When I started writing Baking Basics, I had no idea that it would be a popular page in my blog. Most of the beginners who read my baking basics find it so useful and when I hear those nice great reviews about the page, I am inspired to write more. If you are a regular reader, then you might know that I did a post on my old Morphy Richards OTG but with new models in the market, the post looks too out dated. So I decided to write a new post with my new Sunflame oven ( though it is one year old) Many like my videos so I also made a video explaining the interiors and functions of my OTG. If you love reading, read on, but if you like visual presentation, then view the video below. I have tried to cover all the functions you need to know for successful baking. If you are a beginner, don’t forget to take a look at my Baking Basics Page (click on the name to visit page)
Selecting An Oven:
My oven is Sunflame 66lt, but most of the ovens available in the market have the same type of knobs, so it would be easier for you to read this post what ever the brand you may have. Before selecting an oven, the brand or the capacity, figure out how much you will be baking. If you are baking for a small family and if you do it occasionally then go for a smaller oven. But if you want to bake regularly and have a slightly large family, you could go for 30 – 40 lt ovens. And if you are aiming to start you home bakery go for a larger one. Many ask me whether to buy an OTG or a MW Convection. My advice would always be to go for OTG. Convection ovens are too small and when it comes to bread baking, you need to do small loaves. So if you are really interested in baking and want to successfully proceed in the field, my advice would be to go for an OTG. You can always buy a solo MW for your cooking needs (that is what I have done)
Know The Inside Of The Oven:
Filaments:
The main difference between a MW convection and an OTG is the filament. The MW convection oven uses a fan to circulate hot air which bakes the dish, but in OTG, there are two filaments one on top and other on the bottom, which heats up and bakes the dish. Nowadays the OTGs also have the fan, which circulates hot air inside. By using the combination of filament and the fan, the heat inside the oven is even inside reducing the hot spots.
Trays:
Every oven comes with three trays, one for baking cookies and for placing your tins for baking, one is a wire rack which can also be used for grilling kebabs on the flip side and one as a drip tray which stays at the bottom of the oven and helps you keep the oven clean by catching all those drips. You also get a rotisserie rod which can be used to grill a whole chicken. As I am not into that, I have left it out in the post. But your manual will help you in figuring it out.
Coming to the side panel, the first dial you see is the temperature knob. Check the temperature settings. In India it is mostly in degree Celsius, but some may be in Fahrenheit. Mine is in °C. The min temperature is 100°C and the maximum is 250°C. You can turn the dial to choose the setting as you need or as suggested in the given recipe.
Next is the function selector. You can use OTG for so many functions such as baking, grilling, toasting and rotisserie. So according to the dish you are going to cook, you need to select the proper function.
The first one is a square. When you select it, it just switches on the light inside and keeps the oven warm. You can use this to prove your bread dough if the climate is too cool.
The second one switches on both the filaments and he fan. This is what I normally use to bake all my cakes, cookies and bread.
The next one switches on only the top filament and the fan and this setting can be used to grill foods. Place the tray on the top rack and select this function and you can grill all your dishes.
The next on the dial switches on only the filaments and the fan is off. This setting can be used as a toaster and some recipes which doesn’t call for the fan function. It can also be used to bake cakes and cookies.
Next is the Rotisserie setting. It switches on the top filament and the rotisserie rod which revolves when fitted. This will be useful when you grill a whole chicken marinated in spices.
The final one switches on all the heating elements inside, i.e, both the filaments, the fan and the rotisserie rod. So when you are doing combination dishes, you can use this. I hardly use it.
The final dial is the timer knob. You can either set the timer or you cna choose to select stay on so that the oven stays on until you switch it off. The timer comes to 60 minutes, but if you are using your oven the whole day, it is better to set it at stay on.
Preheating:
So many of you ask me about preheating. So why should we preheat an oven? Let me explain. When you switch on an oven, the temperature inside is the room temperature. But every recipe suggests some temperature for that particular dish. The oven takes some time to reach the particular temperature. So when you switch on the oven, the inside temperature is not what the recipe suggests. So the oven takes some time to heat up to the required temperature. Some recipes ask you to bake in a cold oven, that is you just set the temperature, switch it on and place the dish inside. But if not mentioned, you need to set the temperature, switch on the oven and give it some time to get to the required temperature. I always heat my oven for 15 – 20 minutes before placing my dish inside. This 15-20 minutes is the preheating time and this is so important to bake any dish properly. I usually write it as preheat your oven to 180°C. So some of my readers ask me what would be the baking temperature? If there is no other temperature mentioned in the recipe, the baking temperature is also the same as the preheating temperature.
