Oven temperature conversion
American recipes give oven temperatures in Fahrenheit, most of the world uses Celsius, British recipes may add gas marks, and fan ovens need their own adjustment. The chart below lines all four up. The rule of thumb for fan (convection) ovens: set them about 20 Celsius degrees, or 25 Fahrenheit degrees, below the conventional temperature the recipe states.
| Fahrenheit | Celsius | Fan oven | Gas mark | What bakes here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 F | 120 C | 100 C | 1/2 | Very slow. Meringues, drying fruit |
| 275 F | 135 C | 115 C | 1 | Slow. Rich fruit cakes |
| 300 F | 150 C | 130 C | 2 | Slow. Custards, cheesecake water baths |
| 325 F | 165 C | 145 C | 3 | Moderately slow. Pound cakes, brownies |
| 350 F | 177 C | 160 C | 4 | Moderate. Most cookies, cakes, muffins |
| 375 F | 190 C | 170 C | 5 | Moderately hot. Pies, enriched breads |
| 400 F | 205 C | 185 C | 6 | Hot. Roast vegetables, scones, choux |
| 425 F | 220 C | 200 C | 7 | Hot. Puff pastry, crusty bread |
| 450 F | 230 C | 210 C | 8 | Very hot. Pizza, lean bread, searing |
| 475 F | 245 C | 225 C | 9 | Very hot. Naan, thin-crust pizza |
Notes worth knowing
The exact Celsius equivalents are awkward numbers (350 F is 176.7 C), so charts round to the nearest 5. Ovens themselves swing 10 to 20 degrees around their set point during a bake, which is why the rounding never matters but an oven thermometer often does. If your bakes consistently brown too fast or too slow, trust a 10 dollar oven thermometer over the dial.
Fan ovens cook faster because moving air strips away the insulating layer of cool air around the food. Besides lowering the temperature, start checking a few minutes early the first time you bake a recipe with the fan on.
Converting the ingredients too? The grams to cups converter handles the measuring side, and the printable chart fits both on one cupboard door.