To heat or not heat… that is the question… or F vs C

Specially selected recipes, table settings, how-to articles and cooking tips… all here for you!

I can safely say I am addicted to cook books. And I love cooking shows such as the Great British Bake Off. So, you can imagine that I have to convert most of the recipes I try to replicate here in Argentina. I explain a little about measuring conversions here.

Before I go on with my conversions, let me remind you that we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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Now that we got that out of the way, let’s continue! So as not to have to calculate every time, I’ve prepared a chart that shows me the different temperatures in Fahrenheit, Celsius and Gas (U.K.). I hope it helps you out too!

I also use my reliable Taylor Precision Products Candy/Deep Fry/Jelly Thermometer that gives me the ºF and ºC directly on view.

It’s EASY TO USE, EASY TO CLEAN, and since it is a classic design meat thermometer, no buttons or manuals are required – you simply measure the temperature you want! And, when you’re finished, all you have to do is rinse with hot water and soap, and wipe the head with a damp cloth – you’re done! I also use it when I make Jelly 🙂

All ovens are not created equal. Each oven may heat differently, so stay near your new oven at first until you know the amount of baking time that works best. Also be sure to watch out for places in your oven that may cook more and those that may cook less – for example, in my oven the back heats more than the front, so I try to rotate the food so it cooks evenly.

If you’ve done some baking you’ve realized that most recipes call for a 350ºF (175ºC), but when you have more experience with baking you notice that 350ºF (175ºC), isn’t always the best temperature for what you are baking.

Whether you’re baking in the Fahrenheit or in the Celsius part of the world, cooking temperature and time are determined by a number of factors. Your aim is to get the inside of the food properly cooked before the outside dries out, becoming tough, or even burned. But you want it to get a nice toasty color before the inside is overcooked. Factors which influence appropriate temperature and time include:

– Shape: A fat, round loaf will usually need a longer cooking time and lower temperature than a long, skinny baguette because it takes longer for the center of the loaf to cook.

– Ingredients: High protein ingredients like meat or eggs easily become hard when overcooked. High sugar or starch recipes will tend to burn more easily.

– Moisture level: For some products, such as baguettes or many kinds of pastry, steam is an important leavening agent, and a high temperature is called for. On the other hand, cookies bake best when they don’t have excess moisture.

– Leavening: Baking powder activates at a certain temperature.

Baking does and don’ts:

Never increase your cooking temperature because you are in a hurry.
Make sure the racks are placed properly before heating the oven. Unless, you have a convection oven, which supposedly disperses heat evenly with a vent.
If your recipe calls for a preheated oven, preheat it at least 15 minutes before baking. Your cake will be ruined with a slow start in a cool oven because it rises too quickly and then falls when the oven heats more.
Do not open the oven door prematurely. A draft may cause your baked product to fall.
A good idea is to check your oven temperature with a freestanding oven thermometer. An oven thermometer is a very handy and inexpensive tool.
I love my Taylor Classic Series Large Dial Thermometer.
It has an easy to read 2.5″ dial, hangs or stands on my oven rack and is made of Durable Stainless Steel.
I suggest you test your oven thermostat with the dual thermometer, at several settings (300, 350, and 400°F – 165ºC, 175ºC and 200ºC). If it’s consistently high or low by the same amount (say, 50°F, or 10ºC), you can add this into the temperature setting. For example, if you know that your oven runs “hot” by 50°F, or 10ºC and you need to bake something at 350°F, set the oven for 300°F (150ºC). Always check the oven thermometer to verify the temperature.

Baking Temperatures and Times

Breads: High temperatures (higher than 400ºF, 200ºC) are really important in bread baking because it makes a better, faster rise before the gluten in the bread (and also the crust) has a chance to set.

Puff pastries: Best baked at 400ºF (200ºC), because steam is released quickly between the layers, allowing for more expansion and height before the layers set and dry in place.

Cookies (Biscuits in the U.K.): Chocolate chip cookies are sometimes baked at 375ºF (190ºC) or more for a very short baking time so they color fast on the surface while keeping the inside soft and under-baked. Other cookie recipes bake at 300ºF (150ºC) so they crisp and dry without browning.

	Temp (F/C)	Minutes
Breads
Biscuits	425 – 450 F 218 – 232 C	10 – 15
Cream Puffs	375 F 190 C	60
Popovers	375 F 190 C	60
Quick Loaf Breads	350 – 375 F 177 – 190 C	60 – 75
Yeast Bread	400 F 205 C	30 – 40
Yeast Rolls
Plain	400 – 425 F 205 – 218 C	15 – 25
Sweet	375 F 190 C	20 – 30
Cakes With Fat
Cupcake	350 – 375 F 177 – 190 C	15 – 25
Layer Cake	350 – 375 F 177 – 190 C	20 – 35
Loaf Cake	350 F 177 C	45 – 60
Cakes Without Fat
Angel Food & Sponge	350 F 177 C	50 – 60
Cookies
Drop	350 – 400 F 177 – 205 C	8 – 15
Rolled	375 F 190 C	8 – 10
Egg, Meat, Milk & Cheese
Souffle (in a hote water pan)	350 F 177 C	30 – 60
Custard (in a hot water pan)	350 F 177 C	30 – 60
Macaroni & Cheese	350 F 177 C	20 – 30
Meat Loaf	350 F 177 C	60 – 90
Meat Pie	400 F 205 C	25 – 30
Rice Pudding (raw rice)	300 F 149 C	120 – 180
Scalloped Potatoes	350 F 177 C	60
Pastry
1 Crust Pie (Custard Type)	400 – 425 F 205 – 218 C	30 – 40
Shell Only	450 F 232 C	10 – 12
2 Crust Pies with Uncooked Filling	400 – 425 F 205 – 218 C	45 – 55
2 Crust Pies with Cooked Filling	425 – 450 F 218 – 232 C	30 – 45