Baking:
After seeing every function in an OTG, now we come to how to set an oven before baking. Read the recipe carefully. Check which rack the tray needs to be placed, check the temperature given, check the baking time and see there are any other details regarding baking. First set the temperature needed. Next set the function as per the recipe, whether it is baking, toasting or grilling. and Finally either set the timer to stay on or add the preheating time and the baking time and set the timer. Switch on the oven and wait for the preheating time to be over. Then open the oven, place your dish and close it immediately. Then wait for the baking time to be over. Before that do not open the oven for any reason. Once the time is over, switch off the oven, remove the dish from the oven and your baking is done.
Understanding Your Oven:
This is the most important point I can give you. Every oven is different. After knowing all the functions, it is easy for you to set an oven for baking. But the results may vary and here is the reason. The author of the recipe gives you the recipe having his/her oven in mind. But your oven may not be the same and it may work differently. So it is so important to understand how your oven works, how it heats up, whether there are any hot spots inside, whether the heat is even or uneven, whether the temperature is perfectly aligned with the setting or not, and so on. This takes time. It may even take months to understand the oven and only you can do it. At first it may be quite frustrating if any dish fails, but once you get the hang of it, you will enjoy.
I have tried my level best to explain the OTG and I am sure you will find it useful if you are a beginner. Do share it with your friends and comment on the post. I love to hear new ideas from readers.
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Hi Gayathri.. I ve been left my mother’s oven which is of Cornell brand.. the function selector knob is different for me.. there are 3 options, upper filament on or the lower filament on or both.. can you tell me which settings I should use each for baking cakes, pizza, chips etc
And it doesn’t have a fan
Switch on both filaments when baking cakes, cookies or pizzas or breads. No problem if it doesn’t have a fan function. Fan is recent addition in ovens.
Hi Gayathri…. I have bought prestige otg and all function knob is same as yours but when I use both filament with fan for baking the top part of my cake becomes hard… why is it happening so?
I bake cake at 180 for 30-35 minutes
Hi, reduce the temperature to 160C. It looks like over heating issue.
I’m having Bajaj OTG 28lit Gayatri.i need a help. Please tell me which utensils can be used in my otg.other than cake making. Can I use glassware.
I’m having Bajaj OTG 28lit. I need a help from u Gayathri. Which utensils can use for cooking in OTG other than cake recipes. Can I use glassware in OTG.
You can use aluminium or borosil bakewares Rajee.
I have Racold otg where rod function
as only upper rod for grill @ for toast & bake both rod glow . How to use rod for cake baking
Plz say the temp and position for baking cakes. I have the same otg
Usually the bakes are placed in middle rack. As for temperature, use the same given in the recipe. It differs from recipe to recipe.
Oh thank you Gayathri.
If i want to check with a toothpick whether the cake is done or not, can i open the otg directly while its on..or should i switch it off first then check and switch it on again..because i dont want to overbake and my oven seems to do that often.
No need to switch off the oven. Just open the door and check. If it is done, remove the cake from oven immediately.
Can I use ..both the trays I mean the baking tray and the wire rack tray to bake the cakes .I mean four cakes at the time ..2 cakes up and 2cakes in 2nd tray ..will all the cakes will bake properly pls help Gayatri ji
Yes, you can do it Rekha. But during halfway through baking you need to interchange the trays so that the cakes bake evenly.
Mam plz tell me temperature and timing for baking bread i have an bajaj otg
For breads it is 200 C.
Mam while baking in MR52 ltrs otg where should i keep the tray? the lowest rack or 2nd lower rack ..? and should i on both the rods with fan for baking cakes,bread and cookies will it be same for all? please help.
Always keep cakes in the middle rack. Use both filaments as well as the fan.
for 4 kg eggless cake,is it enough the multiple of 4 of ur receipe
I am having a 19ltr wonderchef OTG. It has one wire tray and one black tray. The function selector is different. It has four squares. 1st one is blank, 2nd one is with one line in the top , 3rd one is with two lines and the last one is with again one line in the bottom of the square. How I can bake a cake using this otg ? please help ma’am. Can I use microwave safe glass utensils in otg ?
You can send me the photo of the knobs to gayathriraani@gmail.com
It would be easier for me to clear your doubt.
You have mentioned that grilling is a cooking process when only the top filament is on. But ma’am that is called broiling. Grilling is done with only the bottom filament on
Hello Mam,
Thanks for the article and video. I have a doubt that, which function to set while pre heating the oven, when I supposed to bake cake or breads.
When you are baking any dish, cakes, breads, cookies, switch on both filaments and then preheat.
