how important is oven quality in baking?

Question

I've been an avid baker for years. One problem I seem to encounter continuously is with cake baking, my cakes often come out quite dense or cooked unevenly...

i have a very old oven (came with the house 15 years ago) and i know this is definitely part of the problem. the "bake" doesn't even work anymore-- only "convection bake" which seems to cook the outside of the cake much faster than i'd like.

even though i love baking, i'm getting frustrated with cakes constantly turning out too heavy (even recipes chosen especially for their light, airy texture).

the last time i made cupcakes, i got muffins. i've been baking for years and even with tools like a stand mixer this happens a lot (i make sure not to over/undermix too!)

do i need a new oven or do i just need more practice?

PS- any tips on coping with this? (raise/lower temp etc.)

Answer 1

If your thermostat is off, just use an external thermometer and make the necessary temperature adjustment. If you oven can't hold the heat (i.e. prolonged drops in temperature before the heat kicks in) then you need to look at some repairs or investing in a new oven. At the cost of repairing appliances, a new oven might be your best option

Answer 2

I would say you deserve an UPGRADE....BUT in the mean time....here are some things you can do to help you cakes bake evenly (if you don't already know this helpful hints)
Try using Wilton bake even strips...you soak them in water and then wrap them around the cake pan...it helps so that the outside of the cake doesn't bake faster then the inside (as you said this is one of the problems you've been having)
another thing you can do...use a Heating Core...this will also help the center of the cake bake evenly with the outside. If you don't want to purchase a heating core, you might have a Flower Nail handy? (used for make roses and other flowers) just place that in you pan (flat side down) and that will also work as a heating core and its cheaper...usually a heating core or flower nail isn't needed for cakes smaller then 10"....but since you have having the problem of the centers not cooking, this is worth a try....
so until you find a suitable oven...maybe try the bake even strips or a flower nail...Oh and get an oven thermometer...you may just need to adjust the oven temp...

Answer 3

As I'm not an appliance repair guy, I'm not going to speculate on whether or not you NEED a new oven.....but I can give you a tip that may help with your uneven baking.

See, unbeknownst to most people, when you set your oven to 350, it doesn't just heat up to 350 and stay there....it heats to 350, cycles off, then cools until the thermostat tells it to heat up again. Then, it repeats the cycle for as long as the oven is on. Depending on the condition and cleanliness of your oven, these cycles mean as much as a 40-50 degree temperature swing!!! Which, as I'm sure you understand, is definitely not good for baking!!!

As you have an older oven, chances are the seals aren't as good as they once were and the thermostat is likely not as accurate as it once was...so it's a good bet that the cycles in your oven are resulting in bigger temperature variations than you really want.

As such, you might consider lining the bottom of your oven with UNTREATED bricks. See, once pre-heated, the bricks will hold all of that heat and radiate it back out into the oven when it cycles off. They'll act like an insulator and help even out the temperature variations resulting from the cycles...almost exactly like the fancy brick ovens that expensive places use to cook pizzas.

The bricks may not solve ALL of your problems, (especially the convection thing....you might want to see if you can't somehow disable the fan in your oven) but I'd speculate that they may help with the uneven-ness and are a heck of alot cheaper than a new oven!!!!

Also, if you want to try this, make sure that you get UNTREATED bricks, as the stuff they treat some masonry products with gives off EXTREMELY toxic fumes when heated past 200 degrees.

Answer 4

The following are general guidelines for converting conventional recipes
for use in a convection oven. *

Option one: Bake at the same temperature that the
conventional recipe recommends, but for less time.
Option two: Bake for the amount of time that the conventional recipe calls for,
but reduce the temperature of the oven by about 25 degrees F.
Option three: (Best) Bake for a little less time than the conventional recipe
calls for, and also reduce the temperature of the oven.

Answer 5

I believe the general rule with convection vs. conventional is with convection you drop the temp by 25 degrees-f and cut the cooking time by 25%.

If I were you, I would still be looking to upgrade/update the oven though.

Answer 6

NEW OVEN!

Convection bake will not work well if you need to bake something for a longer period of time (especially a cake!)

Answer 7

you've had plenty of practice.
get a new oven.
you deserve it!