"Polly Esther" < wrote>I was reading some Alton Brown and he has this to say
about pre-heating the
> oven. IF you set the oven for a temp and it dings and tells you it has
> reached temp, it has. BUT when you open the oven door, much of that nice
> hot air will escape. IF you're baking something that must have the
> correct temp, you need to pre-heat for at least 20 minutes. That way, the
> oven's floor, walls, ceiling, back and assorted other parts will be heated
> enough to maintain temperature even after you open the oven door and
> insert the 'grand recipe'.
> Of course, some of you already know everything but it seemed to me that
> this might be helpful to those of you who are hoping to duplicate the
> perfect cornbread, pound cake or meringue like Moma used to make. Polly
And furthermore, when I bake bread, I set the oven at 425. After I've set
the bread in the oven, I reduce the setting to 325. Don't know if that sort
of magic will work elsewhere but it's good here. Polly