Food prep for large gatherings and holiday festivities can feel like a juggling act, especially when multiple dishes are competing for oven space. See 8 oven tips below to learn how to maximize oven space so you can stay focused on the joy of creating.
8 TIPS TO MAXIMIZE OVEN SPACE
Understanding oven hot spots, rack positions and settings can help you create a large spread of appetizers, entrees, sides and desserts that are ready to go when you are. Read the 8 cooking tips below to learn how to plan and prep foods, position dishes, adjust racks and alter cooking times for cooking multiple dishes at once, no matter your oven’s size.
1. MAKE A PLAN
Round up your recipes and make a concrete plan to make sure every dish is ready for mealtime. Start by deciding when you want food ready to eat, then work backward from there to determine what needs oven space and when. Consider cooking baked goods or dishes that need time to rest after baking first, then move on to dishes like meats that likely require longer cooking times. Lastly, plan for dishes that need a quick rewarming or a brief broil to re-crisp prior to serving.
2. PREP FOOD IN ADVANCE
Not all dishes need to be baked on the same day they’re served to maintain freshness and flavor. Pies, for instance, can often be made ahead of time and then stored and reheated briefly prior to serving. Take an inventory of your planned recipes to see if any dishes are well suited to baking a day or two in advance.
3. USE AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
Juggling multiple dishes at once often means pairing sides, desserts or entrees in the oven that don’t typically bake at the same temperature. You can bake several dishes at once by setting your oven to the average temperature called for across recipes. If, for instance, one dish requires a temperature of 350℉ and another needs to bake at 400℉, set the temperature to 375℉ and keep a close eye on food as it cooks.
Keep in mind that baked goods and other recipes sensitive to cooking temperatures should always bake according to the recipe’s instructed temperature.Using a double oven like the double wall ovens from KitchenAid brand lets you manage multiple cook times and temperatures to create more at once.You can also create even more using a KitchenAid® countertop oven with select models featuring settings your main oven may not have such as air frying, convection cooking and proofing for bread dough.
4. LEAVE ROOM FOR AIR CIRCULATION
Ovens rely on hot air circulation to thoroughly cook dishes, so dishes that are too close together may prevent food from cooking evenly. Try to leave a couple of inches between dishes and another couple of inches between dishes and the sides and back of the oven wall. Never overlap bakeware. If there’s space, try staggering dishes so no two dishes are directly above or below each other.
5. CONSIDER OTHER APPLIANCES
Your oven may not be your only appliance capable of prepping sides, appetizers and even entrees. If you have access, consider using a convection cooking setting like the one on these KitchenAid® microwaves to bake dishes the same way an oven would, or try crisping and browning foods using an air fryer or air fry setting like the one on select KitchenAid® countertop ovens.Select models have 9–12 settings for techniques like roasting, broiling, baking and even proofing dough that let you use it as a second oven for even more cooking capacity.
6. USE BROILER TO CUT PREHEATING TIME
Though it isn’t an ideal way to preheat, you can start cooking quicker by using your broiler to reduce the oven’s preheating time in a pinch. Simply set the oven to broil for 3 to 5 minutes, then adjust the settings to your desired baking temperature. This should reduce the overall time it takes for your oven to reach baking temperatures, helping you get food on the table faster.
Preheating using the broiler can result in uneven heat in the oven, so it’s best to only use this method with meats or frozen foods when absolutely necessary, rather than delicate or fresh dishes.
7. ROTATE DISHES
Conventional ovens use radiant heat from elements at the top and bottom of the cooking cavity. This means dishes placed closer to them may cook faster. Some ovens may also be hotter towards the back where heat is less likely to escape when the door opens. Rotate dishes from front to back and between the top and bottom racks as they bake to help every item cook more evenly.
8. USE CONVECTION SETTINGS
Ovens with convection cooking circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity to help reduce moisture and cook food on different racks evenly. If possible, cook dishes using a convection setting to promote even heating from rack to rack and help reduce the moisture that cooking several dishes at once may introduce into the oven cavity. Plus, the even heat circulation of convection cooking reduces the need to rotate dishes to get evenly baked results.
The recipes you’re referencing may be written for conventional ovens, so be sure to check for instructions for converting to convection cooking. Generally, you should reduce the cooking temperature by 25°F and begin checking for doneness with 20-25% of the time left. Select KitchenAid® ovens feature the EasyConvect™ Conversion System that removes the guesswork by automatically converting conventional settings into convection cooking settings.
SHOP KITCHENAID® WALL OVENS
KitchenAid® wall ovens give you the freedom to explore in the kitchen, no matter how many dishes you’re cooking up. KitchenAid® double ovens provide two oven cavities so you can give every dish the temperature, time and space it needs. Select ovens feature Even-Heat™ True Convection that circulates hot air throughout the oven, promoting airflow and optimal temperatures to flake, bake, crisp, caramelize or brown your recipes.
WHAT COOKS QUICKER TOP OR BOTTOM OF OVEN?
Most conventional ovens have heating elements on the top and bottom of the oven but tend to get hotter and cook food faster on the top rack. Hot air rises within the oven cavity to create a hotspot at the top of the oven, so it may be best to place dishes requiring longer cooking times on the top rack when multiple dishes are competing for oven space at once. This is less of a concern when usinga convection settingwhich helps circulate air for more even cooking from rack to rack.
IS IT BETTER TO HAVE A HIGHER OR LOWER SHELF IN THE OVEN?
The best position for the oven rack depends on what you’re cooking. In a conventional oven, placing the rack on the top third of the oven may help you cook recipes faster and is ideal for broiling, toasting, browning or crisping dishes. Placing the rack on the bottom third of the oven is best for roasting, baking or creating a crust on pies and bread. A convection oven helps cook evenly on all racks so placement is less important for most baking and roasting tasks.
DO ITEMS COOK LONGER IN THE OVEN IF THERE ARE MORE TRAYS?
The exact impact on cooking times varies from dish to dish, but generally cooking multiple dishes at once can lead to longer cooking times. No matter how many dishes you plan to cook, be sure to leave at least 3 inches of space between each dish and the walls of the oven, or other dishes, to allow for proper airflow.
HOW DO YOU ADJUST COOKING TIME FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS IN THE OVEN?
Cooking multiple items at once means dishes will spend about 15 percent longer in the oven, but you’ll need to keep a close eye on food to check for doneness and browning along the way. Heat travels from the bottom to the top of the oven during a conventional cooking cycle, so it’s best to put dishes requiring the longest cooking times—or the largest dishes—on the bottom rack for more direct heat exposure.
EXPLORE KITCHENAID® WALL OVENS
Built-in wall ovens from KitchenAid brand are available in single, double or combination configurations so you have the space you need to create it all. Select wall ovens feature Even-Heat™ True Convection that circulates hot air through the entire oven for consistent temperatures. Plus, some models offer the EasyConvect™ Conversion System that automatically adjusts conventional baking temperatures to convection equivalents so you don’t have to guess.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OVENS WITH KITCHENAID BRAND
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