How to Use the Oven in Cooking

  Among the proper steps to correctly prepare our favorite recipes, maximizing the use of the oven will be very important. The top part of the oven is where the greatest amount of heat is concentrated. To gratin or brown just one surface, we should place the rack at the top. When we only want to heat or warm up food, the shelf should be moved to the lowest part. To cook any dish, especially if we are baking just one item, the dish should be placed on the rack that is right in the middle. This height is generally suitable for any food that needs even cooking and in a reasonable time. Regardless of the kitchen you are using, you should never open the oven door before 15 to 20 minutes of cooking have passed, unless you are gratin-ing. It is well known that air drafts damage and harm all cooking processes: meats bleed, pies flatten, and the temperature inside the oven changes. Using high-quality ingredients is a key point for turning a simple dish into an excellent delicacy. Good quality lies not only in acquiring the best cuts of meat or a certain exotic fruit or vegetable but also in the freshness, texture, color, and presentation of the product being an indicator for its purchase. Let’s also remember that the wine we sometimes include in the preparation of a dish must be of very good quality; we should not use a wine that we wouldn’t drink for that purpose. Recommended oven recipes: - Roast Chicken in the Oven - Baked Pasta with Eggplant and Mozzarella - The Easiest Roast Turkey - Baked Gratin Pasta