How long to preheat gas oven?
Many recipes tell you to preheat the oven as early as the first step. This is often too early. I’d preheat the oven about ten minutes or so before you need to put the food into it. If you have an oven that doesn’t heat well, you might want to start as long as 15 minutes ahead of time. Many modern gas and electric ovens have special timers attached to their thermostats that count down to when the oven is the correct temperature. Most temperatures on most models take roughly 10 minutes to get where they need to be. If you are really concerned about getting the right temperature or you are dealing with a recipe that demands precision (most baking recipes), you can always purchase an oven thermometer. Invest in a reliable one, perhaps costing $15-20. When placed in the oven according to the manufacturers instructions, it should register the correct temperature within about 5 degrees or so.