Ma’am I have a Wonderchef 19l OTG.How can I use it for baking,grilling and toasting. Please help.
Please send me the photos of the dials to gayathriraani@gmail.com I can guide you better if I see.
Hi mam i have Croma 33liter otg baking cake can v on both rods or only lower rod n cookies bread also which rod is perfect please help me
Always switch on both filaments for general baking.
For Baking which rod to glow, both rod or upper rod
You need to select toast mode where both filaments are swittched on.
Hi Ms. Gayathri,
I would like to know how can I get a smooth, crackless cake. Each time I bake, I get cracks. I use an OTG, I keep the cake in the second rack from the bottom. I use baking powder in my recipes and not baking soda.
Thanks, Sajna.
Higher temperature causes cracks. So next time reduce temperature by 20C and bake. It will be good.
HI gayathri,
I am a new reader to your blogs and all your recipes look delicious. Cant wait to try some. I have a basic question on OTG. I have LG all in one convection microwave oven. It does not have racks. when i bake cakes, i use a small steel rack that came with it. But some of the recipes call for placing the cakes in upper rack or sometimes the lower rack. How does the end product differ from the actual one when i bake the same in my oven,.
I am not sure if i have even asked my question right 😛
https://www.lg.com/in/microwave-ovens/lg-MC2146BRT
Placing the dish in upper rack or lower rack is usually done in OTG, to get the dish nearer to either top filament or bottom filament. But in convection mode, as the hot air is circulated inside, not sure about the rack placement. I guess it can be anywhere.
I had a 25L oven, where I used to place the cake on the top rack and bake using the lower rod only. Now I switched to a 40L oven. Ofcourse I preheated. Used an additional oven thermometer, placed it at the bottom. It showed 350° (180). Then when I put in the cake on the top shelf, I moved the thermometer on the top rack (using lower rod only). It showed a temp of 150. I thought since its a bigger oven, temp above must be lesser, so I moved the cake to the middle rack (still using lower rod function) .. and my cake got burnt within 20 minutes. What to do?
You should always switch on both filaments in larger oven. That way, the cake gets heat from all directions and will be baked perfectly. I think toast mode switches on both filaments. Do try it. Also reduce temperature to 170/ 160C and see how it works. It takes a few tries to fix the correct setting in new oven.
Hi ma’am.i owned prestige otg 28rc 2 days back.i baked the cake using both filaments on .when I preheat the oven Both filaments up and down were red hot but when I kept my cake to bake.once d preheat done,the down filaments was not so red like above.is it normal or any defect.i also noticed my cakes was not baked from down as it was baked well from above.what should I do?
Please check whether both filaments are heating while baking. Try to call for service. If the bottom of the cake is not baked, then there is some issue with heating.
Mam I am lost
My o.t.g has two rods Nd one knob to control the heat ..
Results r disappointing .pl.help à
Take photo of your dials on the oven and post as comment here. I can help.
Hi Gayatri, thanks for informative blog. I am planning to buy 25 ltr otg but getting confused between Bajaj 22 ltr n Philips 25 ltr , kindly guide. Also fan function is there. If any better option available kindly let me know.
Bajaj is good. Go for it. Smaller ovens, fan function is quite optional. If it is there, then fine. Otherwise also it is fine because filaments itself are enough for heating.
Thanks a ton for your reply. Would definitely will follow your advice.
Gayathri, this is a nice article. Do you know if Borosil OTG is good or not?
Thank you. I have heard that it is good. Though I haven’t used it personally.
Hi Gayatri, Recently I have bought Morphy Richards 60lit OTG . Whenever I make cookies my cookies got burnt from bottom n remains uncooked from top. I changed my OTG thermostat from technician but the problem continues.In that OTG I am making cookies on bake mode bottom rod on n fan on…temp 150 around for 10-15 min.pls guide me how to use this.
Hi, chenge the settings to toast mode where it switches both filaments. That way the cookies will be uniformly baked from top and bottom.
Hello Gayathri,
I bought a Reconnect 28L OTG… used it a couple of times for baking and grill works fine.
There is one issue though… it doesn’t have option to for upper or lower filaments.. instead it show toast bake broil and rotisserie options.
Most of the recipes, I see that we need to turn on both the filaments… what options should I select?
Thanks in advance
Hi, use toast mode for switching on both filaments.
Hi Gayathri
Recently I bought a MR 52L OTG. I had a timer issue and it was replaced by the technician. But when I set timer knob for 40 minutes it actually switches off in 20 minutes. Will there be the issue in timer or it works in this way only?
Oh, if there is issue with setting timer, go for the always switch on option and use an external timer in phone or watch.
