Most (if not all) ovens are hotter at the top than at the bottom. Thus, if you have two baking sheets in your oven, one on a higher rack and one on a lower rack, the one on the higher rack will cook faster.
The top and rear areas of the oven may be slightly hotter due to the fan's circulation, while the bottom might be slightly cooler. To minimise these variations, it's essential to follow recipe instructions regarding shelf placement and use an oven thermometer to ensure accurate temperatures.
Because hot air rises, the top of the oven tends to be consistently hotter. However, the lower heating element heats in bursts so it may swing hotter, then cooler as you cook.
In a household or not-quite-luxury class commercial convection oven, right in front of the fan will always be a hot spot, and furthest away from the fan will always be a cool spot.
Conventional ovens typically have a single heating element at the top or bottom, but not both. Fan ovens circulate hot air evenly throughout the oven cavity, providing consistent and even cooking. Conventional ovens may have uneven temperature distribution, leading to hot spots.
Often, the area right in front of the fan tends to get hotter than the surrounding areas, so it pays to do the hot spot test with convection ovens as well.
The hottest part of an electric oven is typically the heating element, which can be found at the bottom or top of the oven.
Hot air rises, so the top of the oven is actually consistently hotter, while the bottom of the oven will heat in bursts to maintain the overall temperature. The bottom oven rack is great for crust breads and pizzas…
The middle zone can be used to cook a wide range of recipes. It's ideal for dishes that need all-over heat because there's room for hot air to flow throughout the cavity. Your food will also be at an equal distance from both the top and bottom heating elements.
Which Direction Should Your Ceiling Fan Spin for Summer and Winter? The ceiling fan direction in summer should be counterclockwise to help create a downdraft, which creates that direct, cooling breeze. Your fan direction in winter needs to be clockwise to create an updraft and circulate warm air around the room.
Lower Position: Bottom Browning
Use the lower position when you're looking for that bottom crust. Sheet pan pizza, roasted veggies, and a cast iron brownie all benefit from the lower oven rack position. So next time you preheat your oven, check your racks.
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.
-Cakes and Cupcakes:
Place the oven rack in the center position to ensure even heat distribution. This position allows the heat to surround the baking pan, promoting consistent baking from top to bottom.
Many frozen pizzas can be placed directly on the oven rack for a crisper crust. This allows heat to circulate on all sides of the pizza.
Once your rolls are soft to the touch place them on the middle rack and bake for 20 - 30 minutes depending on your preference for doneness and oven calibrations. (A good rule of thumb is once they are big, puffy, and a little golden brown they should be ready.
BUT, because convection ovens are fan assisted, your cakes will bake a lot faster (which has it's own risks), so to prevent cakes from baking too quickly, you want to reduce the baking temperature by about 15-20 degrees C, which is why I recommend using a baking temperature of 160C when using a fan assisted oven.
Expert-Verified Answer
The coolest air inside an oven is found at the bottom due to convection. Hot air rises from the heating element at the bottom, and cooler air sinks to take its place.
Is fan-forced the same as fan-assisted? No. Fan-assisted ovens have two heating elements, one in the oven's roof and one in its base. Fan-assisted ovens also have a fan at the back, often located behind a panel, but there is no heating element around it.
Traditionally, gas ovens have zoned heat, with the hottest section at the top, the coolest shelf at the bottom, while electric fan assisted cooking heats all parts to the same temperature at the same time.
Why are fan oven temperatures lower? Due to the nature of fan ovens which circulate hot air around the oven, they will cook your food much faster than a conventional oven. For this reason, we always recommend setting your fan oven temperature to 20 degrees cooler for the same recipe.
To avoid uneven baking, it's essential to ensure that you place the baking dish on the middle rack of the oven, which ensures that the heat is distributed evenly. Avoid opening the oven door too often during baking as it can cause a drop in the oven's temperature and disrupt the baking process.