Do you really need to preheat the oven when cooking?
We often see in cooking recipes that you have to preheat the oven. But what is it really for?
This is a question that you can ask yourself, because heating an empty oven can quickly get expensive!
So is it really necessary to turn on the oven before each time?
The answer is...it depends! Indeed, it all depends on the dish you are going to cook.
Do not panic ! We will explain everything to you so that it is clear. Watch:
Chicken, turkey, capon... Are you planning to prepare poultry in the oven?
It is therefore not recommended to preheat your oven.
Be aware that the flesh of poultry does not tolerate thermal shocks well.
The delicate flesh of poultry does not need to be seared to be well cooked. On the contrary, if they are placed in an already hot oven, the flesh is attacked.
The poultry fat then tends to melt very quickly and flow into the dish.
As a result, the flesh becomes dry. And it's a lot worse.
On the other hand, if you put your poultry in a cold oven, it will cook slowly at 150°C.
The rule is one hour of cooking per kilo.
A 1 kg chicken should cook for one hour, a 3 kg capon should cook for 3 hours. And so on...
The meat will cook slowly and the fat-soaked flesh will remain moist and tender.
If you want the skin of your chicken to be crispy, then raise the oven temperature to 200°C, 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
And don't forget that you have to take your poultry out of the fridge 1 hour before the start of cooking.
To discover: How to Brown a Chicken in the Oven?
On the other hand, red meats such as beef, pork or lamb need to be seared.
Why ? Because it's the best way for them to render all their flavors.
It is therefore important to preheat the oven for this type of meat.
Ideally, you should put your red meat in the oven when the oven heat has reached 200°C.
Same reflex for cooking vegetables:preheat the oven.
It is also best to heat the plate on which they are going to be cooked.
This way, the vegetables stay tender on the inside while being crispy on the outside.
A simple drizzle of olive oil, and it's good!
To discover: How Long Should You Bake Vegetables? The Essential Guide!
For pastries, it's a bit more complicated because it depends!
If you are preparing a pastry that needs to rise, then preheat the oven to 180°C or 200°C.
Why ? Because the yeast must activate to make your cake swell and make it soft and light.
And it is only under the effect of heat that it can be activated.
This is very important for brioches or pastries such as madeleines. They need a thermal shock for them to swell.
But it is also essential for homemade bread or for baking a good pizza.
For macaroons it is also recommended.
For pies, it depends. You can put them in a preheated oven, but it's not totally essential.
It is much more important to cook them in the bottom of the oven.
Why ? Because the bottom of the pie will benefit from the heat returned by the wall at the bottom of the oven.
It will then cook faster than the contents of the pie (the device) which will remain soft. It's the same principle for quiches.
On the other hand, if you are preparing a chocolate cake, it is not essential to preheat the oven.
To discover: Does your pie shell remain soft? The Trick For A Crispy Pie Every Time.
Be aware that every time you preheat your oven, you are spending energy and therefore money on your bills.
No need to preheat your oven too long in advance!
10 min is more than enough to preheat your oven.
If you want to save money, despite the oven preheating, remember to turn it off 10 to 15 minutes before the end of the indicated cooking time.
This way, the heat that continues to emanate from the oven (residual heat) continues to cook your dish.
This is quite possible in the case of long cooking.
In general, it is estimated that cooking accounts for a significant share of total electricity consumption:14%! It's not nothing...
So if you preheat your oven too long, or when it's not necessary, you're wasting money.
If you can, take advantage of off-peak hours to cook.
And know that a mini oven consumes 30% less electricity on average than a large oven.
Think about it if you need to buy a new oven. And check that your new oven is rated A in terms of energy expenditure.
An old class C oven consumes approximately €47 in electricity per year.
While a class A oven consumes about €25 per year.
The difference between the two is not negligible.
Better yet, choose a gas oven if you can.
To save money, also avoid leaving the oven door ajar during cooking.
And don't open it every 2 minutes to check for doneness. Otherwise you will lose a few degrees of heat for nothing.
If you have food to thaw, do not thaw it in the oven. But use one of these tricks instead.
And to clean the oven, it is better not to use the self-cleaning system which devours the kilowatts (1 kWh is roughly equivalent to €0.11 including tax).
Use this trick to clean a very dirty oven with baking soda.
You don't want to preheat your oven when it is indicated in your recipe?
It's not serious ! You will still succeed in your recipe.
For this, just add 10 or 15 minutes of additional cooking to compensate.
Easy, right?
