This 10-minute 'toast test' will reveal why your oven isn't cooking food evenly

Cuisinart toaster toast test
(Image credit: Future)

After spending ages in the kitchen lovingly preparing a meal, it can be incredibly frustrating when the food comes out of the oven unevenly cooked. Is this human error, or is the oven to blame?

More often than not, it's just a quirk of your oven. Unfortunately, even the best electric ranges will sometimes suffer this inconsistency. Fortunately, there's a very easy hack that can expose any uneven cooking in your oven, so you can learn how to tackle it.

It only takes a loaf of bread and 10 minutes of your time. So let me explain exactly how to figure out how your oven likes to cook — believe me, you'll save yourself a lot of time and effort.

The toast test

Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus White bread

(Image credit: Future)

I recently learned about a simple trick to figure out how your oven likes to cook — and it's called the "toast test." To prepare, all you'll need is a wire rack and a loaf of bread. Then, preheat your oven to 350°F and, while you wait, line the wire rack with slices of bread, until it's completely covered.

Once your oven is hot, simply place the wire rack full of bread onto the middle shelf and leave it for 8 to 10 minutes. When you pull the wire rack out, you'll notice that the bread acts like a heat map.

Each slice of bread will now have a colour to it which will vary depending on where the heat in your oven is.

Each slice of bread will now have a colour to it, which will vary depending on where the heat in your oven is.

This will highlight where your oven circulates heat and where any hot spots have been found as more well-cooked toast will be found in those places.

You'll also notice different trends depending on what your oven does, including lighter or darker spots in certain areas. When flipping over the bread, it becomes even more apparent how the heat spreads.

Why it works

Hamilton Beach Air Fryer Sure Crisp Toaster Oven toasts bread

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The toast test works simply because it reveals uneven heat in your oven. When I carried out the toast test, I noticed the front right corner of my oven was substantially hotter than the rest of it because the toast was incredibly well-cooked here in comparison to the other slices.

When I carried out the toast test, I noticed the front right corner of my oven was substantially hotter than the rest of it.

I've always had a feeling this was the case, so in order to counteract this and provide a more even cook, I'll remove the food halfway through my cooking time and spin it round.

Once you've completed the toast test, you'll be able to establish what works best for you from the results. Genius!

You can also look into recalibrating your oven to ensure the internal temperature lines up with what your oven is supposed to be set to. For this, you'll need to refer to your oven's manual to determine the best and safest way to do this.

Bosch 800 Series HEI8056U Slide-in Electric Range
Bosch 800 Series HEI8056U Slide-in Electric Range: was $2,375 now $1,899 at Amazon

We voted this Bosch 800 Series as one of the best electric ranges on the market right now. We're impressed by its adequate size for family meals and the fact it comes with three racks and a handy warming drawer. Plus, it's also self-cleaning. And right now, it's almost $500 off its usual retail price. Self-cleaning and a bargain? Excellent.

Alternatively, you may want to consider buying one of the best electric ranges, like the Bosch 800 Series HEI8056U Slide-in unit above, for more even results.

More from Tom's Guide

Grace Dean

Grace is a freelance journalist working across homes, lifestyle, gaming and entertainment. You'll find her writing for Tom's Guide, TechRadar, Space.com, and other sites. If she's not rearranging her furniture, decluttering her home, or relaxing in front of the latest streaming series, she'll be typing fervently about any of her much-loved hobbies and interests. To aid her writing, she loves to head down internet rabbit holes for an unprecedented amount of time.

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