My oven seems to cook the outside faster than the inside

Question

I'm not in any way any kind of good cook, I just eat a lot of chicken breasts.
I used to have a bargain basement janky gas oven that I would run on full heat, and I would put a Costco precooked frozen chicken breast in ("cooking time 35-40 minutes fan oven 180 degrees") and after 43 minutes it would come out absolutely perfect, with crispy skin and not too dry or tough.
I moved house and now have a more expensive oven, which is electric.
I have tried to cook my chicken breasts but the results are always disappointing. Generally, the skin seems to cook then burn. The instructions say 180C so I have used a laser temperature probe pointed at the chicken and adjusted the dial so that this value is 180C.
I find that after 33 mins the skin starts to burn. So I often cook it for around 30 minutes but it's a little bit tough and doesn't taste as great as my old oven.
I can't really tell what I should change to improve it. I feel like I need to cook the inside longer without burning the outside, but I am not certain.
The variables I can think of are to increase/decrease the temperature and increase/decrease the cooking time.
Is there a general rule of thumb about temperature vs time based on what aspect of your food is cooking incorrectly?

rumtscho · Accepted Answer

so I have used a laser temperature probe pointed at the chicken and adjusted the dial so that this value is 180C

That's not how you are meant to do it. 180 C is the oven temperature, not the temperature of the chicken skin. If you turned it up until the chicken surface became 180, that's way too hot, and of course it causes the exact symptoms you describe.
You should just set your oven dial to 180 C and use it that way. If it continues to burn on the outside, go down in the temperature until you find one at which, when you wait until the inside is done, the skin is not burnt. Then write down the time and (dial setting) temperature it needs, and continue using that, no matter what the package says.

moscafj · Answer

Oven thermostats are wildly inaccurate.  The variability across ovens is great.  What was "full heat" on your earlier oven, might not be anywhere close to what your new oven is achieving.  You are correct about temperature and time.
Additionally, oven temperature is not the temperature at which your food is actually cooking, due to evaporative cooling. So, your laser pointer is not helpful in this situation.
Chicken breast need to be cooked fairly precisely, otherwise they dry out.  If the outside is burning before the inside is cooked, turn the heat down to begin with.  However, to get the best results, purchase a probe thermometer so that you can monitor the internal temperature of your food.
In the US, the FDA recommends cooking chicken breast to 165F (74C).  You can remove it from the oven at 160F(71C), or slightly higher,and let it rest for 10 minutes, as carry over cooking will bring the temperature up.

Eric G · Answer

You might try putting a pan of water in the water oven to create a more humid cooking environment. One of the by products of burning gas is water vapor, which may have slowed down how quickly the skin of the chicken was browning.

Answered by Eric G on April 11, 2021

My oven seems to cook the outside faster than the inside

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