Hi! I have a couple of (probably inane) questions about baking, in case anyone is feeling patient.

First of all, about the oven. I kind of don't get it. It has three different dials: one with numbers from 50 to 220 (temperature? in celsius?), one that I think is the timer, and one with little pictures that may or may not indicate where the heat is coming from... does that sound about right? I'm not used to this whole gas system and am deathly afraid of making the house explode. Anyway... to bake something like a cake, which of the little pictures would you choose? Should it heat from the bottom, or the top, or what? Thanks!

And then, about ingredients... any thoughts on what these are called in Italian, or what good substitutes would be?

- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- whole-wheat flour (there are about fifty kinds of flour in Esselunga, but none of them seemed to be whole-wheat... as far as I could tell)
- baking powder & baking soda

Thank you!!

The temps are Centigrade (Celsius). Heat from the bottom unless using the broiler.

I have to disagree. Sorry! To bake a cake, I would heat from top and bottom. Not the broiler, but top and bottom.

If you need to bake at 350 F, that equals about 176.6 celsius. Most of the Italian ovens I've seen have a 180 degree marker.

Whole wheat flour I guess is Farina Integrale.

Baking Soda is Bicarbonato.

Baking Powder, I have no idea.But you can also use lievito for cakes in the cake section.

They sell little packets of powdered vanilla also in the baking section.

Wow, I didn't know they made gas ovens that heat from top and bottom. The gas fire in mine is at the bottom. There is an electric broiler in the top of the oven.

http://www.onlineconversion.com/ has saved my life many times! They have a cooking thing towards the top which should give you what you are looking for. I do all of my baking with the top and bottom heat.

I think I must have bought the wrong type of oven. What brand are the ovens with gas fire in the top and bottom?

Well, the brand of my oven is Ariston. But I have no idea how it works. All I can say is, that there is an icon for broiler, one for top, one for bottom, and one for both. And that is the one that I use for cakes, roasts etcs

Erm, I think you may find then that it is electric? I have the Ariston with all the pictures and a fan in the back, plus an integral grill element in the top, and heat from the bottom. You use the pictures to either have only the grill on, or a combination of heating areas on including the fan for more even distribution. I could be wrong of course, it is your cooker, but I would be surprised if it were gas.

BTW, the setting I mainly use, with good results is the picture of the cake. I use it for roasting and baking. The kebab picture is good for the normal grill setting, but on high heat.

OK I am confused...I have an electric oven with those same pictures on it...I always assumed that the one showing the top was broiling and then I assumed the one with just the bottom showing was for baking but the one with both showing was for roasting..so which one is it...and I know mine is electric...thanks...

The grill element in the top of my oven is electric, for broiling. If I flipped that on while baking a cake, the top of the cake would be charcoal.

Ok, 'cos I'm nice ! This is the "suggested" uses for each of those pictures from the instruction manual I have just dug out from the bottom of my kitchen cupboard:

Roast chicken pic. Traditional oven mode: Both the top and bottom heating elements will come on. Best to use one rack only for even heat distribution.

Rectangles with 1,2,3 : Multi-cooking mode: ALL the heating elements as well as fan will come on. Heat remains constant so uniform cooking of food. Max. of two racks at a time.

Kebab pic: Barbecue mode: Top element comes on. (This is your broiler/grill mode) Always have oven door shut. Use high heat.

Pie pic with little triangles above it: Gratin mode: top element and fan. Increases effectiveness of the unidirectional thermal radiation of the heating elements through the forced circulation of the air throughout the oven. Prevents food burning on surface but allows heat to penetrate. Always cook with door closed.

Pizza pic: Pizza mode!!: bottom and circular heating elements as well as fan come on. heats oven rapidly by producing considerable amount of heat esp. from bottom. More than one rack of food - switch them over half way through cooking time.

Cake pic: Bake mode: Rear heating element and fan come on. Heat delicately distributed. Ideal for baking and cooking temp sensitive foods. Can be used to prepare tartlets on 3 shelves.

If you want to know recommended shelf positions ask, it is all in my manual.

However, personally, I generally use bake mode for all my cooking and BBQ for grilling/broiling.HTH

I am so glad you are so nice so...

Alyson, I don't have all those pictures, you are lucky!! Guess I have the cheapy version.

I have regular lines and bold lines and one wavy line indicating broiler/grill.

One thing I can tell you about my oven is it cooks horrifically uneven! And it's brand new!! The back is much hotter than the front, I have to turn everything half way through. It's great when we make pizza though, because I like pizza well done, while my husband likes it cooked less. With this oven, we get to eat at the same time, lol.

Like the beds with zip together mattresses!!

No, this is just plain old-fashioned electric ovens. Always been the same, always will I guess! Yet I prefer them to gas! Don't know why! Even with all those settings as I say I use just two as the results don't seem any different with all the others! I remember trying to cook a chicken on the roast setting - it was pretty much raw still after an hour!!

You are welcome JilM! As I say I have the manual so just ask!

Thank you so much for all your answers and advice, everyone! Upon further reflection, it could be that my oven is indeed electric. It just occurred to me that just because the stovetop is gas doesn't necessarily mean that the oven is, too... they seem to be two separate pieces of appliance-ness.

Anyway, thanks again! Especially for the description of all the little pictures, alyson! I don't have that, but I feel all culinarily educated now.

Again, you are welcome! Sounds like you have the same set-up as me, gas stove top and electric oven! Happy cooking!

BTW, didn't you just love the bit about "unidirectional thermal radiation" What?!!

quote:

- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
- whole-wheat flour (there are about fifty kinds of flour in Esselunga, but none of them seemed to be whole-wheat... as far as I could tell)
- baking powder & baking soda

For vegetable oil, I use peanut oil - olio di arachidi, or sunflower seed oil - olio di semi di girasole.

Vanilla extract I honestly bring from the states. You can find it here in very small vials, they come in a bright green package here in the supermarkets in Florence. But I would advise you to import it because the quality is much better.

Whole wheat flour is farina integrale.

Baking powder is lievieto. They sell it in small envelopes and it unfortunately is "vanigliato", meaning they add a fake vanilla flavor. You might want to cut down on your vanilla extract because of this.

Baking soda is bicarbonato.

Happy baking!