Q. I have a Dacor Epicure convection oven. When I use the Pure Convection mode and use three or more cookie sheets, the cookies in the middle of the sheet are lighter than the ones on the outside of the cookie sheet. Why is this happening? They don’t seem to brown evenly, but when I bake one cookie sheet at a time on the Pure Convection mode they come out evenly browned on the entire cookie sheet.
—Judy/AZ, via FineCooking’s CooksTalk forum
A. Ovens do vary in their baking ability, but if you’re finding your oven browning unevenly, try reducing the oven temperature by 25°F and baking an extra minute or two. Also, check what type of cookie sheets you are using. Rimless, non-insulated ones lined with parchment are preferable. Nonstick silicone liners, or Silpats, also work very well.
Also, check the oven setting on the dial and in the manual to see if they differentiate between Pure Convection and Convection Bake. I bake cookies and cakes on Convection Bake, but not pastries and pies. Oven manufacturers sometimes refer to “pure” or “true” convection as being the Convection Roast setting. Try baking on the Convection Bake setting, if there is one.
| For more details on cooking with convection, read Susie Middleton’s Better Cooking Through Convection, visit our special section In the Kitchen, and watch a video detailing how convection ovens work. |
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Good morning. I'm new here, and came to this site for exactly the same reason (or 'problem') that Judy described above. I don't have a Dacor, I have a brand new GE convection/microwave with 2 racks. I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies (from scratch, using the recipe given on the chocolate chip bag) this past weekend, and found I had the exact same problem: uneven baking between the perimeter and center of the sheets. I can't imagine rotating the baking sheets would help this, the center is still in the center, the perimeter is still around the outside. ;)
The baking sheets I use are *not* rimless, they have a short rim, they are non-insulated, and they are a semi-dull non-stick material. I did not use parchment as I was unsure if it would be ok .. I'm a newbie, what can I say? :)
Oh yeah, and about the temperature.. the model that I have automatically resets the temperature 25 degrees lower for you, unless that function is turned off. (I have not turned that function off).
Thus far, I have only baked that 1 batch of cookies, but I will try another tomorrow, this time with parchment on the cookie sheets. Does anyone have any other ideas of what I can do to prevent this odd uneven baking, please? Thank you!
Rotate the location of the sheets during baking. Voila, even browning!