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:
I have a wacky oven that only does convection on top and thermal heat on the bottom. If I want my GF vegan cupcakes to dome, should I still put them on the top shelf?
— Cathy Chapman
Answer:
I don't even understand that, Kathy. Do you mean only the top rack will do convection and the bottom rack thermal? This is new to me. I learn something every single day. "If I want my gluten-free vegan cupcakes to dome, should I put them on the top shelf?" Mine dome even when I use the conventional bake mode. It's not a matter of convection versus standard. So it's just that there's higher heat on the top, and so tends to dome. Now, nobody wants a domed cake. We have all these instances of how to get the dome off your cake. You let it cool and then cut it off and save the crumbs or eat a little bit yourself. But that is so interesting, Kathy. I would love to know more about your oven.
