Baking

No, not the pastries and desserts kind of baking. That actually requires measurement, and as you should know by now, I'm way too lazy for that. Also, I treat "baking" synonymously with "using my oven." So in reality, "baking" includes things like broiling and reheating.

I tend to mostly bake meat, or bake to reheat things like cookies, pizza, scallion pancakes, fried chicken, or other things that should have some crispy component. So, when I think about baking, I think not in terms of a bake temperature or bake time, but rather in ranges of temperature and their usage.

200-250 F

At these temperatures, I'm basically just reheating things, or cooking something like salmon really slowly. At this temperature, most fat will begin to render, but it won't fry the other things around it, leaving moist and juicy meat, or a nice warm molten cookie.

Cook times will tend to be a bit longer, like 30-40 minutes or maybe more for a slab of meat like salmon. If you're reheating a cookie, 10 minutes might be enough.

250-350 F

These temperatures indicate more serious baking, and especially if I want a little more crisp in the result. For example, if baking skin-on chicken thighs or breast, this would cook the meat to a good internal temperature, while also providing enough heat to crisp up the skin a little more. Although if I really wanted to crisp up the skin, I would probably just broil it at the end of the bake.

350-425 F

I think of these temperatures mostly the same as the previous range of temperatures, but when I'm in a crunch. It requires less bake time, but sometimes when not careful, can result in dryer more overcooked meat. Is this helpful? Probably not, but I already told you I'm cooking with feelings.

425-500 F

These are the temperatures suitable for broiling or crisping up meat. This could give a good final sear to an oven-roasted prime rib, or to crisp up the skin for some baked chicken.

500+ F

I think of these temperatures as pizza baking temperatures. Most home ovens don't even go this high, so don't count on it.

Notes

• Don't overcrowd your baking tray. Otherwise the food items will tend to steam rather than bake.
• Broiling uses a lot more direct heat from the heating coils in the oven. So broiling at the same temperature is not the same as baking at the same temperature. Broiling will burn your food a lot quicker.
• It can sometimes be helpful to bake foods that are covered in aluminum foil. This helps trap moisture and leaves a juicier product.