Stop Baking in the Wrong Part of Your Oven—It Could Be Ruining Your Recipes

Moving into your first place with your partner is very exciting—you are both learning so much from each other and creating new experiences. For me, witnessing my partner’s lack of kitchen knowledge is adorable at best, especially seeing a perplexed face at the broiler drawer (no, it’s not a storage drawer) beneath the oven. But, after seeing more than one TikTok tutorial go viral, it seems my partner is not the only one who could use some Oven 101.

In one such video, the creator demonstrates how the placement of oven racks in a standard oven should change based on what you are baking. In a move straight out of home economics class, they list an alphabetical system to help them remember what each rack is used for.

• “A” (lowest level rack) is for angel food cake and anything tall.
• “B” (lower center rack) is for biscuits and brownies.
• “C” (center rack) is for cakes and cookies.
• “D” (top rack) is for “do not use.”

Now, I do not agree with avoiding the top rack placement altogether (hello to broiling!), but the general idea is there. Making sure your food is correctly placed in the oven will determine how it bakes, and can make a dramatic difference in the finished dish. Here are the oven zones to use for every cooking situation.

Which Oven Rack Placement to Use When Broiling

Broiling is just like grilling, where direct heat or open flame is what’s cooking your food. What makes broilers different is grilling has the heat or flame below the food, whereas broiling has it over the food. Broiling creates a char on meats, vegetables, or pretty much anything covered in cheese.

In most ovens, the broiler is located at the very top of the oven. You need to place the rack at the highest setting, closest to the heat source. This method requires close attention, though, because it can easily go from perfectly golden to burnt in seconds. Note: some gas stoves have broilers in the bottom drawer compartment, so do not use that drawer for storage if that’s the case.

Which Oven Rack Placement to Use When Baking

Baking is perhaps one of the oldest cooking methods ever. It is a dry heat method that uses air as the heat transfer system. Baking needs even cooking to ensure a good rise without too much browning or worse—burning—in baked goods like cakes and cookies. The center rack placement is key to making sure the air is circulating evenly without your baked goods being too close to either heat source to risk burning.

Which Oven Rack Placement to Use When Roasting

You may think roasting and baking are the same. However, would you ever say you are “roasting” a cake? Nine times out of ten, it is never. Roasting is for thrill seekers. This high heat method ensures a nice golden crust on your food (think crisp veggies or a whole chicken), while also cooking it thoroughly. To get those results on large cuts of meat like chicken or turkey, and on sturdy vegetables like potatoes, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, use the lower third of your oven—that’s typically where the main heat source is located in ovens.