All You Need Is Sugar To Check Your Oven's Temperature Accuracy

If your food is constantly coming out of the oven overcooked or undercooked, even though you swear you read the instructions right, the problem might not be you. It's surprisingly common for an oven's thermostat to be slightly off, which can adversely affect your baking without you even realizing it. So unless you enjoy scraping off the burnt bits from your baked cookies, it's worth checking your oven's temperature accuracy — and all you need is some sugar.

Granulated white sugar melts at around 366 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can use it as a simple test to check your oven's temperature accuracy. If you suspect your oven runs hot, preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a small amount of sugar in an oven-safe dish. After 15 minutes, if the sugar has started to melt, your oven may be running hotter than the set temperature. If you think your oven runs cold, try the same test at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If the sugar hasn't melted after 15 minutes, your oven might actually be cooler than what the display shows. Running the same tests at other temperatures, such as 360 and 370 degrees, can give you a better idea of how inaccurate your oven is.

If your oven is running hot or running cold, it's a good idea to use an oven thermometer to determine the exact number of degrees its temperature is off by. To get the most accurate reading, it's best to set it in the middle of your oven rack and keep the oven door closed (don't make this mistake when cooking either) so that you don't lose any heat. This way you can compare the actual temperature with your oven's temperature reading to see just how far off it is. Most modern ovens will allow you to recalibrate the oven's thermostat manually, so make sure to have a read of your oven's instruction manual.

If recalibrating is not an option for your oven, you can adjust your baking temperature or time based on the difference you measured. For example, if your oven runs 15 degrees hotter, simply reduce the temperature by that amount when baking. So, if you suspect your oven's temperature is a little off, grab some sugar and test away. And if you find that your oven's temperature is way off, call in a professional — because it's not worth the frustration of burnt cookies.