[phatch]

I suppose there may be a true technical term, but I've always called it a falling oven. Those recipes where you lower the oven cooking temperature as the dish cooks. I think this recreates the effect of a true fire fed oven and how the temp would drop from your initial stoking of the fire.

Popovers are an example and i've seen a few others around. Today I cooked a Honey and Soy roasted chicken and it too used a falling temperature technique.

When I cook outdoors in a cast iron dutch oven using coals for heat, I often have the falling oven effect even if it's not the specific technique I'm trying to use.

So what other dishes do you know of that use a falling oven and do you know any of the particular reasons why it would choose a falling oven technique?

Popovers seem to need the initial high heat to drive the oven spring and then the cooler temps finish them off without burning them. From what I can tell, Popovers have a long history so they seem to be a happy artifact of a past cooking style.

Phil

[DC Sunshine]

Beef Wellingtons, Roast Pork, Roast beef, I do my chicken that way too.
Lots of puff pastry dishes, e.g. pies etc. so the pastry doesn't burn but the inside gets cooked.

Its a great way for a home cook to hold the food till everybody manages to get to the table too!

And i do the same on the bbq (gas) grill outside, start it high, get it nice and brown and crispy, go to medium for the main part, then turn it off to rest for 5 minutes on the solid steel plate. Stays hot but rests well, nice n tender.

Whereas my other half just burns the heck out of it on high...aaarggh....