The Right Stuff

I'm a big advocate of using the right ingredients and the right equipment when baking, but sometimes corners can be cut. One thing I have found that is very important, however, is an oven thermometer. I recently purchased one from, where else, Williams-Sonoma for $18. I was surprised to find that my oven is off by about 10 degrees. In other words, the recipe I was making called fro 350 degrees, but when I set my oven at 350, it was only 340 degrees. I had to turn it up to 360 degrees to get a true 350 degrees inside the oven. So please, if you're really passionate about baking, or you just want things to come out right, invest in the right stuff.