Just the Tip

Cheater Tip: Determine Your Own Cook Time


IF IT DOESN'T LOOK DONE, IT PROBABLY ISN'T  Recipes can be flawed and so can your oven.


Flawed may be the wrong word but your oven may not heat at the same temperature as the dial or digital reading leads you to believe.  Use your judgement whether or not something is done.  Don't be afraid to poke and prod a little.  Cut into a piece of meat or poke to test the firmness of a baked treat. I never got that whole "Put in a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it's done" thing-if there's still batter on that bad boy, you're were waaaaaay premature (even when not competely baked, it will still come out clean) and may want to ignore this tip.  Stick with the directions in your recipe.  Otherwise it's time for a new oven.  Meat Thermometers are good to determine "doneness" of meat, chicken and fish but that seems overly anal to me.


Long and short of the tip: Start like 2 minutes below the recommended cook/bake time of your recipe and then monitor.



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