Most cooks know that opening the oven releases heat which slows cooking. But on cooking competition shows, many skilled chefs check their oven often, resulting in undercooked food. Do these chefs know something we don’t know, or are they actually making this rookie mistake?

Question

Most cooks know that opening the oven releases heat which slows cooking. But on cooking competition shows, many skilled chefs check their oven often, resulting in undercooked food. Do these chefs know something we don’t know, or are they actually making this rookie mistake?

In: Other

Answer 1

In competitions, the only thing you’re doing is cooking, and there’s money on the line, so it’s stressful. Especially in baking shows, there’s a lot of downtime while stuff is in the oven, so they’re sitting there stewing in their own stress while they wait.