Oven Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making | Techniquely with Lan Lam
Getting to know your oven is essential to achieve successful results in the kitchen - Lan shows you how to avoid the most common oven mistakes.
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Get our Broiled Smashed Zucchini with Garlicky Yogurt recipe: cooks.io/4ccMuSO
The Truth About Cooking with Convection: cooks.io/3Iv6oev
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ABOUT US: The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. Fifty full-time (admittedly very meticulous) test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques. Learn more at www.americastestkitchen.com/.
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Lan is GREAT. To the point, direct and gentle. She is like an old friend gently reminds you things that you forgot.
And who can't use that kind of friend?
I've learned SO much from her videos specifically. The details of cooking are what I love about it and Lan is all about the details.
She is incredible!
LAN is a true professional. Her instructions are always true & on point. No hype or fluff. Just straight honest facts. You can’t ask for better.
Local Area Network
Absolutely agree. She’s great .
Most importantly, she's nice to look at.@@annemiura7767
She’s my fav.
Just like her name. Lan Lam. Simple, efficient and effective.
It never occurred to me that food might be _overcooked_ if the oven hasn't finished preheating but it makes sense now that she's explained it.
Same here! I'm totally guilty of not waiting for preheating to finish, but I'd always assumed a few extra minutes would make up for that. Turns out I could potentially end up with burned AND overcooked food.
I've been watching YT cooking videos for nearly 15 years, and I feel like I hear the same tips over and over again these days. Lan is one of the few professionals who brings fresh ideas to the table in anway that's approachable for home cooks, and perfectly balanced betwen technical specificity and high level purpose and function. You are amazing, Lan, thank you! I'd love to see a video on fish - slow roasting, pan searinf, broiling; when, why, how, and for what fish?
I appreciate all of the ATK videos and recipes but, frankly, Lan's techniquely series videos are so incredibly helpful and educational. I've used several of her techniques to adjust how I follow other recipes (mushrooms especially) and appreciate all of the education provided. Thank you!
Lan Lam is an absolute treasure! Her techniques and the reasons behind them always lead to making myself a better cook. I appreciate you, Lan!
Love it. Please do an episode on best practices for reheating different types of food. When should they go back in the oven, vs stove top (with or without lid), vs microwave etc. Of course it depends on the food and tools available, but laying out some principles and examples would be very valuable (ie which will be soggy vs dry out vs krispy etc). In addition to reheating, a subset would be "keeping warm" when dishes finish at different times but you are trying to serve hot.
Yes. I second this suggestion!
Concur!
YES PLEASE
Lan is amazing, thank you for your hard work.
Chef Lam with another banger. I've made it a point to focus on oven cooking a lot the last few years and preheating, rack adjustment, and watching temps more closely has greatly improved my oven cooking. This chef is a national treasure!
This lady is extremely talented in explaining things in a clear, concise, and easily understood way that not many can.
The issue with some of these tips is they're intended for electric ovens. I have a gas oven. The heating comes from the bottom of the oven, and the broiler is a separate chamber underneath it.
It's even more complicated than that. Your gas oven may only have one heating element, but that's not universal for all gas ovens.
Lan is my favorite in ATK. Her techniques and recipes are always legit.
A plus for me is no evidence of ego or performative presence.
I’m a big Lan fan. She always delivers great, useful information without talking down to us.
I just love Lan. I could listen to her 24/7 🥰
Lan Lam is always a legend!
These little steps and annoyances are the things that deter a lot of people from cooking, but understanding WHY they need to be done goes a long way. Thanks!
Agree: the few people I know of who don't like or 'can't' cook are self-proclaimed anti-detail people.
toaster and microwave ovens are made for THOSE people.😂
It's a science AND an art.
@@sanseijedicooking is quite a job if you want to do it right. It's not cheap, it's not easy to learn how to not make a lot of mistakes and it's time consuming. It's a commitment to excellence. Who has that anymore regarding a meal?
@@tbillyjoeroth Well, it is a life skill. Both our boys I had doing their own laundry by middle school (jr. high to this Old Guy). I was the household cook 90% of the time. Whenever a son told me something was 'really good' meal wise, I told him he'd better learn how to make it before he moved out. Later, I'd say "before I die". I wrote up various recipes in a folder just to have a record if either of them wanted it. Now, they're grown men and of course fully self-sufficient. Their ideas about excellence are individual and make me proud, and it's not about cooking, exactly. So i guess people have the time for whatever piques interest. The principle is cross-disciplinary. Cheers!
I love my broiler. Any time I have to brown ground beef, I break out my sheet pan and turn on the broiler. Spread the beef thin on the sheet, set the rack about 8 inches below, and broil for about 12 to 14 minutes. Lots of Maillard brown on the top, and bunch of time and effort saved.
My husband has noxacusis and can't tolerate the sound of sizzling. We live in a studio. You have saved me.
The info about how the oven uses top and bottom elements during/after preheating is super useful. Now I know why I prefer to cook bacon in an oven that's still preheating, even though that's a bad idea for most other dishes!