Hi mam
To bake brownie in a 52 lites Morphy Richards should we use top and down rodvon or only top rod pls suggest
You need to use both filaments for baking. Place your tray in the middle rack.
Hi Gayathri,
Mine is Bajaj OTG, 22 L. A SMALL ONE. When i baked at 175 degree with both the rods in the middle rack within 10 minutes the top portion became crispy and the cake was not cooked. So i took the cake and place it on the lower rack and baked with lower rods only and my cake get baked
So where should I keep, temp, rods etc…
Plz help.
Smaller ovens get heated, so it is better to bake at 160C. And place an aluminium foil on top of your cake tin(tenting) to avoid the crisping up and over baking of the crust.
Hi mam,
I am Lakshmi, I purchased recently Otg of wonderchef company 19ltr for home purpose.
Daily I am trying …trying… But my cakes and cookies are not properly baked.. cake and coot are over rosting became back.
I am feeling bad .☹️
Please guide me.
Please contact on whatsapp and share your OTG panel photos. I can guide you better. 9597354611
In which mode the preheating should be done? Both rods on with fan or without fan?
The same settings as for baking, both filaments and fan on.
Please mam tell me how to bake cake in 10 liter Kent otg.plz guide me about time n temperature.do i need to glow two rods??how to pre heat in which mode?
Please mail me the photo of your OTG dials and insides to gayathriraani@gmail.com It will be easier for me to guide.
So which function you have to select while preheating your otg?
I have Borosil 19 ltr otg.
You need to switch on both filaments for preheating too.
Hi Gayathri ,
Love ur blogs and the way u explain .
This has been my goto for my baking queries, espicially the grp Fun with egg free baking is my first pitstop.☺
Have started baking since the pandemic and have only done few cakes , cupcakes and cookies .and wud now like to extend my trials and hence looking at buying an OTG ….eyeing the Borosil 42/ 48 lts prima.
Can u plz tell me ur thoughts on this …
Thank you so much. I haven’t personally used both these, so Unable to give you proper answer. Please check the website for reviews before deciding.
Thank u will check
Hey I recently buy a morphy richards 40 l otg it has baked mode rottesire n toast convection mode which mode I use for making cakes I have try on bake mode but my cake cracks from top n become hard from top..plz help
You need to use toast mode for baking. That switches on both filaments which will bake your cake evenly on top and bottom. If the cake is developing cracks, then the reason is high heat. Reduce the baking temperature by 20C next time.
Hey Gayathri, Hope you are doing
I just found your blog and I am literally obsessed with it.
A quick question, do the exterior body and the glass door get unbearably hot during baking.
I bought Philips 36L oven recently and when i bake something the exterior body and the glass door becomes extremely hot to the point with 2-3 mins where i cant touch without any gloves. And cant even stand near it for more than 2 mins while the OTG is on ON.
So i wanna know is it extremely normal or this just my cases.
Thank you. Yes, depending on the temperature, the body and the door also heats up. But it is completely normal.
Hi, I have a Dawlance oth 21 L capacity. I have baked a cake three times in it with only the bottom rods on and every time it got burnt from the bottom and sides and raw from the middle. Why is it so? Secondly for smaller otg If we bake with both upper and lower rods on with fan doesn’t it butn the cake because of the less space. Plz do reply me.
I prefer to bake my cakes with both filaments on. It generally distributes even heat inside the oven and the cake bakes evenly. Make a trial cake with both filaments on and 160C temperature. See how it goes. You can fine tune the temperature after seeing the results.
Hi, very nice simple explanation of otg. Appreciate it. I have ordered for Agaro 30 L OTG and the temp mentioned is 90-230. Is it enough or do we need 250 deg temp. And what dishes are made with such high temp 250 deg. Could you please help with this.
Best wishes for your new oven. If you are baking breads, 200C is more than enough. Usually we tend to use 250 only for sourdough or pizza. You can bake them at 230 also. No issues.
I am very thankful to you Gyatri ji. U told me basics of my oven.
I want to purchase an OTG which can bake cookies in greater nos. Are there OTG which have more than one baking tray?
Usually OTG available for home use comes with just one tray, even though it might have three or four racks. It is better to go for industrial grade ovens if you want to bake cookies in large numbers.
Hello Ma’am,
What is the use of the bottom rod?
Planning to buy Model Inalsa Chefs Club 30BKRC
Now came to know that it does not have the only bottom rod option.
It has 5 function modes. Image attached.
I generally use both filaments for even baking. So I don’t find any issues with this. Just bottom filament tens to burn the bottom of cakes.