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Wondering how to check your oven temperature? Well, In order to check the temperature of you oven, you will ideally need an oven thermometer. An oven thermometer is the best way to check your oven temperature – even if your oven has a temperature gauge, it may not be very accurate.
Should you be concerned about its accuracy, then an oven thermometer is the safest bet! They are easily found in any supermarket or can be found online, and they are quite cheap! No more than £10 should get you a good quality thermometer. However there are other methods to find out how to check your oven temperature
The Sugar Test!
Maybe you need to check the temperature sooner rather than later and need to use something that you will already have in! Should that be the case, then a sample of sugar will do the trick! Sugar melts at 186°C.
Putting a small amount of sugar in your oven that has been pre-heated to 186°C will tell you all you need to know. If the sugar melts, then the oven’s temperature is accurate. If it doesn’t, then your oven is running at a lower temperature than it is showing. This is a really simple and effective way to run a temperature test of your oven.
All you need is some aluminium foil and some sugar.
1) Heat your oven to 180 degrees
2) Make two small aluminium foil square boxes.
3) Pour 1 x tablespoon of sugar in each foil box
4) When your oven is up to temperature, take one foil box filled with sugar and place it in your oven for 15 minutes.
5) After 15 minutes remove and turn your oven temperature gauge to 190
6) Once the oven is up to temperature pop the second foil parcel in for 15 minutes.
If your oven is calibrated correctly the first foil parcel should hold the sugar in its normal state. The second parcel should have melted and look slightly caramelised. Reactions have a really nice short video demonstrating the sugar test. However, one tip from us would be to place the sugar parcel in a baking tray. (Sugar will cause significant burns when hot and to save spill and splashes we feel a tray is safer).
How to Calibrate Your Oven
If your oven is providing the results that you want and expect, then there is no need to calibrate it. However, maybe you are tired of things coming out overcooked, undercooked, or unevenly cooked. If that is the case then there is no need to worry, they are frequent issues with ovens and are easy to adapt to.
The first thing that you will want to do is locate the hot spots in your oven. You can do this either by using an oven thermometer or simply by taking out a fully loaded oven tray. Laying out enough cookies to cover the tray is a perfect solution! All you then need do is check to see which cookies are more cooked through, or burnt even, to find where in your oven the hot spots are. It’s not a waste, as your oven is actually still providing you with tasty treats!
Next thing you will want to do is check the temperature gauge of the oven compared to the readings on your oven thermometer. Depending on the oven, you may be able to readjust the temperature setting yourself and do check the instruction manual if you have it!
In some cases though, the temperature difference is too severe or there is simply no way of changing it yourself. In this instance, it will be time to call a professional! Try calling the manufacturer first, just in case they will be able to give you any assistance over the phone.
What is 180 Degrees in a Fan Oven?
It is true that in fan assisted ovens the temperatures tend to be lower than what they are in electric or gas ovens.
If you are following a recipe, you may find that they set temperatures for electric/gas ovens, meaning that in your fan assisted oven, the food may take longer to cook through or simply may not turn out right!
It is important to know that fan assisted ovens ten to run at about 20°C less than electric ovens. Therefore, should the recipe require for you to cook at 180° then you should know that 180° in your fan assisted oven will come to about 160°. Therefore, it would be wiser to set it at 200°!
Can you use a Meat Thermometer to Measure Oven Temperature?
Depending on the meat thermometer, you could potentially use it to measure an oven’s temperature.
Meat thermometers are not made to check an oven’s temperature, however, and are there for not ideal for testing your oven. Their components are not made to withstand the extreme heat that would surround it in an oven, which could therefore damage or completely break it.
Some of them are made to withstand quite a lot and could possibly work to measure your oven’s temperature, but it would be wiser to simply spend the extra £10 or less, and buy a proper oven thermometer.
How do I know if my oven is Fahrenheit or Celsius?
A good way to check whether your oven is calibrated in Fahrenheit or Celsius by testing the temperature gauge. Should the temperature not go past 260°, then the oven is clearly in Celsius. Fahrenheit ovens tend to go up to about 500°.
If it turns out that your oven is not calibrated to the temperature gauge that you prefer, then simply check online for the equivalent temperature for your oven! Nowadays, you can find out within seconds without having to do any complicated calculations.
