Many people think that the first step in baking must be to buy an oven. There is nothing wrong with the answer. However, there is a big gap between the imagination and the actual use of the oven. It's not that the oven is bad, it's an idealized oven. It's easy to regret it and even become idle, so I personally don't think it's necessary to buy an oven, just as I found baking very troublesome after I got it. In order to avoid misunderstanding about the oven like me, I suggest that friends who are going to make great efforts in baking must understand three key issues about the oven before deciding: whether to buy an oven or not.

First, the purpose of buying an oven

Baking is definitely the reason why most people buy ovens. Me, too, read a batch of recipes before buying, thinking that after getting the oven, I will make great efforts to make various desserts and barbecues. After a period of use, it is found that it can really meet the baking needs. Baked all kinds of desserts, as well as barbecue, lamb chops, chicken wings and other meat products, are all very good.

However, before buying, you should consider whether you have enough time to cook. Because the shortest cooking time in the oven is about 30 minutes. If you are busy at work, often work overtime on business trips, and you are not a person who likes cooking very much, it is not suitable to buy an oven. Even if 300-500 yuan can buy a small oven, it will smell better if it is idle. The purpose of buying an oven is baking, but make sure you have time to do it.

Second, the experience after purchase

I bought a beautiful 38L oven, which cost 299 yuan and took four and a half years. Let me talk about the use of the oven from several dimensions.

1. can meet the baking needs of various ingredients.

The purpose of buying an oven at first was to make bread and dessert. However, after buying it, I found the oven more useful than I expected. In addition to all kinds of bread and desserts, it also unlocked roast lamb chops and roasted vegetables. This is cheaper and healthier than eating out.

2. The total price of cooking tools purchased exceeds the oven.

I didn't know much about baking before buying an oven. I didn't know that every cake and dessert needed different molds and flour. So the first day I bought the oven, I bought all kinds of flour, the most common high-gluten flour and low-gluten flour, sugar powder and so on. The molds are: Qifeng cake mold, non-stick pan tray, shell cake tray, pizza tray, etc. Tools can be used for a long time, as long as they are not damaged; Flour is a consumable, which needs to be purchased frequently and has a short shelf life. People who don't bake often may cause unnecessary waste.

The cost of these tools and flour has far exceeded the value of the oven itself. When I first started cooking, I often had the idea of "it's better to buy ready-made". After all, baking is not only a matter of buying an oven, but also the cost of molds and materials, and it takes a lot of time.

If you care about these two issues, it is not recommended that you buy an oven.

3. Need kitchen space.

After buying the oven, I also found a problem: the space has narrowed. When the tools, oven and flour arrived, I suddenly found that the kitchen was narrow: there was no extra space in the small cupboard to store these things. To this end, I also bought a storage rack specially. Therefore, you should also consider the size of your space before buying an oven.

4. Life has changed because of baking.

I didn't know until I started baking that some desserts are actually very simple, such as egg tarts: you can buy ready-made egg tarts online, and you only need to use the combination of eggs+milk+sugar to complete delicious egg tarts, and the price is cheap. In my spare time, it is also a good interactive way to try baking at home for 1-2 hours a day and give it to friends and relatives. Most importantly, it has brought a new definition to my life. Sweet cakes and barbecue with rich sauces add delicacy and fun to weekend life. What brings you is a brand-new life experience, which is the charm of baking.

Third, buy advice for everyone.

Besides the time, tools and patience required for baking, I also have some buying suggestions for you.

1. You don't need to buy a big oven.

Compared with the embedded oven, this external oven can also meet the cooking needs of most people, but the bigger the oven, the better. The oven I bought has a capacity of 38 liters and has four baking positions. However, after actual use, it was found that only one layer of baking could be completed at a time, because the temperature was uneven. Four-layer baking oven is not good at all, it is not as good as two-layer baking oven: small capacity, small floor space and low energy consumption.

It is suggested that friends with small kitchens buy 30-32 liters of ovens, and big kitchens can buy 40 liters of products.

2. It needs to have fermentation function

Most desserts baked in the oven basically need to be fermented as long as it involves kneading dough. This process determines the taste and value of dessert. The optimum fermentation temperature of dough is 36℃, but most indoor conditions can not reach the standard temperature, so it is best to use an oven with its own fermentation function to complete it. If you decide to buy an oven, it will be better to buy one with fermentation function.

3. It is recommended to choose an electric oven.

The oven I am using now is a mechanical knob, which can adjust the temperature by turning it. The advantage is that it can be adjusted to the marked temperature by turning it, but the disadvantage is that the temperature is not accurate. There will be slight deviation when the mechanical knob is twisted, so it is difficult for beginners to understand the temperature, which leads to the failure of baking. After all, temperature is the most important condition for baking. On the other hand, the electronic oven can accurately display the current temperature and control the temperature more accurately.

4. It is best to control the temperature of the upper and lower pipes independently.

In addition to the adjustment mode will affect the temperature of the oven, heating pipe has a greater impact on baking. Common external ovens include unified temperature control of upper and lower tubes, independent temperature control of upper and lower tubes, and M-shaped heating tubes. I use an oven with unified and independent temperature control of the upper and lower tubes, but the temperature is not accurate because there will be errors in the adjustment of the mechanical knob. I suggest you choose an oven with independent temperature control, because different ingredients have different requirements on temperature: the caramel color of egg tarts baked at high temperature is better, the temperature at the end of toast needs to be lowered, and the ingredients baked at low temperature in season have more water.

Before buying a baking tool like an oven, you must know whether it meets your own needs and its functions. Knowing these two questions, you can know whether the oven is worth buying and whether it is suitable for you.

From my personal experience in using the oven, the oven is not a necessary tool, but it is still very useful to buy it. Using the oven for four and a half years has brought me many wonderful experiences. If you have time, you are willing to spend more time in the kitchen. The oven is worth buying.