I have been thinking about putting two thermocouple in my next oven just to see what it tells me about how heat works -- how fast it moves to the outer parts of the mass, how long it holds, what the outer part does when the inner layer is 750+, etc. I am thinking about one a couple inches in the dome and the floor. Still, I think that talks more to my curiosity about oven design and performance than to practical cooking. After a while, I think you just get to know your oven and what you need to do for the type of cooking you are doing.
We baked bread the other day (after our daughter's birthday pizza party) with a friend who is a serious baker, and we had to put the loaves in the oven before it had had time to fully cool (he had to leave at a set time). It was between 2 1/2 and 3 mississippis -- and I knew how it was going to go. The bread was getting dark after about 15 minutes, but not hallow sounding enough inside, so we threw a little foil over it to keep it from burning while it finsihed baking. The bread wasn't perfect, but it was really good. So, I have gotten to where I can tell what is going to happen with this oven -- just in time to leave it behind! We are leaving this house in 3 weeks.
James |