why do some recipes tell you to use the top third of the oven, and how much of a difference does it really make?
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I don’t believe the top of the oven is actually hotter than the bottom in many cases. Why?
The element in the bottom is the source of all heat for the oven. It kicks on and off the entire time to maintain temperature while the top of the oven is actually consistently losing heat, because generally it’s not even airtight.
And in order to actually dump heat into the oven, the element has to become considerably hotter than the air inside the oven. The hotter it is relative to the oven, the faster the heating.
So while the top could in many instances be hotter than the bottom, the bottom probably experiences more temperature fluctuation overall and reaches higher highs. And if your oven isn’t designed very efficiently and has to kick on more to maintain temps, that’s also going to have an effect.
TLDR: **I think the top of the oven generates the most consistent temperature, because it’s the farthest away from the source of the heat. So you’re going to get a steadier cook.**
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I don’t believe the top of the oven is actually hotter than the bottom in many cases. Why?
The element in the bottom is the source of all heat for the oven. It kicks on and off the entire time to maintain temperature while the top of the oven is actually consistently losing heat, because generally it’s not even airtight.
And in order to actually dump heat into the oven, the element has to become considerably hotter than the air inside the oven. The hotter it is relative to the oven, the faster the heating.
So while the top could in many instances be hotter than the bottom, the bottom probably experiences more temperature fluctuation overall and reaches higher highs. And if your oven isn’t designed very efficiently and has to kick on more to maintain temps, that’s also going to have an effect.
TLDR: **I think the top of the oven generates the most consistent temperature, because it’s the farthest away from the source of the heat. So you’re going to get a steadier cook.**
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