TIL my oven runs 25 degrees hot and it took me a year to figure it out

I kept having issues with my cookies spreading too much and my bread crusts getting too dark, but I just blamed my recipes. Finally bought an oven thermometer last week after a batch of scones burned on the bottom. My oven was consistently hitting 425 when set to 400. I spent a whole afternoon testing it with the thermometer and adjusting my baking times down. Now I just set my oven 25 degrees lower than any recipe says and everything comes out right. Has anyone else had to completely relearn their oven's quirks like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_knight721mo ago

Yeah, "oven runs 25 degrees hot" is super common.

noahpark3d ago

Oh man, "oven runs 25 degrees hot is super common" - that's basically the official motto of my kitchen. I got an oven thermometer after my third burnt batch of cookies in a row, and sure enough, mine was running 35 degrees hot. Now I just set the temp lower and pretend I'm some kind of baking genius when things come out perfectly. My friends think I'm a great cook, but really I'm just compensating for my oven's bad attitude.

wells.reese1mo ago

Ever just get an oven thermometer to check? I kept burning cookies until I got one, turns out mine was running almost 30 degrees hot. Now I just set it lower and everything cooks right.