Why do you need to preheat the oven before baking?

Answer 1

Check the recipe before cooking. Sometimes preheating is, and sometimes is not, necessary.

If you need to cook something in the oven for a specific amount of time at a specific temperature, then it must be cooked at that temperature the WHOLE time.

If it takes 10 minutes to preheat it to 300 degrees, and you put the food in WITHOUT preheating, you undercook it.

And if you out the food in WHILE preheating, you end up overcooking it.

Answer 2

You need to preheat the oven so that it can warm up before you bake. If you do not preheat, the food will bake while the oven is heating up and therefore the recipe will not be as accurate as intended.

Answer 3

Preheating the oven insures that the oven is the same temperature needed for baking

Answer 4

Most cakes are baked in greased and floured pans in an oven heated to 350 to 375 degrees (F.)

Answer 5

Most, if not all baking recipes call for preheating the oven. To ensure proper baking results of whatever you are baking, the oven needs to be heated enough.

Answer 6

Yes, because the cake must bake at an even temperature throughout the entire baking time in order to rise properly and to bake evenly throughout.