September 3, 2011 - 10:00am
LG-Stove Temperature Range
Hello,
I am trying to find the oven temperature range for two LG gas ovens.
Model #LRG3097 and Model #LRG3095
I have tried the LG homesite (manual omits this detail), the information at various appliance vendors (also omit this detail) and I even called an appliance store that said they would have to plug it in to get that information and offered me a price break since they didn't have it. ;-)
Both models are on sale and I would really like to get one with a proofing temperature if possible (it may not be).
Appreciate any help, guesses or surmises!
Thanks!
Patrick
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Well I don't have an answer for the question you asked :-( ...but I have some related information that may be helpful to you.
The ideal proofing temperature is only 85F-90F. (All yeasts will die by 140F; many begin to die at only 120F.) Ovens are unlikely to be able to go this low; any flame at all is going to be much hotter than proofing temperature. Generally any one of the following is adequate for proofing in an oven:
(What's usually an issue with using the oven for a proofing chamber is you may need to take the proofing loaves out for many minutes while preheating the oven to baking temperature. That issue is readily solvable, but do be aware of it.)
Other possibilities for a kludged place to proof are the usual "warm spot in the kitchen", a microwave (just heat some water to provide humidity, then put the dough in and shut the door and leave the microwave off), an inverted plastic drawer, etc. A real "proofing box" is a nice project for DIY zealots, and may be useful to a few really serious bakers, but otherwise is arguably more trouble than it's worth for home bakers.
Long slow development (maybe a preferment, maybe the bulk rise stage, sometimes the proofing stage) gives noticeably better flavor. If you find a way to speed up proofing, you may find the taste of your bread deteriorates! So my suggestion is to go ahead and get the oven and stop worrying about whether or not it has a "proofing" setting.
Chuck,
Thanks!
My wife wants to make yogurt as well so that needs a constant (low) temperature as well.
Your reply inspires me to think that a curling iron, combined with a temperature probe (to control the former), is a possible solution. Thinking of the oven as an insulated box for the developing yogurt.
We have recently talked about a real "proofing" box but where to put it when not in use is a serious question (kitchen isn't all that big).
I want to start working on the starter recipe in "52 Loaves" this weekend so I had better go ahead and order one or the other stoves. We have an erratic electric stove now and I am looking forward to returning to gas.
Thanks again!
Hope you are having a great weekend!
Patrick
Back when I was in college we made our own yogurt all the time. We had an old electric pancake griddle whose control had worn out so that it never got very hot any more; it was useless for pancakes, but somebody had the presence of mind to pull it out of the trash. We'd mix up the milk and the seed and pour it in a bunch of old plastic cups and put all those containers on that griddle, then cover the whole thing with a bathtowel. Next morning we'd have yogurt; It was as they say a "no-brainer".
(This particular story likely isn't repeatable though. I have only the vaguest how to properly "break" an electric griddle control so it doesn't get very warm.)
Some other ideas besides the curling iron: A heater and a thermostat for a "terrarium" that you could get at a pet-store works quite well for lots of low-heat applications. The idea of those is to make a lizard think the glass box it's in is really the desert. An old-fashioned heating pad might work too for heat. I have an old crockpot that I paid fifty cents for at some mega-yard-sale, then rewired so it doesn't get very hot. I threw the control away, hooked the end of one cord wire to the large coil, the end of the other cord wire to the small coil, and hooked the free ends of the two coils together (in series). Thus instead of high:medium:low I have super-low. And when even that isn't enough, I bought a "dimmer cord" at my local hardware store (it was intended to modify an existing table lamp). I can plug that into the wall and my modified crockpot into that and turn the control up only half way and get ultra-low.
Since most of these ideas are a little bit random and might turn out to get too hot, having a temperature control is probably a good idea in any case. The terrarium thermostat from the pet-store works perfectly for this.
Did you ever figure this out?
I have an LG gas oven with a "proof" function and it works great for bread although I don't know what temperature it holds at. I'm thinking of using it for yoghurt and I'm not sure if it will be hot enough.