Oven bake-ability...

[mattl]

Any thoughts on why one oven make bake better than another?  They are basically semi-sealed boxes with a heating element in them.

 

For the last year or two I've been baking my pumpkin pies in my Electrolux oven, they are OK, but not quite what I"m used to.  Today I got backed up, was making rye bread and it needed to go into the oven where I was going to put my pies so I took them down to the Frigidaire CI and baked them.  We've baked them in those ovens for decades but since i have no one to cook Thanksgiving dinner for any longer I've just been making the occasional pie in the kitchen.  Anyway they turned out exactly as I remember them, glossy with just a hint or two of browned spots on top.

 

Coming out of the Electrolux they are dull and flat looking.  Both ovens are calibrated, 400 degrees is 400 degrees, what affects the performance?  Both ovens in the Frigidaire turn out pies the same, the big oven and the small produce the same results.  Is it the heating element?  the thermostat?  The E oven does use the upper and lower elements when baking, I do not think the F does.

 

I have a VOM that came with a temp probe, I've checked the E oven and there is about a 20 degree swing, I'll have to check the F ovens and see if it does the same.

 

[arbilab]

No root cause, other than the one supplied with this institution is junk. A week ago, a tray of rolls, some browned, others didn't. The time it takes anything to complete cooking is like plus/minus 10 minutes of the instructions. And that's at the calibrated temp, 350, which ANY oven should be able to maintain. If I set the thing to 425 I can get anything (with thermometer) from 375 to 475.

What oven? A GE from about 15 years ago. Shabbiest product I've ever seen them put their name on. Previous location was also GE but the oven was flawless, absolutely predictable. It was also about 15 years OLDER than this one. You spoze that's why?

Having been a renter most of my life I've been exposed to lots of BOL stoves. Never had a performance issue before this one.

 

[rp2813]

Does your Electrolux have an exposed baking element?  Our E-lux Icon has a hidden element and it doesn't bake the same as our 1990 Jenn Air dual fuel range did at the other house.  I wasn't thrilled with the Jenn Air's gas cooktop, but its electric oven was spot-on and always produced excellent results.

 

I'm wondering now if exposed elements are better for baking.

 

[dj-gabriele]

It's a mistery!
But I know that if I bake in my B/F Electrolux oven, everything comes ut CRAP!
While if I use the SMEG I have, things come out "proper"!
And even if I use a classic, non fan-forced-air, at my rental flat.

My guess is that Swedish guys don't know how to bake ahahahhaha

 

[norgeway]

Its just another example...

Of how sorry new products are when compared to vintage, my opinion is that open coil units bake better because the respond much quicker, also, the old thermostats are much better quality than what is used today, and finally, the ovens made in the 50s and 60s are insulated much better than what is built today, finally, all the old companies had a test kitchen, home economists were full time employees, they used the ranges under home like conditions, if there was a problem, it got fixed, I bet you wont find that today!!! My Norge bakes better because the open coil upper element has a separate outside coil that heats with the bake unit, providing balanced heat, the old gas ovens bake better because they use a modulating flame, instead of off and on like new ovens do, this provides an exact temperature, absolutely unattainable any other way, people who throw off on gas ovens have never used one of these.

 

[dynaflow]

my 58

Custom Imperial if a cake recipe calls to cook for a hour ten minutes u take it out at the end of time and its done

 

[norgeway]

And That..

My dears, is the results of having a big old Robertshaw thermostat, and some good insulation!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Actually, most good electric ranges used top heat in baking. As Hans said, the open coil broiler elements had a perimeter coil which cycled with the bake element to give a bit of radiant heat to promote browning. Ranges with a sealed rod broiler element rated at 3000 watts at 230 volts dropped the voltage to 115 during bake which gave 750 watts of top heat which cycled with the bake element for browning. Roper electric ranges did not use top heat in their ovens during baking nor did the early 70s Whirlpool electrics. If you wanted biscuits to brown, they had to be baked on the "Preheat" setting on the selector switch.

It is very possible that the newer ovens with the concealed bake elements have less radiant energy in the oven when the units cycle on. Perhaps the greater amount of radiant energy in the Frigidiare is what causes the surface of the pie to cook differently in the two ranges because it puts the shine on the top of the pies. Maybe the shine on the top of the pie is equivalent to the golden tone on the top of a cake or bread product.

 

[ovrphil]

I agree with Norgeway and endorse Ron's Custom Imperial as a beauty!

 

[maytagbear]

I've been MOST pleased with my

gas Whirlpool range with "Accubake." It allows only a very narrow temperature swing.

Last night, I baked a batch of Brown Edge Wafer cookies, and they were perfect at 8 minutes, as specified in the recipe.

I've been very pleased with this range overall, including the excellent cooktop performance, and Whirlpool's adjustable broiling temperature.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[brisnat81]

I think it also has to do with how well the ovens are now sealed.

