For even cooking and proper browning, there must be
enough room for air circulation in the oven. Baking
results will be better if baking pans are centered as
much as possible rather than being placed to the front
or to the back of the oven.
Baking Guides
When using prepared baking mixes, follow the package recipe
or instructions for the best baking results.
Cookies
When baking cookies, flat cookie sheets (without
sides) produce better-looking cookies. Cookies baked
in a jelly roll pan (short sides all around) may have
darker edges and pale or light browning may occur.
Do not use a cookie sheet so large that it touches the
walls or the door of the oven. Never entirely cover a
shelf with a large cookie sheet.
For best results, use only one cookie sheet in the oven
time.
Cakes
When baking cakes, warped or bent pans will cause
uneven baking results and poorly shaped products.
A cake baked in a pan larger than the recipe
recommends will usually be crisper, thinner and drier
than it should be. If baked in a pan smaller than
recommended, it may be undercooked and batter may
overflow. Check the recipe to make sure the pan size
used is the one recommended.
Pies
results, bake pies in dark, rough or dull pans to produce a browner,
For best
crisper crust. Frozen pies in foil pans should be placed on an aluminum
pie crust; the cookie sheet helps retain it.
Pans should not touch each other or the walls of the
oven. Allow 1- to 1 k-inch space between pans as well
as from the back of the oven, the door and the sides.
If you need to use two shelves, stagger the pans so
one is not directly above the other.
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