The Tool Nadiya Hussain Thinks Every Kitchen Should Have
Nadiya Hussain may have gotten her start as a humble home baker who took home the title on "The Great British Bake Off" in 2015, but she is now a cookbook author and television personality with plenty of experience under her belt. She's not afraid to share some of her tips and tricks with her eager fans, including her recommendation for a particular tool she believes every kitchen should have.
Luckily, Hussain's must-have tool isn't very expensive at all — she thinks every home cook should own a simple oven thermometer. The BBC Good Food Show shared a clip on YouTube in which Hussain explained just why she feels everyone should have the tool. As she stated, they're not too hard to find, and they're quite inexpensive depending on the kind you buy.
Not sure exactly why you'd bother investing in a thermometer, no matter how cheap, when your oven literally has the temperature displayed on it already? Well, though an oven is a significantly larger purchase than a simple thermometer, it's not foolproof, and the internal temperature can fluctuate during baking. This may not make a difference in all dishes, but for some more finicky meals or baked goods, it could impact the end result.
Keeping your oven consistent
As Nadiya Hussain stated in the YouTube clip, using an oven thermometer gives you the confidence that "you've got the exact temperature." An oven's actual temperature can vary from the number on the display by as much as 50 degrees F, according to Cook's Illustrated. And even if your oven is on top of its temperature game, small variations in certain recipes like soufflés could be the difference between a picture-perfect dish and a total flop (via Bakestarters). The thermometer also helps battle against any inaccuracies that come from normal wear and tear. Simply put, you're likely using your oven at least once a day, if not more, and the built-in thermometer may wear out a bit over time, rendering it less than accurate.
One thing to note is that you should place the thermometer in the middle of the center rack of your oven, which is likely closest to where any dishes or pans you place in the oven will go (via Cook's Illustrated). And, if the idea of opening your oven to verify the temperature sounds exhausting, you're in luck. While there are plenty of simple models that just use a dial hanging from your oven rack, Bon Appétit favors a slightly more expensive — but still not wildly pricy — model that combines a probe with a digital face that allows you to measure your temperature without having to open the oven door and risk a drop in heat.