Most homeowners know the basics of using an oven, but there is so much more we need to know about this useful appliance. Here are some of the things you may not know that can help you get the most of your oven.

Most ovens have inaccurate temperatures

Even the latest and most modern oven may still give inaccurate temperature readings from time to time. Fortunately, it is possible to calibrate the temperature in your oven to fix this problem. All you need to do is purchase an oven thermometer and use it to get an accurate temp reading of your oven.

Your oven is the original slow cooker

Slow cookers are designed for a hands-off cooking experience, but you can use your oven the same way. In fact, your oven can be used to slow roast tomatoes for sauce, caramelising onions, or setting vegetables into soup.

The hottest part of your oven is the top

This may not be much of a surprise, but we all know that heat rises inside the oven, so the hottest part of your oven is the top. So, when you are using multiple sheet pans for cooking at once, rotating them from top to bottom is important.

Oven knobs are really dirty

When you are prepping your chicken, you get raw chicken juice all over the oven knobs. You may ignore cleaning these dials, but it is an important and easy task to do.  It is recommended that you soak oven knobs in soapy water to disinfect them quickly.

Your oven cleans your cookware

You may sometimes find your cast-iron skillet and pizza stone covered in a sticky mess. This is a clear sign that you need to give them a heat bath. The oil build-up inside your oven causes that sticky residue. The best way to get rid of it is to bake the skillet and stone upside down on a 450° for one hour.

Position of your oven racks matter

The bottom part of your oven is where the heat comes out, so it is a rule of thumb that the closer the rack to the bottom of the oven, the crispier the bottom part of the food will be. Also, the middle rack position is the sweet spot where you get even heat when cooking your food.

All ovens have a hot spot

All ovens have a spot that is hotter than the rest. You can’t get rid of it, but you can identify the exact location. To know where the hottest part is, you can place bread in a grid pattern on the oven and toast at 350°. You will see where the hot spot is since it will be the location where the bread toasts the fastest.