Knowing the number is only half the job. Every oven runs a little hot or cold, and where you place the pan matters too. The tips below help you get even, predictable results, and the last section shows the steps the Thermomix® TM7™ handles before the oven takes over.
What the oven words mean
When a recipe gives a word instead of a number, use this table. These terms were never exact, so a few degrees either way is fine.
| Recipe says | Temperature | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Very slow | about 120°C (250°F) | Meringue cookies, very slow roasts |
| Slow | about 150°C (300°F) | Covered braises and slow roasts |
| Moderately slow | about 160°C (325°F) | Cheesecake, pot roast, roast turkey |
| Moderate | about 180°C (350°F) | Most cakes and cookies, flan in a water bath, pernil |
| Moderately hot | about 190°C (375°F) | Pies, muffins, baked chicken pieces |
| Hot | about 200 to 220°C (400 to 425°F) | Roasted vegetables, oven fries, crisp pork skin |
| Very hot | about 230 to 260°C (450 to 500°F) | Pizza and fast browning |
See them at work: the pernil roasts at 180°C (350°F) and finishes at 220°C (425°F) for crisp skin, and the flan de queso bakes at 180°C (350°F) in a water bath.
Fahrenheit to Celsius for ovens
Ovens and recipes in the United States, Puerto Rico included, use Fahrenheit, while recipes from Latin America, Spain and most of the world use Celsius. This chart covers every common oven setting, rounded to the nearest 5 degrees.
To convert it yourself, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit number, multiply by 5 and divide by 9. For 350°F: 350 - 32 = 318, then 318 × 5 = 1,590, and 1,590 ÷ 9 = 176.7, about 175°C. To go from Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply by 9, divide by 5 and add 32.
| °F | °C |
|---|---|
| 200°F | 95°C |
| 225°F | 105°C |
| 250°F | 120°C |
| 275°F | 135°C |
| 300°F | 150°C |
| 325°F | 165°C |
| 350°F | 175°C |
| 375°F | 190°C |
| 400°F | 205°C |
| 425°F | 220°C |
| 450°F | 230°C |
| 475°F | 245°C |
| 500°F | 260°C |
Recipes usually round to an easy number, so 350°F often appears as 180°C, 325°F as 160°C and 400°F as 200°C, and that is how our recipes write them. A few degrees make no difference in a home oven, which swings more than that as it heats on and off.
Tips for an oven you can trust
- Preheat 10 to 15 minutes, until the oven says it is ready. Cakes, breads and cookies need the full heat from the first minute to rise and set properly.
- Use an oven thermometer. Ovens often run about 15°C (25°F) hot or cold. Set it on the middle rack, preheat to 180°C (350°F), wait 20 minutes and read it. If it is off, turn your dial up or down to make up the difference.
- Middle rack for most baking: cakes, cookies, flan and casseroles cook evenly there, with heat all around.
- Lower third for pies and pizza, so the bottom crust turns crisp, and for tall roasts, so the top stays away from the heat above.
- Upper third for browning the top of a casserole or a gratin at the end.
- Convection (fan) ovens cook faster: lower the temperature about 15°C (25°F) from what the recipe says, or keep it and check 5 to 10 minutes early. Look at your oven manual first, because some ovens make the change for you.
- Keep the door closed. Every peek lets heat out and can make a cake sink, so use the oven light instead.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for the most even color. If you bake two, swap their places and turn them around halfway through.
Where the TM7 fits
The TM7 heats from 37°C (98°F) to 160°C (320°F), so it does not bake or roast. It gets the batter, dough, filling or sauce ready, and the oven does the rest. These are the temperatures you will see in our recipes and what each one does.
| TM7 temperature | Good for |
|---|---|
| 37°C (98°F) | Warming milk or water for bread dough, proofing dough and making yogurt with the Fermentation mode, warming eggs for a light sponge cake |
| 50°C (122°F) to 60°C (140°F) | Melting butter or chocolate gently |
| 70°C (160°F) | Swiss meringue: egg whites and sugar heated while they whip |
| 80°C (175°F) to 90°C (195°F) | Cheese and cream sauces, custards and puddings, hot chocolate, dissolving sugar for a light syrup |
| 95°C (205°F) to 98°C (210°F) | Thick coconut and cornstarch puddings like tembleque, gentle simmering |
| 100°C (212°F) | Simmering rice, beans, soups and stews, and cooking potatoes or yuca in the simmering basket |
| 120°C (250°F) | Sautéing sofrito, onion and garlic |
| 160°C (320°F) | Browning onions, garlic or small pieces of meat |
| Varoma | Steaming fish, chicken, vegetables or tamales in the Varoma set on top, while something else cooks in the bowl |
Its top temperature, 160°C (320°F), is below frying heat and right where caramel only begins, so frying, candy and caramel are made on the stove. See frying temperatures and syrup stages.