Ready meals - why pre-heat the oven?

Sparrow · 06-26-2009, 12:40 PM

I've often wondered why the instructions on ready meals say to pre-heat the oven.

Why not just stick the ready meal in when you turn the oven on?
It takes 5 mins for the oven to get up to speed, so just add five mins to the cooking time.
It saves making two trips to the kitchen - one to turn the oven on, and again to stick the meal in.
By cutting the number of trips in half, you get more reading time - so this is a relevant topic here.

Is there any advantage to pre-heating?

dreams · 06-26-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

SNIP
By cutting the number of trips in half, you get more reading time - so this is a relevant topic here.

SNIP

It has something to do with even distribution of heat to the ingredients...etc...

I have learned to love my microwave because I can avoid the whole preheat thing and read more...

Elsi · 06-26-2009, 12:50 PM

I think the issue is that the temperature during the warm-up period isn't predictable. Different ovens will heat up at different rates. And since you'd be starting at room temperature and getting to target temp in 5 minutes, you'd probably need to add more than 5 minutes to the total.

Actually, I think frozen and other heat-and-serve meals are very forgiving and you can probably get away with the one-step process and not harm the quality of your meal.

Ceili · 06-26-2009, 12:52 PM

Very slightly on topic... Do the Microwave/ready to heat meals there now tell you to measure doneness with a food thermometer? I've been noticing that on ours, and I get a big laugh out of it. Not because it's silly, but because for how many years, people have been eating ready to heat meals without those temperatures granting us permission to eat! (of course, it means they can't be sued if you get sick, so maybe that's why they're all getting on the bandwagon!

And, yes, you could just add 5 minutes to the timer, but maybe the food cooks/defrosts while the oven is heating up to the preheat temp? This could allow dangerous bacteria to form and kill us!!!

or something like that

Sparrow · 06-26-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceili

Very slightly on topic... Do the Microwave/ready to heat meals there now tell you to measure doneness with a food thermometer?

Not in the UK, they just typically say something about ensuring it's piping hot before serving.

P.S.

for the replies to my original query.

ruth1304 · 06-26-2009, 12:55 PM

A friend who has worked as a professional chef and now creates new ready meals never bothers to preheat the oven. I don't know about the science of it, but I assume that he knows what he was doing.

DixieGal · 06-26-2009, 01:13 PM

Preheat? No no no, that's what microwaves are for.

There's this really handy thing right now from Hormel. It is "Compleats" and isn't frozen. Slide it out of the cardboard sleeve, nuke it 90 seconds, and it's very good. Not enough to fill you up, but it makes an easy lunch on the go because you can carry it in a purse.

HarryT · 06-26-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I've often wondered why the instructions on ready meals say to pre-heat the oven.

Why not just stick the ready meal in when you turn the oven on?
It takes 5 mins for the oven to get up to speed, so just add five mins to the cooking time.
It saves making two trips to the kitchen - one to turn the oven on, and again to stick the meal in.
By cutting the number of trips in half, you get more reading time - so this is a relevant topic here.

Is there any advantage to pre-heating?

My only thought is that some people may not bother to add the heating time, and suffer some ill-effect from under-cooked food as a result.

wodin · 06-26-2009, 01:21 PM

Why do most cake mixes require you to add fresh eggs? When prepared cake mixes were first developed in the 1950s they included powdered eggs. All that was necessary to add was water. The housewives of that era were skeptical that powdered eggs were as good as fresh eggs and the cake mixes failed in the marketplace.

The manufacturer replaced the water only cake mixes with ones that did not have powdered eggs, and changed the directions to add one or two fresh eggs. They were an instant success! And we have been having to add our own eggs ever since.

Why do the directions say preheat the oven? Marketing!

RickyMaveety · 06-26-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I've often wondered why the instructions on ready meals say to pre-heat the oven.

Why not just stick the ready meal in when you turn the oven on?
It takes 5 mins for the oven to get up to speed, so just add five mins to the cooking time.
It saves making two trips to the kitchen - one to turn the oven on, and again to stick the meal in.
By cutting the number of trips in half, you get more reading time - so this is a relevant topic here.

Is there any advantage to pre-heating?

If you add five minutes on to the time, then you run the risk of what you put in being dried out a bit. That's the worst of it.

I also am a big fan of the Hormel Completes. They just sit on the shelf until you need them, and then you have a super quick lunch in 90 seconds. I think they have about 12 flavors.

RickyMaveety · 06-26-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

Why do most cake mixes require you to add fresh eggs? When prepared cake mixes were first developed in the 1950s they included powdered eggs. All that was necessary to add was water. The housewives of that era were skeptical that powdered eggs were as good as fresh eggs and the cake mixes failed in the marketplace.

The manufacturer replaced the water only cake mixes with ones that did not have powdered eggs, and changed the directions to add one or two fresh eggs. They were an instant success! And we have been having to add our own eggs ever since.

Why do the directions say preheat the oven? Marketing!

