Chemistry/Physics and Cooking

[NotQuiteCockney]

I have a dish I make pretty often that I'm meant to spread out on lots of trays and cook at 180C. As I always make a double batch, and am lazy, I always cook it in a deeper tray, at a bit below 180C, for longer, and stir it lots.

Could I do it at 140C or something, instead, with less stirring, for even longer?

(The dish is granola, American-style. The heat is roasting the oats and nuts, and drying it all out, too.)

I don't see why it wouldn't work... I would imagine that more stirring is always going to give a more even result though.

Yeah, I hate stirring, though.

And the higher the temperature, the more unevenly it will cook, right?

Oooh, I'm switching to a fan oven (is that the word) after Easter. Will that work better?

My fan oven doesn't cook evenly - the edges cook quicker :o

I think the higher the temperature, the more you'd have to stir it although this is all just from my thoughts rather than any scientific basis. You can only try it - can't see that it would make a hige amount of difference really given that granola doesn't have to rise or do anything "clever" so to speak!

No, it shouldn't make any difference.

I think edges cook quicker, no matter what, right? (Or are you being funny there? I'm really tired and stupid today.)

I figure almost any oven will be an improvement over my current one. I have to rotate my baking, midway through, so the back isn't brown while the front is white, iyswim.

No, I meant stuff near the edges of my oven cook quicker than anywhere else in the oven. So I sometimes have to rotate stuff too...

what's granola? is it like cooked muesli?

you could try the lower temp - the edges will cook faster than the middle but won't scorch the way they might at 180 (not that 180 is v high either...) so prob won't need so much stirring in.

A fan oven will deffo help the side-to-side variation though.

doh! thought you meant the edges of the food soupy

I thought you meant the edges of the food, too, soupy.

Yeah, granola as in cooked muesli. Well, muesli really, but not the german stuff with the grated apple.

I have a fan oven and I still find that stuff to the back and edges cooks more rapidly. I generaly turn things around mid cook

Damn, I was hoping having a fan oven would help.

It is faster, though, isn't it?

I haven't found that with my fan oven. I don't do a lot of baking though, maybe I'd notice it if I did.

It does seem slightly hotter - I often have to reduce the recipe temp by 10 degrees to get the timing right.

It is faster to warm up to an even temperature, and it is better. But it isn't 100%

Damn, I want my magic oven that does everything just right.

I'm off to sulk.