Cooking For Engineers

[ClaireBear]

I'm always wondering why some recipes call for dishes to be cooked on the top rack and others on the bottom rack of the oven. What's the difference? For now, I'd think the two are approximately the same: Heat rises to the top so the top of the oven is hot. However the bottom rack is much closer to the heat source so it's also hot. So why the different cooking methods? Thanks!

[GaryProtein]

The temperature in the center of the oven is most even. On the bottom rack, the cooking vessel is being unevenly heated by the heating element or gas from the bottom and the top of the pan gets less heat. Also, dark colored pans will brown more, (an important consiseration for cakes or cookies) especially when on the bottom rack than a shinier, lighter colored pan. I generally like to cook in the center of the oven for most even cooking. Some things. like a really big turkey might need to be placed on a lower rack than the center due to space limitations in the oven.