Soft Mini Pavlovas

Asked by Kamiliadzulkifli. Answered on 26th February 2016

Full question

Hi there, I have been making Nigella's Mini Pavlovas and they have always turned out to be very out good. However I've bought a new oven which allows 2 tier baking. I had always baked using 1 rack, the middle tier. Now that I can fit in 2 baking sheets, do I have to swap my them around halfway through the baking time to get an even bake? I've tried this and unfortunately the pavlovas tend to flatten and have not been baking well - the shells are not crisp at the end of the baking time. Secondly, is there any adjustment to the temperature and time if I bake with 2 shelves?

Our answer

From the query we assume that you have been using a regular oven (gas or electric) and may have switched to a fan or convection oven. Fan and convection ovens have a fan that forces the heat around the whole of the oven cavity and should give an even heat throughout the oven, regardless of the shelf used. Consequently if you are baking 2 sheets of meringues then the baking sheets should not need switching around during the cooking time. Also you should avoid opening the oven whilst meringues are cooking as the sudden drop in temperature can cause the meringue to collapse if the outside is not properly set.

However the fans in fan and convection ovens usually cause food to cook more quickly so most manufacturers will suggest that the oven temperature is reduced. Whilst it is common for the temperature to be reduced by 20c/50F, ovens do vary and you shoud consult your oven handbook for more specific instructions.