With the old oven, baking and Roasting both achieved excellent results and it was a (Standard for here) Hidden Element and Fan in the back wall of the oven.

Step forward 20 years to the new oven with the same Element and Fan layout and it is nearly impossible to get anything to brown, or crisp.

The issue seems to be that with the old oven, there was a vent from the oven cavity into the cabinet the oven is installed in, this let out Moisture/heat. In the new oven it is that tightly sealed that opening the door results in a huge release of steam and moisture, whether you're baking or roasting.

 

[DADoES]

 
I don't do much of what would be considered "serious" baking but have no complaints about my GE Profile.

 

[danemodsandy]

One Factor....

....In "hidden element" ranges is a lack of infrared, which contributes to browning. One of the reasons open-element electric ovens deliver such great results is that the elements give off a fair amount of infrared. A hidden element eliminates it completely.

Gas ovens can deliver some infrared, as well, although in my opinion, gas ovens vary greatly in quality. There are some very good ones out there, but there are also horrors like a Brown I once had in an apartment. Not only did the oven have a mind of its own, that mind was suffering from advanced dementia.

The designers of gas oven always begin with a handicap: There must be both intake and exhaust of air to support the combustion of the gas flame, as well as exhausting combustion byproducts. That makes it much more difficult to avoid temperature swings in gas ovens. Their delivery of infrared is usually also less direct than that of an electric oven, since the flame is usually beneath the oven floor - though vents allow some through.

Electric ovens don't depend on airflow, since resistance heating can take place in a vacuum (as it does in every incandescent light bulb). That means electric range designers aren't swimming upstream to the extent that gas oven designers are. The BOL GE I just got rid of was not much fun to use for a lot of reasons, but it had a very accurate, well-performing oven.

Note that too much infrared is deleterious to many foods; this is why the bake element is positioned under the food (and its pan), and the broiler element is up top. The broiler element is often used to help preheat, but it turns off when the preheat temperature is reached, with only the bake element needed to maintain the temperature. In broiling, infrared is highly desirable, so the broiling element's position above food not protected by a pan works very well, so long as the cook is attentive. As everyone knows, it's possible to incinerate a good steak if you don't pay attention to its broiling.

 

[washdaddy]

Just because both ovens are calibrated at 400 degrees doesn't mean that they will perform the same. There are many factors to take into consideration on how well they perform.
Are they gas or electric? If gas, how much does the oven fluctuate while maintaining the set temp. and how often is it cycling to reheat? How well is it insulated and does it keep an even temp?
If electric, are the elements exposed or covered? What type of elements are being used...their wattage, and how quickly do they heat....or reheat to maintain your temps. And do both bottom and broiler elements operate in conjunction with each other?
And how are the ovens vented? Or is there convection in the mix?

Considering that you're questioning performance between two entirely different ovens needless to say the variables to consider are many. Now on the other hand if you had two of the same model oven and were getting different results between the two that would narrow the field? But right now, it's apples and oranges unfortunately.

 

[combo52]

Electric Ovens

While most electric ovens past and present use the broil element usually at 1/4 wattage during baking, Tappan along with Roper were two companies along with a lot of off brands like Brown electric ranges.

Hi Sandy, your GE oven [ like every GE electric ever built ] uses the broil element whenever the oven is heating throughout the entire baking process, and best of all you early P-7 oven also uses a third hidden mullion element not only for SCing but again whenever the oven is calling for heat during bake. You can test this neat feature by turning the oven on to heat and within a minute you will feel the front edges of the oven liner getting hot. Having this extra heater not only made the oven clean great but helped keep the oven temperature even front to back by making up for the heat loss near the door which occurs in any oven.

 

[danemodsandy]

John:

Thanks for the reminder about the mullion element on my GE. While I've tested the oven and put it through a cleaning cycle, I haven't actually had time to bake in it yet.

P.S.: Did you get anything in your snail mail from me? I hope so!

 

[norgeway]

The WORST baking range!

I ever saw, was also one of the best looking and in the best shape, It was an early 50s Crosley I got at the Habitat store about 10 years ago, it was as close to new as you could get...and a thermometer said the temp was dead on, but no matter what I did, it baked terrible, even a small pan of biscuits in the center of the oven browned excessively on the edges and those in the middle were white...Needless to say, it didnt stay around long!!

 

[logixx]

Am happy with the baking results from the oven at my mother's house: just punch in the temp and baking time the recipe calls for, wait for the preheat signal to sound and put the food in. It'll even turn the heat off a few minutes before the time is up to save energy. It's really flexible also, since it allows you to combine almost every element individually.

My apartment has a builders grade Beko in it. Whole different story.

 

[logixx]

Elements visible during cleaning.