Lack of thermometer

[v12spirit]

Any one guys has an inherent way to estimate the approximate temperature of the oven with lack of a thermometer? Namely, How can one know when the oven reaches 400 C using inhome simple techniques?

[david s]

Re: Lack of thermometer

Any one guys has an inherent way to estimate the approximate temperature of the oven with lack of a thermometer? Namely, How can one know when the oven reaches 400 C using inhome simple techniques?

The ancient Romans cooked for thousands of years without thermometers. One method they used was to place a fist into the centre of the oven and count how long you can hold it there. Eg 2 secs = baking or roasting temp. The semolina test on the floor is another good one. Cast a little into the centre and it should go black in 3 secs for correct pizza temp.