Non-stick baking trays

You may have non-stick baking trays in your oven. To prolong their life and cut down on the washing up, try lining them with baking paper in most cases, including using the grill functions. This is also helpful when cooking lots of different foods on the same baking tray. Always handle your oven trays on both sides, especially when loaded with food, and use your tray grips whenever needed.

When baking it is recommended you cool the baking trays before placing into the oven. Many biscuits have high fat counts — placing the dough onto a cold baking tray will stop them spreading too much before the oven heat sets the dough. Cakes, however, are supported by their tin and require the heat to react with the fats and baking agents to expand and rise, so it is better they are placed in the oven at room temperature or slightly above. Meats should always be cooked from just above room temperature so that they start cooking immediately and can be effectively timed. Never attempt to cook meat from frozen; apart from the health risks, the meat will be terribly overcooked on the outside by the time it is cooked through to the centre.