Knowledge Base > Fran Costigan - Your Oven Is Lying to You
Fran Costigan - Your Oven Is Lying to You
This event was on
Tuesday, June 02, 2026 at 1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern
When your oven dings to say it’s ready, Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry has one response: not so fast. That cheerful beep does not signal a fully heated oven. You… Read More.
Question:
Many of us are using counter-top ovens (Breville, Our Place, etc). Anything special you recommend for regulating oven temps, etc? I find mine cooks quicker than my kitchen oven.
— Char Nolan
Answer:
I only have the possibility in that oven of convection, so I adjust it. I learned, for example, that 330 Fahrenheit is what I need in that oven for 350, so I got to know the oven. And Char says that she's finding hers cooks quicker than my kitchen oven. I think that has to do with the size. If you remember, I said Rose Levy Beranbaum said a larger oven needs more time to reach temperature, so that could be. And if you're using a Breville, Char, then you are baking in convection mode, and that would be quicker. But super handy. If I'm just baking one or two cakes or a smaller tray of cupcakes, I'm really happy to use my smaller oven. One thing I do want to tell you is I don't really like the idea of appliances with what I call bells and whistles, because to me, that's just more stuff to break. But when I got my new oven, there's an app on my phone for this oven, and I was very reluctant to use it, and the installer said, "Well, you have to because we do updates and all kinds of things." You know that I can be at the gym or coming home from Mom's Organic Market and preheat my oven. So I have saved a lot of time, and I really appreciate that.