There is no best type of oven for baking—it will depend on the type of dish you're creating. For instance, electric ovens tend to have drier heat than gas ovens so will be better at browning foods like biscuits, while a slightly more humid gas oven will help keep breads and cakes moist.
Every oven setting has its own unique cooking and heating properties, which will have different effects on how a bake turns out. Conventional heating is great for cakes, while fan-assisted convection (specifically the mode in combination with conventional heating) is better suited for cookies, brownies and blondies.
Top and bottom heat symbol
With two lines at the top and bottom of the symbol, this setting is ideal for roasting and for baking items like pastries, scones or biscuits on a tray.
The bottom heat symbol usually shows a straight line at the base of the square – representing the bottom heating element. As heat only comes from the bottom, it's perfect for baking things like pastry crusts. Or for making sure your bread or pizza dough is thoroughly baked from below.
3. Top/Bottom Heating. Top/Bottom heating is the most effective setting to use when you are baking or roasting on a single level. The heat is emitted evenly from above and below, making it ideal for baking cakes.
As a general best practice, the middle oven rack is best for baking most types of bread due to the all-around temperatures. However, if you are baking scones or muffins that need a crispy or browned top layer, moving your dish to the upper-third of the oven, just above the center rack, would serve this purpose.
The conventional Bake oven setting is one of the most common oven cooking methods. This setting uses heat that comes from both the oven's top and bottom elements to cook food. It's great for a variety of cooking applications like baking cakes, cookies, casseroles and more.
There is no best type of oven for baking—it will depend on the type of dish you're creating. For instance, electric ovens tend to have drier heat than gas ovens so will be better at browning foods like biscuits, while a slightly more humid gas oven will help keep breads and cakes moist.
Convection bake uses a fan to circulate the heated air inside the oven, while the regular bake function does not. Learn more about these two baking options and when to use each for the best results.
The majority of cakes are baked in a regular oven at 180c (350F/Gas Mk 4), on the centre shelf of the oven.
When using ovens with both fan-forced and conventional settings, it is best to use conventional when you are baking long and slow (like for cakes) and fan-forced for fast cooking at high temperatures. If using a fan-forced oven, as a general rule, drop the temperature by 20°C to imitate conventional.
Convection ovens distribute heat more evenly, which means your cookies will cook more evenly as well. This can be especially beneficial when baking large batches of cookies, as it can help to ensure that all the cookies are baked to the same level of doneness.
Baking: Use the conventional or fan-forced symbol depending on whether you're baking on a single rack or multiple ones. The fan-forced setting ensures even cooking across multiple trays. Roasting: For meats and vegetables, the fan-forced setting is usually the best choice.
Convection Ovens: These ovens have fans that circulate hot air, ensuring even heat distribution and faster baking times. The constant movement of air reduces hot spots and allows for multi-rack baking. This makes them ideal for baking cookies, pastries, and other items that require uniform browning.
The bake setting cooks food by heating the air inside your oven, usually with heating elements on the top and bottom. A typical bake temperature is around 350° F, but can be anywhere from around 200 to 375° F. This slower cooking method is appropriate for getting flavor out of a wide range of foods.
Think about what type of cooking you do most often. If you bake lots of pastries and casseroles or when baking multiple dishes, convection ovens help deliver even results and generally offer the best options for many kinds of baking. Double ovens offer more capacity for those who like to make big, multi-dish meals.
The best oven setting for baking a cake in an OTG is to preheat the oven to the temperature specified in the recipe, typically between 160°C to 180°C. Use the bake mode, which heats the oven from the bottom, ensuring even cooking. Always place the cake on the middle rack for optimal heat distribution.
Upper and lower heat (two horizontal straight lines)
This oven symbol means that the oven is being heated from the top and bottom, like a traditional oven. This setting is great for baking bread and cake as they tend to rise much better with the heat distributed like this.
Conventional ovens are standard models found in many kitchens and are likely what most people are familiar with using for baking, roasting and broiling. Convection ovens can cook some dishes faster and help create crispy, caramelized and browned finishes through rapid air circulation.
A: It is always best to aim to bake your cake as close to the centre of the oven as possible unless specified.
3. Bake element. Your oven's bake element is the main heat source for most oven functions. Located at the bottom of the oven, the bake element is also frequently used for the self-cleaning feature in self-cleaning ovens.