Oh, nice tip. Can you explain in more detail why and what exactly you do, what temp, how long, use foil, how much bacon, etc? I don't like cooking bacon on stove top so it's oven for me but i am not doing it right.
@@ddtex4954It gives the bacon fat more time to render out, resulting in a more consistent piece. You can do the same thing in a cold pan on the stove as well if you're not doing an internal oven cook. Another good tip is placing the bacon on a sheet in the oven with a few tablespoons, just barely covering the bottom, of water. No foil needed, so that saves kitchen waste as well! By the time the heat picks up, the moisture will begin to evaporate right as the bacon fat renders. This results in evenly cooked crispy bacon. I generally do this at 350 for 30 minutes, and its consistent every time. The added benefit of all this in my opinion, is the ease of cleanup. No grease nets needed, not extra wipe downs, just delicious bacon rendered with fat ready to strain after eating!
The technique for boiling bacon is really catching on. Hadn’t thought to do it in the oven. Will try this! Thanks for the tip.
@@Real_Big_Shrimp that is very precise and helpful. Bye bye, foil! Thank you.
@@Real_Big_ShrimpBut doesn’t the oven get dirty with the bacon grease? So still have to clean the grease up?
Man, Lan is the absolute queen. Superb information and excellent delivery. Thanks Lan (and ATK)!
Her video on microwave oven was a game changer for me. Now, a video on oven. Thank you, master!
Lan’s presentations are always 🎯.
Bravo!!! Another amazing Techniquely gem!!! Lan's techniquely series videos are so unbelievably helpful it's mind boggling! I've used several of her techniques to literally "WOW" my guests and girlfriend with simple food that is just simply better. Thanks again Lan. You are the best!
Thank you for a very useful video. My wife is a pastry artist and she bakes the most incredibly beautiful pies. She has published a very popular book on pie decoration and consequently gets many questions about baking and pie failures. The most common failure is an inadequately baked (soggy) bottom crust. The solution to this problem is two-fold and actually quite simple. Double crust pies can be baked at 375 °F on the LOWEST RACK position until the top is as brown as you like. Then cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. This is assuming you are using a metal pie pan. For glass or ceramic you will need somewhat longer. Thanks again for a very useful summary. We will recommend folks watch your video when we people ask baking questions.
You said 375° C. That's equivalent to 707° F. Are you sure it's not 375° F?
@@richardolson1920 Nah he's trying to keep his wife's success a secret :P
@@richardolson1920 Thanks kindly! Corrected. 👌
Another thing I learned from Rose Levy Berenbaum’s ‘Pie Bible’…before filling, paint the crust with a thin layer of egg white, or chocolate -depending on the flavor of your pie. I use ceramic pie plates. Nothing worse than a soggy bottom!
I always enjoy Lan’s knowledge and how she presents it and I am guilty of not waiting for the oven to completely reheat.
In our recent kitchen makeover, we installed a pricy Wolfe oven that has all the bells and whistles. Now after a coupe of years, I'm having second thoughts of our purchase. I watch a lot of cooking channels here on KZhead, and never received info as to oven basics. Thank You Lan Lam for touching on these basics.
“When a recipe tells you to adjust the oven rack….”. < slinks away > She is the best. ❤
Chef Lam and her team do a great job of making sense of these concepts in a pleasant non-sensationalized manner. I see that zucchini recipe finding its way onto a pizza!
Sounds fabulous, yet, how would you modify the yogurt part? 😛
I absolutely love this series. Please keep them coming!
I'm so glad they are showcasing Lan's expertise and personality on KZhead. I love seeing her on America's Test Kitchen, but it's usually just short segments every once in awhile. As usual, she has great and helpful tips!
I love the graphic in the video that says "OVEN MISAKES". Very meta.
I wondered if anyone noticed that, haha
So much useful information that no one usually talks about.
"Techniquely" is one of my favorite KZhead series, and Lan is brilliant! Keep up the great work, ATK!
I love your videos. I rarely find anything I question. But that is NOT a thin-crust pizza.
I really enjoy this chef! She is so easy to understand, very pleasant natured and FABULOUS ideas!!👏👏👏
Love you Lan! So smart! Thank you for all your advice!
Another gem from Lan. ❤
Coming from a family of cooks and a chef, I always allow my oven to come to temp and leave it at least 15 minutes before putting my food in. Always preheat a pizza stone at least one hour when making pizza. A laser thermometer is well worth buying to check pizza stone temps. I also always follow the rack position instructions when provided. A remote thermometer or an oven with a temperature probe, is a must if you do a lot of roasting in the oven, as opening and closing the oven door to check temps will really mess up your timing. When it comes to convection ovens, there are different types of such ovens. A true convection oven has a heating element around the fan in the back, as well as in the top and bottom of the oven. Those tend to do a much better job than those with only a convection fan in the back. There are also some with a fan in the top of the oven, usually large combination microwave/convection ovens, they should be avoided for most things, but do a great job on oven baked buffalo wings. One last tip... NEVER use a silicon baking mat when baking cookies. Use parchment paper instead if you want easier cleanup at the end. Silicon mats will just make your cookies spread out and possibly burn.
