Hello, I am Science Xiaoquan, a creator in the field of science of Baijiahao. I like to share scientific knowledge in interesting ways, and I hope that you can learn new things and feel the charm of science while reading. Today, I would like to introduce you to a commonly used household appliance in our lives - the oven. Do you know how an oven works? Do you know how to use the oven properly? Do you know what amazing uses ovens are? If you're interested in these questions, then come with me to take a look!
The basic principle of the oven is to use electricity or gas to generate heat, and then transfer the heat to the food inside the oven by convection or hot air circulation, so that it is evenly heated and achieves the effect of baking. Depending on the heating method, ovens can be divided into two main categories: natural convection ovens and hot air circulation ovens.
Natural convection oven refers to the use of hot air rises and cold air falls to make the internal air flow naturally, so that the heated objects inside the oven can receive heat. Natural convection ovens include gas ovens, electric ovens, brick cave ovens, steam electric ovens, etc. The advantage of this type of oven is that it has a lower failure rate due to the absence of a motor and fan, and is suitable for occasions that require a slower heating rate, such as roasting meat, grilling vegetables, etc. The disadvantage is that there is no fan to circulate the air, so the heating rate is slower, the uniformity of the internal temperature is poorer, and the temperature is more difficult to control, so it is also less accurate.
A hot air circulation oven uses a motor and a fan to quickly deliver hot air to various parts of the inner box. The advantages of this kind of oven are that the heating speed is fast, the temperature is easy to control, so it is more accurate, there is a fan to produce hot air, the temperature is uniform, and it is suitable for occasions that require a more accurate temperature, such as baking cakes, bread, biscuits, etc. The disadvantage is that it is more expensive and has a higher failure rate.
After understanding how and what types of ovens work, how to choose and use the right oven for you? Here are some tips:
Temperature control: Accurate temperature control should be the first factor in choosing an oven! The temperature difference should be at least accurate to between the top and bottom 5, which directly determines the quality of your finished product!
Time control: Don't underestimate the accuracy of time control, if you don't pay attention, it is likely that a perfect biscuit will change from Asian to African ......because it takes 1-2 minutes to bake for an extra 1-2 minutes
Oven capacity: The choice of oven capacity depends on your use. The oven below 20L is suitable for general barbecue and roasting at home, but the capacity is small, the fire is concentrated, and the food is burned before cooking; It is recommended to buy more than 35L, if you pay attention to quality or commercial use, buy a larger capacity.
Heating element: The curved heating element is better than the straight heating tube, the heat dissipation area is larger, and the heating of the roasted food is more uniform; The space of the oven with separate temperature control of the upper and lower pipes must be large enough (more than 35L), otherwise there will be problems with the contact between the upper and lower fires; The oven is equipped with a large number of heating pipes, which reduces the heating distance between the pipes, and the heating is more uniform, and there are many things to bake at one time;
Material: Generally, the quartz heating element has a short life and is easy to be damaged.
Hot Air Circulation: The "Hot Air Circulation" function is the best to have, with this function, the oven heats up quickly, and the baked food is good in color and aroma. Moreover, you can use this feature to make meat floss!
Fermentation function: This is a "best, it doesn't matter if you don't have it" function, it can be used to make yogurt, wine.
Cleaning: Ovens are more difficult to clean than other kitchen utensils, and non-stick coatings are a good choice because they leave you with a lot of effort left over for cleaning.
Lighting: It's a good idea to have your own lighting in the oven to make it easy for novices and veterans to observe the color changes.
Market**: Everyone's budget is different, according to their own needs, choose a cost-effective one within the budget range, and meet their own requirements.
When using the oven for the first time, adjust the temperature to the highest, turn the upper and lower tubes to heat (if any), open the oven door and let it bake for 15-20 minutes; There is a layer of protective oil on the heating element, and it is normal to have a burning smell or smoke emitted during the first use.
Oven preheating means that the oven needs to be preheated to a specified temperature before baking any food to meet the baking time stated in the recipe. Preheat the oven for 5-10 minutes.
When the oven is working, whether the oven door can be opened or not depends on the food you want to bake. Except for cakes, puffs and other foods that have a great impact on opening the door, other foods can open the oven door in principle, but the number of times should not be opened frequently. (Be careful when the temperature is too high).
Turning the baking tray during the baking process will allow the food to heat more evenly and avoid burnt or undercooked food. When baking cakes, breads, muffins, etc., you need to turn the baking sheet 90° after half the time has passed. When baking cookies, switch the positions of the upper and lower pans if they have baking trays on several racks in the oven. The baking tray of the stew is also rotated once during the baking process to ensure that the juices of the dish are evenly distributed.
After the oven is used, it should be cleaned in time to avoid the accumulation of oil stains and food residues, which will affect the performance and hygiene of the oven. You can wipe the inside of the oven with a damp cloth or sponge, clean the heating tube with a brush, and dry the outside of the oven with a rag. If you have a stubborn stain on the inside of the oven, you can spray it with white vinegar or lemon juice and heat the oven to soften the stain before wiping.
In addition to baking food, do you know what other magical uses the oven has? Here are some oven tips you may not know:
Have you ever thought about using an oven to sterilize something? Such as your mask, gloves, towels, toys, etc. As long as you put them in the oven, turn them to about 100, and bake them for about 15 minutes, you can kill most of the bacteria and viruses and make your belongings cleaner and more hygienic. Of course, you should be careful not to put some items that are not resistant to high temperatures, such as plastic, rubber, metal, etc., otherwise it will damage the oven or cause disasters.
If your clothes, shoes, socks, etc. are wet, you can use the oven to dry them quickly. As long as you spread them on a baking sheet, turn them to low heat (below 50), and bake them for about 10 minutes to make them dry and comfortable. However, you should be careful not to put some heat-resistant materials in it, such as silk, wool, leather, etc., otherwise it will shrink or deform.
Have you ever thought about using the oven to make some handicrafts? For example, you can use the oven to make some colored candles, as long as you cut some old candles into small pieces, put them in different paper cups, then add some pigments, put them in the oven, adjust to low heat (about 80), and bake for about 10 minutes, you can let the candles melt into liquid. Then you can pour the liquid candle of different colors into a glass to make a layered colored candle. You can also add some spices to the candle liquid to make your candle sweeter.
In addition to baking food, you can also use the oven to make some other delicacies, for example, you can use the oven to make some dried fruit, as long as you cut some fresh fruit into thin slices, put it on a baking sheet, turn it to low heat (around 60), and bake it for a few hours, you can let the fruit dry and make a natural and healthy dried fruit. You can also sprinkle some sugar, salt, peppers, etc. on the fruit to make your dried fruit more flavorful.
The oven is a very practical appliance that not only bakes food, but also sterilizes, dries, makes handicrafts, makes delicacies, and much more. If you want to get the most out of your oven, you need to understand how and what types of ovens are, how to choose and use them, and what they can do for their magic. Hope this article can be helpful to you and make your life more colorful. If you like my articles, welcome to follow my Baijia account, and I will continue to bring you more interesting popular science content. Thank you for reading and we'll see you next time!