Have you ever wondered why your cookies start to burn even though you followed the recipe exactly, or why your turkey took an hour longer to cook than it should have? Well, whether you use your oven a lot or a little, you should check your oven temperature every now and then to ensure the recipes you bake turns out perfectly.
Some ovens just can't be set perfectly so I don't drive myself crazy trying to get the temperature 'just right' but I do opt for the temperature being about 5 or 10 degrees too high rather than too low because most recipes turn out better baking a bit faster rather than too slowly (especially bread). All you need to do is check what you're baking a little earlier than the suggested amount of time accordingly. I've had both gas and electric ovens but have never calibrated a gas oven myself so these instructions are for electric ovens. ;) Electric ovens are fairly standard, so you should be able to figure out how your temperature adjustment knob works by reading these simple instructions. Here's how to calibrate an electric oven:
Put the oven thermometer on the center rack of the oven, set the temperature to 350 degrees F and let it run for a half hour. Check the thermometer to see whether it reads 350 degrees or not. If it doesn't read 350 degrees, turn off the oven and let it cool off while leaving the thermometer on the oven rack. (If you find your oven happens to be 50 degrees or more off, whether too low or too high, you most likely will need an appliance repair person to replace the oven thermostat.)
Pull the oven temperature knob off from the stove top temperature control area. You may need to use a flat head screwdriver or butter knife to gently lift it off. The thermostat calibration dial will be located on the back of the knob. On the back of the knob there will be clips or screws locking it in place. Loosen these clips or screws and adjust the dial as needed to increase or decrease the temperature. For most electric ovens the dials have slash marks or it 'clicks', and each mark or click is for 10 degrees and you should be able to see the words 'low' on the left of the slashes and 'high' to the right of the slashes or a '+ or -'.
Happy Baking! ;-)
By Deeli from Richland, WA
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If you have a newer electric stove without the dials, you will need to look at your user's manual to find out how to calibrate. Old manuals are commonly available on the manufacturers' website.
Wrongo! I repaired stoves for years. Use the smallest screwdriver you have, remove the knob, and in the center of the thermometer shaft you will see a tiny screw. Turn an 1/8th, close the oven door and let it cycle. Check the temp again and recalibrate if need be. Turn screw to the right to raise the temp and to the left to lower it.
Sorry repair person Lanny Kugel but I am not 'Wrongo'! I owned apartment complexes for years that had mainly electric ovens and what info I shared here is the standard for calibrating electric ovens! It sounds like you are talking about gas ovens and I mentioned in my tip that I had never calibrated a gas oven so that is why I did not give the information on how to do that!
BTW Lanny Kugel, electric oven knobs generally have two screws on the outer sides and are not in the middle of the knob like gas knobs have!
Repairman Larry is exactly correct. Remove the plastic knob, and in the center of the shaft is an adjustment screw hole. You likely can't see the tiny screw at the bottom of the access hole, but the flat on your screwdriver can. Turn it Clockwise to raise the temperature, and CCW to lower it.
It's not rocket surgery, but it does take patience for the oven temperature to stabilize.
The hardest part of the adjustment is removing the plastic knob without cracking it ...
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