to be true for the instructions on prepared foods. My question is why is this the case? Does it reflect something fundamental about the cooking process, historical accident, etc.?
I'm also keen to know whether this advice should be adjusted given the capabilities of modern ovens/thermometers.
Best Answer
This is as hot as you can get without quickly burning any sugars or cooking fats on the surface of the food, so it is typical for enriched breads, cookies or cakes (which have plenty of sugar and fats); note that doughs containing not much sugar (bread, pizza, savoury pie crust) are sometimes baked at substantially higher temperatures.
Non-pastry/bread dishes are often kept at 180°C or below because the above is also true for vegetables and fruit naturally containing sugars, resulting in much accelerated charring if going above that temperature range.
The difference in browning in a rich dough (eg streusel) between 160°C and 180°C and 200°C is drastic.
A still oven that is truly at 180°C (by oven thermometer) can already be literal few degrees too hot for recipes calling for 180°C; an oven that is out of calibration even 10°C hotter can cause a lot of recipe failures.
There seems to be a general consensus that non-still (fan assisted/convection/..) ovens should be set 20°C lower (if the fan/convection is used) than you would set a still oven. This is commonly found in recipes and manuals.
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Why are most things cooked at 180?
180\xb0C is about the temperature where carbonization begins, and the formation of flavorful 'fond' (caramelization) occurs. Below that temperature you are baking, and above that roasting.Why are most things cooked at 350 degrees?
The Maillard reaction is known to happen at some point between 300\xb0 and 350\xb0. Because ovens often fluctuate (or are incorrectly calibrated) a setting of 350\xb0 essentially ensures that the browning temperature is reached.Why do chefs cook on high heat?
You cook food on high heat to trigger the so-called Maillard reaction, a complex chemical reaction that starts at 285\xb0F (140\xb0C) and is optimal at any temperature between 285\xb0F and 320\xb0F (140\xb0C and 160\xb0C).IS 180c high heat?
A moderate oven temperature is often a range of 180 to 190 C (350\u2013375 F), and a hot temperature is above 200\u2013230 C (400\u2013450 F).The Real Reason We Bake Everything At 350 Degrees
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