Whenever I bake something it comes out raw or burnt. What am I doing wrong?

There are many types of ovens: gas, electric, convection, ones that heat from the top, from the bottom, with a temperature dial, with a broiler. But what they all have in common is that their job is just one thing: Heating!

-And if my oven only has to do one thing, why does it do it so badly?

When a recipe doesn't turn out right, the most likely reason is that the oven is heating more, or less, than we think. Or that we don't even know what temperature it's at, because many manufacturers love to use 1, 2, or 3 little flame marks to show how hot the oven is — information that tells us absolutely nothing.

How do I find out what temperature my oven is at? That's exactly what an "oven thermometer" is for: a thermometer you place inside the oven in a way that lets you read it from the outside. They come with a base to stand them on, or you can hang them directly from one of the racks inside.

So the next time a recipe says "Bake at 180°C (350°F)", all you have to do is turn on the oven and play with the heat knob until the thermometer reads about 180°C (350°F) — anywhere between 170 and 190°C (340 and 375°F) is perfect!