Range & Wall Oven - Preheat
Preheating is very important when baking at temperatures above 275 degrees or when baking items with short cooking times such as cakes, cookies, biscuits and other pastries. Although preheating is not usually needed for most meats, poultry, casseroles or when roasting or cooking complete meals, it is often recommended. During Preheat, the Bake and Broil elements come on to quickly heat the oven interior.
Some ranges and wall ovens have Preheat indicator lights or have a Preheat signal to let you know when to place the food in the oven. There are two types of Preheat signals:
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Preheat signals when the set temperature is reached: This is found most often on models with a Preheat indicator light but is also on some models with an audible tone or beep. Preheat takes approximately 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon the model.
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Preheat signals when the temperature is hot enough to add food: This is found on many newer models with an audible Preheat signal. Preheat will signal at about 7 to 12 minutes. The oven is not at the set temperature; however, the oven is hot enough to add most food items that require a preheated oven.
For those models that do not have a Preheat indicator light or audible signal, wait approximately 10 to 20 minutes to allow the oven to preheat. The time will vary depending upon your model.