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Frozen pizza timer taught me a lesson about patience
I set a timer for 18 minutes to cook a frozen pizza the other night. After 18 minutes go by, the crust is still doughy and the cheese isn't bubbling right. Turns out my oven runs cooler than the dial says, so it actually takes 26 minutes for a proper pizza. I spent 15 extra minutes standing there poking at it and wondering what went wrong. Now I keep an oven thermometer inside to check the real temp before I start cooking. Has anyone else dealt with an oven that lies about its temperature?
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henry_martinez26d ago
Did your oven always run cold like that or did it get worse over time? My old oven was the same way, it would say 350 but actually be more like 325 after a few years of use... I ended up just memorizing that everything needed an extra 10-15 minutes and adjusted all my recipes by feel. The kicker was when I bought a new oven and suddenly all my old cooking times were way off, had to relearn everything from scratch. It's wild how something as simple as an oven thermometer can save you so much frustration once you figure out you can't just trust the dial.
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rodriguez.diana11d agoMost Upvoted
Huh, I remember reading somewhere that oven temps can drift because the thermostat sensor gets coated in grease and grime over time. Makes you wonder how many ruined cookies are just from a dirty sensor.
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the_lucas25d ago
Ovens running cold isn't always about age though. Sometimes it's just how they were built. My buddy has a brand new gas range that's consistently 30 degrees off from the dial. I helped him test it with two different thermometers and they both agreed the oven was lying to him. The dial itself might just be poorly calibrated from the factory, so don't assume it's always a wear and tear thing.
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