oven heat front to back

Got a tip the other day. When baking in the oven, ALWAYS turn on the outside vent fan. (it helps move the air around in the oven).

Are you referring to the vent over range (in the microwave) or the fantastic fan in the ceiling?

My Sundance has a range hood and vents to the outside just above the stove. The microwave is off to the side.

Keep in mind a great deal of Recipes suggest that you turn the baking item around half way through the baking time... to provide even baking.

Some type of baking stone often makes baking a bit more controlled. A Pizza stone works well or what we've used, a 12" X 12" inch red clay floor tile from Home Depot... helps to reduce the hot spot in the center of the oven by soaking up heat and diffusing the hot spots. Place the stone directly on the floor of the oven... directly above the burner.

Marv, do you then cook on the racks as you normally would, using the stone as a diffuser?

Yep... just toss the stone below the racks of the oven, on the floor directly above the burner. Yes it will absorb the heat from the burner below and help to reduce the hot spots. Some times baking on the bottom rack and perhaps using a thinner type of bake ware can cause the bottom of what your baking to scorch. The red unglazed tiles sold for floor tile are pretty low cost... couple bucks at the most and can be found in most home building centers.

MC9 said:

Got a tip the other day. When baking in the oven, ALWAYS turn on the outside vent fan. (it helps move the air around in the oven).

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This is new to me. I turn on the exhaust fan over the stovetop but only to remove as much heat as I can from the area. I don't believe it has anything to do with air circulation in the oven. Marv's tip is right on the money. We do a similar thing with a Heavy Duty Aluminum baking tray on the floor of the oven. The stone sounds like it may be a better idea though.