Should we really have to preheat the oven?

We’ve run an online survey among our readers and followers about the the following topic: should we preheat the oven or not?

The results was pretty clear on Instagram, where the 74% of people think that it is not necessary to preheat the oven before cooking. On Facebook, we’ve got a more balanced result. Fiona comments that “Pre-heating is a must”, while Sheila says “Never and it’s all been fine”, and then a lot of comments following these two points of view.

Our thought can be summed up with a saying from the Ancient Rome: In medio stat virtus, literally meaning virtue stands in the middle. Have a look at the following lines to find out why and how.

Preheat the oven

When it comes of doughs, batters or bread with baking soda or baking powder – preheating the oven allows the yeast to raise the dough to the softest before the flour sets. That’s why many of our followers commented “I always preheat for baking and pizza!”. And cakes and cookies follow the same principle – they need a certain level of heat for the best result… nobody likes a flat, dry, chewy loaf cake!

Basically, we should apply this idea to all foods can collapse: soufflés, meringues, or pie dough (in this last case, the flour needs heat before the butter melts).

It’s not necessary

At the same time, there are many other dishes benefit from slow heat up. Take casseroles, or all the roasts: potatoes, vegetables, turkey, gratins or lasagne: even when the recipes say “Preheat the oven” on the first lane, most of the time there’s no need to wait for a hot oven. Not to mention the energy saving!