No, that's why you have to add your own eggs. There actually is a reason (that has nothing to do with marketing) for preheating in a conventional oven.

wodin · 06-26-2009, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

There's this really handy thing right now from Hormel. It is "Compleats" and isn't frozen. Slide it out of the cardboard sleeve, nuke it 90 seconds, and it's very good. Not enough to fill you up, but it makes an easy lunch on the go because you can carry it in a purse.

Meals, Ready to eat! AKA MREs. They come in brown camouflaged sealed foil bags, have their own chemical heaters, come in a few dozen varieties, and don’t taste too bad.

Trouble is they are hard to find (unless you’re in the Army) and are a tad spendy. About eight bucks (USD) apiece.

wodin · 06-26-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

No, that's why you have to add your own eggs. There actually is a reason (that has nothing to do with marketing) for preheating in a conventional oven.

Uhhh ... and it is?

DixieGal · 06-26-2009, 01:33 PM

OK, I gues I have to reveal the secret.... preheating involves both top and bottom elements, so the heat is hotter and the oven gets up to the correct temp, then it lowers the heat to maintain that temp.

So if you stick it in during preheat, it is more likely to burn on the outside and be undercooked inside. But I do it anyway, especially baking biscuits, in order to get a nice allover crust going.

Sparrow · 06-26-2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

OK, I gues I have to reveal the secret.... preheating involves both top and bottom elements, so the heat is hotter and the oven gets up to the correct temp, then it lowers the heat to maintain that temp.

So if you stick it in during preheat, it is more likely to burn on the outside and be undercooked inside. But I do it anyway, especially baking biscuits, in order to get a nice allover crust going.

Hmm, that sounds plausible - thanks.

I like my food a bit on the burnt side - so I generally add quite a bit to the suggested cooking times anyway.

06-26-2009, 12:40 PM	#1
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	Ready meals - why pre-heat the oven? I've often wondered why the instructions on ready meals say to pre-heat the oven. Why not just stick the ready meal in when you turn the oven on? It takes 5 mins for the oven to get up to speed, so just add five mins to the cooking time. It saves making two trips to the kitchen - one to turn the oven on, and again to stick the meal in. By cutting the number of trips in half, you get more reading time - so this is a relevant topic here. Is there any advantage to pre-heating?

06-26-2009, 01:33 PM	#14
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	OK, I gues I have to reveal the secret.... preheating involves both top and bottom elements, so the heat is hotter and the oven gets up to the correct temp, then it lowers the heat to maintain that temp. So if you stick it in during preheat, it is more likely to burn on the outside and be undercooked inside. But I do it anyway, especially baking biscuits, in order to get a nice allover crust going. Last edited by DixieGal; 06-26-2009 at 01:35 PM. Reason: Give me KARMA for sharing some of my vast knowledge of cooking trivia!

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06-26-2009, 12:50 PM	#3
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	I think the issue is that the temperature during the warm-up period isn't predictable. Different ovens will heat up at different rates. And since you'd be starting at room temperature and getting to target temp in 5 minutes, you'd probably need to add more than 5 minutes to the total. Actually, I think frozen and other heat-and-serve meals are very forgiving and you can probably get away with the one-step process and not harm the quality of your meal.

06-26-2009, 12:52 PM	#4
Ceili well, that didn't work Posts: 103 Karma: 1027 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle	Very slightly on topic... Do the Microwave/ready to heat meals there now tell you to measure doneness with a food thermometer? I've been noticing that on ours, and I get a big laugh out of it. Not because it's silly, but because for how many years, people have been eating ready to heat meals without those temperatures granting us permission to eat! (of course, it means they can't be sued if you get sick, so maybe that's why they're all getting on the bandwagon! And, yes, you could just add 5 minutes to the timer, but maybe the food cooks/defrosts while the oven is heating up to the preheat temp? This could allow dangerous bacteria to form and kill us!!! or something like that

06-26-2009, 12:55 PM	#6
ruth1304 Addict Posts: 394 Karma: 1546 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bristol, UK Device: Waiting for a kindle!	A friend who has worked as a professional chef and now creates new ready meals never bothers to preheat the oven. I don't know about the science of it, but I assume that he knows what he was doing.

06-26-2009, 01:13 PM	#7
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Preheat? No no no, that's what microwaves are for. There's this really handy thing right now from Hormel. It is "Compleats" and isn't frozen. Slide it out of the cardboard sleeve, nuke it 90 seconds, and it's very good. Not enough to fill you up, but it makes an easy lunch on the go because you can carry it in a purse.

06-26-2009, 01:21 PM	#9
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	Why do most cake mixes require you to add fresh eggs? When prepared cake mixes were first developed in the 1950s they included powdered eggs. All that was necessary to add was water. The housewives of that era were skeptical that powdered eggs were as good as fresh eggs and the cake mixes failed in the marketplace. The manufacturer replaced the water only cake mixes with ones that did not have powdered eggs, and changed the directions to add one or two fresh eggs. They were an instant success! And we have been having to add our own eggs ever since. Why do the directions say preheat the oven? Marketing!

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