Lan, you're so smart and I love the way you explain things. New fan of yours!
Thank you. I have always been confused as to oven rack placement.
Lan is such a queen i luv her
I got a new oven recently and I am still exploring the new settings and this was wonderfully helpful! Thank you!
Zucchini dish looks amazing! Great video!
Super helpful! Thank you, Lan!
I like how she EXPLAINS (and shows) what happens when don’t follow instructions correct. Thank you!
0:18 It's always funny when Mistakes is misspelled 😁Misakes, which I choose to read as "My sakes" 🤭
That demo with the almonds and pre-heating the oven was soooo enlightening! I love Lan's videos.
The broiler info is super helpful for me. Thanks. I tend not to use it, but I'll test it out to see what happens.
Lan Lam is the best!!
When a Lan Lam technique video comes out I get ready to learn. Always interesting!
Thanks, LAN! I think I knew most of those tips, but reminders are always useful 👍
Great video. Very interesting and informative. I learned a lot.
Always enjoy Lan cooking videos. That zucchini recipe looked insanely delicious!
Nice info on the misakes. : )
I love Lan’s content. Keep it coming!
Chef, I would *love* for you to do a whole video of convection oven tips. The place I just moved into has this high-tech oven with a variety of convection settings - I'm pretty tech-friendly myself and pretty bold about experimenting but could definitely use all the help I can get! 😀 Also, as a fan of zucchini, I totally thank you for that smashed-zucchini technique.
Oh yeah: I do pay attention to rack placement instructions in recipes, but am routinely guilty of skimping on pre-heating. Will not be doing that anymore. 😀
I need Lan to help me with my differential calculus homework she's really good at explaining things.
I read a lot of people when using a wood cook stove, used to prop open the oven door with a spoon, so the hot air would roll over the top of the oven and out the door, thus browning the tops of the food being cooked.
Love Lan's videos ❤
Thank you Lan!
I love, love love Lan! 🥰☮
Love the Lan!
Always love seeing a new video from Lan!
another great video from Lan and crew!
Excellent! Thanks!
More great tips from Lan. Thanks ATK One other thing with the pizza. When removing the pizza from the oven never place it directly on the cutting board or the outer crunch of the crust will be steamed soft from the moisture still coming out of the crust. Instead put it on a rack for at least three to as many as five minutes to allow most of that initial steam to escape then place the pizza on a cutting board to cut into slices.
I know I've been praising her every single video, but each time after watching Techniquely, I just can't not comment how amazing she is. 🤭
Always put food in over while still getting hot. Lesson learned. Thank you!
Thank you for covering this topic!
so helpful! Thank you
Thank you. This has just made me realise why the nut roast that I always bake in my fan oven, didn’t cook properly the other day when I used the same temp and timings but cooked it in the conventional one.
Love your technique videos, Ms Lam.
LOVE LAN!
Lan is amazing!
Thank you!
You are gold! 🤠
I love these segments. I learn so much and Chef Lan is great.
I always learn something new from you.
Professional home cook here. Chefs kiss* Cheers Lan!
Very Smart, Thanks for ALL your tips !
Thanks, Lan.
I love these videos! I would love to see one talking about when to use convection, bake or convection roast, and how to adjust recipes for convection. I know that you have an article on your app about it, but sometimes these videos are so helpful, and I would love a little bit more information than that.
Lan is a excellent teacher 👌🏻
Great video with useful tips and clear explanations as always!
Good advice. I always follow the instructions in the recipe.
Love your work Lan! Can we have a video on convect bake vs convect boil vs convect roast please!
Lan with another insanely useful video!
This was a well needed video and I LOVE your series... I have been a fan of ATK for years but your series are amazing!
Love this information
May I pls know the yogurt cream recipe at the bottom of your zucchini? Mahalo!
Very clear and useful. Cheers
Baking is chemistry. If you don't follow the instructions the magic can fail to happen.
My favorite chef.😊 Thank you!
I'll be trying that pizza positioning tip this week on Pizza night!
Excellent info & hard to find anywhere else, but thru America's Test Kitchen. Bravo!
I didn't know there were pizzas that look like cakes. Interesting video!
Her voice is so soothing, isn’t it?
Always like seeing Lan's tips! I'm glad she didn't suggest that once an oven reaches temperature that you need to let it continue to preheat for x minutes. I've always felt that is a inexcusable waste of energy when you see a recipes that say to preheat the oven to x temperature and then wait an extra 10-15 minutes.
Lan is the Alton Brown of the day. Much appreciated content.
I'm a well-behaved wannabe chef. I follow instructions for the first time thru. I really appreciate the convection oven advice.
I'm subscribed for Lan!