GUIDE TO MAXIMIZING OVEN SPACE & COOKING MULTIPLE DISHES

Creating multiple dishes in your oven for an elaborate dinner or to prep lunches for the week doesn’t have to feel like a frustrating juggling act. Utilize your oven’s capacity and be more efficient with some proven and simple oven tips.

 

Keep reading to learn how to cook multiple dishes at once so everything is on the table at the right time before your guests get too hangry

Cooked turkey in open oven

HOW TO USE YOUR OVEN’S FULL CAPACITY

Cooking a menu with multiple dishes doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience. It’s always a good idea to consult the owner’s manual to learn about your oven settings, as well as how best to use your oven. Along with the oven tips provided in this guide, you’ll gain a more thorough understanding of oven rack positions and hot spots, so you can create multi-course meals with greater ease and less stress.

Small bread loaves on a baking sheet and in an oven

1. PLAN AHEAD

Review your recipes in preparation for creating a cooking plan. A smart tip is to consider when you want food to be ready and then work backwards. Any items that need resting should be cooked first, and then you can move on to dishes with longer cooking times, like red meat or chicken.

Hand preparing a pie with apple slices

2. PREP

Some baked items, like pies, can be baked in advance. This will free up valuable oven space and make things less chaotic. Some desserts require time to cool to room temperature so they can be baked ahead of time and then stored before needing to be reheated or chilled for serving.

Croissants baking in convection oven

3. USE YOUR CONVECTION SETTING

Convection ovens are built with different or additional parts than conventional ovens. These ovens, like the Maytag® Gas Range with True Convection, work by circulating hot air throughout the cavity to help food achieve an even cook on different racks. This also reduces moisture on the exterior of foods, so you don’t have to rotate dishes to get evenly baked results.

Various foods cooking in an oven on multiple racks

4. FOR OTHER TYPES OF OVENS

The bottom element in a conventional oven is the main heat source, whereas he upper heating element provides top-down heat. This means that the bottom and back-ends of a rack are often the hottest spots if you’re looking to cook food faster. It’s recommended to rotate your dishes from front to back and top to bottom to ensure that everything cooks evenly.

Hand selecting an oven setting

5. UTILIZE OTHER APPLIANCES

For sides, appetizers, or other smaller dishes, this Maytag® Over-the-Range Microwave with Convection Mode is equipped with a feature to cook or bake your dishes with a convection setting. If you want to braise food or cook a stew or soup, try using a Dutch oven on your stovetop.

Hot coils in an oven

6. LET YOUR BROILER REDUCE PREHEATING TIME

Your broiler setting can help get dishes cooked faster, but it’s not ideal. It’s best to only use it if you’re way behind in your cooking. To use your broiler to cut down on preheating time, turn on your broiler and let it run for 3 to 5 minutes, then customize the settings for the temperature you need to cook with

Closeup of food cooking on multiple racks

7. AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE CAN COOK MULTIPLE DISHES AT ONCE

When cooking multiple dishes that require different temperatures, set your oven to the average temperature across all the dishes. If one dish needs to cook at 375℉ and another at 425℉, set the temperature to 400℉.

 

When using this method, you must keep an eye on each dish and use a food thermometer to see if you need to adjust the cooking times if needed.

IS IT OKAY TO COOK TWO DISHES IN THE OVEN AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES?

Yes, but when cooking two dishes at the same time, it’s best if they have the same temperature requirements.  Make sure you leave room between dishes to allow for even heat distribution.

HOW TO ADJUST COOKING TIMES FOR MULTIPLE DISHES

For conventional cooking ovens, heat rises from the bottom of the oven. Place the largest dishes with the longest cooking times on the bottom rack to expose them to direct heat. Always keep an eye on your food to monitor their crisping and browning, and rotate dishes accordingly.

WHY ARE MY DISHES OFTEN GETTING OVERCOOKED OR UNDERCOOKED?

If you’re finding that many of your dishes are getting overcooked or undercooked, you may want to try calibrating your oven temperature. You can perform a test by preheating your oven to 350°F and then placing an oven thermometer in the centre of the middle rack. If the reading is 15°F higher or lower than it should be once the oven is preheated, your oven might need to be calibrated

View of a double wall oven in a modern kitchen

CAN YOU BAKE TWO DISHES AT ONCE?

Yes, you can bake two dishes at the same time, but there are a few things to consider. Try to separate sweet and savoury items, as flavours can merge in the oven. Also, never overlap bakeware across racks, and leave room to allow for adequate air circulation between the dishes in addition to the sides and back of the oven walls.

HOW TO KEEP FOOD WARM WHEN COOKING MORE THAN ONE DISH

Review your owner’s manual to learn if your oven has a keep warm setting. This can keep your food warm until it’s time to get it on the table. If your oven doesn’t have enough room, try warming the plates at the lowest setting in your oven, but be careful when doing so. Another option is to warm serving plates or food in a warming drawer, microwave, or to insulate your food with tinfoil.

CAN YOU COOK MORE THAN ONE DISH IN A CONVECTION OVEN?

The convenience of a convection oven vs. a conventional oven comes from the fan and exhaust system that better allows for multi-rack cooking. This system promotes hot air to circulate the oven’s interior, ensuring an even heat distribution. When cooking multiple dishes at once, pay attention to the cooking temperatures required for each dish and consider using an average temperature. Most importantly, monitor your food as it cooks.

SHOP MAYTAG® WALL OVENS

Powerful built-in wall ovens from Maytag brand are available in singles or doubles to take care of the tough jobs when it comes to hosting or feeding a large crowd. Select Maytag® wall ovens have True Convection and Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel to help remove the effort that comes with cooking and cleaning.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WALL OVENS WITH MAYTAG® BRAND