Karri Barlow

It all has to do with the ACTUAL temperature of your oven. What I mean is that the temperature INSIDE the oven is often not the same as the temperature shown on the display. It is also a fact ( I almost said: a well-known fact, but some people may not know it) that ovens, especially electronic ovens have "hot spots", places in the oven that are hotter than other places. If your baked goods don't cook all the way through in the time given, it is not because the time stated in the recipe is wrong. It is because of the temperature inside your oven. This is how to calibrate an oven. Get an oven-safe thermometer and place it in your oven at the lowest setting possible. For most modern ovens that is 170 degrees F, which means Fahrenheit. Wait until the oven gives the signal that it is up to temperature, which means that the computer inside the oven thinks the oven is the same temperature as what is shown on the display. Then, check the thermometer inside the oven. I have seen it 50 degrees different! Get a sheet of paper and make 2 columns. Write the temperature shown on the display in one column and the actual temperature in the other. Continue testing your oven's ACTUAL temperature at 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, and 450 degrees. Record each result. Using the chart you made, you can make adjustments to your oven's display so that the ACTUAL temperature inside your oven is correct for the result you need. After calibrating your oven per above instructions, if you are still having difficulty having it cooked all the way through, turn the temperature DOWN 25 degrees and INCREASE the time. Start checking for doneness at the time stated in the recipe and add 10 minutes for each degree that the FOOD is too cold. HAPPY BAKING!