Whether it’s the top, middle or bottom rack, knowing the best oven rack placement for your meals can ensure optimal baking, roasting and broiling. The placement of your oven rack can determine how well meats are cooked or breads are baked. By repositioning your oven racks, you can improve cooking times and enjoy consistent results for every meal. Check out this guide to learn more about best oven rack placements for specific cooking techniques like air frying, roasting poultry, and baking breads, cookies, cakes and pies.
Yes. Depending on how many rack placements are in your oven, positioning racks closer or farther from the heating elements has a direct impact on how your food cooks. Most standard, or conventional, ovens have heating elements located at the top and bottom of the oven. Typically, the middle rack is the best location for most foods to cook evenly. But, placing your meals on the highest or lowest rack closest to the heating source can yield faster cooking times and crisping due to the hotter temperatures.
In a convection oven, the air is circulated throughout the oven cavity, which is ideal for multi-rack cooking. True convection ovens add a third heating element and a fan for increased air circulation. While convection ovens can help improve the distribution of heated air and speed up cooking, be mindful that you may need to adjust cooking times and temperature settings to follow recipes made for a standard oven. Some models feature an auto conversion setting that handles this for you, like this gas range with Auto Convect Convection from Maytag brand.
In select models with a basket tray, convection ovens can also be used for air frying , which uses similar techniques as convection cooking by rapidly circulating air. Due to the temperatures and hot air circulation, you have the freedom to simply place your tray and fry without the need to rotate, although shaking the contents can help optimize the results. This range with air fryer and basket from Maytag brand can help you air fry your favorite appetizers and vegetables.
Broiling utilizes the top heating element in your oven. Using the uppermost rack applies the highest temperature to the tops of your dishes for fast flavor and crisping. Some ovens also come equipped with a broiling drawer at the bottom of the appliance. Keep in mind that broiling is best used for tender meats or to add a savory crunch or sear to already-cooked food. Some of the best foods to broil are:
Salmon, steak and chicken
Asparagus, peppers and zucchini
Casseroles or dishes needing a browned, crunchy top layer
Use the middle or center rack for all-over heating. This rack is the default, multi-purpose position in most ovens due to its placement between the upper and lower heating elements. When in doubt, consider the middle rack an actual happy medium for baking. The center oven rack is best for:
Desserts, such as cookies, pies and cakes
Pasta, such as lasagna, ziti and macaroni and cheese
The bottom oven rack is best used for roasting due to the direct exposure to high heat, as well as browning the underside of certain foods, such as pies or frozen pizzas, for crispy textures. Some of the best meals for the lowest oven rack are:
Roasting large items or tough meats, such as turkey or roast beef
Baking frozen pizza (if using a pizza stone, be mindful to preheat it on the bottom oven rack)
There are specific oven rack placements that can ensure optimal results when using specific cooking techniques. The recommendations below will guide your oven rack placement, whether you’re looking to air fry, roast meat, or bake breads and desserts.
Air frying in an oven works best on the upper-middle rack for an all-over heating with close placement to upper heating elements for extra crunch. Keep in mind that some ovens may come equipped with an air frying rack and basket designed for this purpose. Make sure your food is placed in a single layer and spaced out for even exposure to the heat.
Chicken is best cooked on the middle rack. The bottom or lowest oven rack is best for roasting larger cuts of meat or whole turkeys. These thick cuts of meat can be cooked at higher temperatures at the bottom of the oven. The top of a turkey will end up positioned in the center of the oven, helping to add a savory brown and crisp outer layer. Slow cooking , which is typically done at lower temperatures than roasting, can utilize the middle rack.
Learn how to baste a turkey to retain moisture while cooking on the bottom rack.
As a general best practice, the middle oven rack is best for baking most types of bread due to the all-around temperatures. However, if you are baking scones or muffins that need a crispy or browned top layer, moving your dish to the upper-third of the oven, just above the center rack, would serve this purpose. Conversely, positioning your bread on the lower racks yields a crunchy underside, like that in focaccia or breads similar to pizza.
Cookies should be baked on the center oven rack for even heating and air circulation. As a best practice, is it recommended to rotate the cookie sheet or sheets roughly halfway, or shortly thereafter, through the baking time, if needed. If you are using a convection oven , the rapid air circulation ensures an optimal cooking temperature and eliminates the need to rotate the baking sheets.
The center oven rack is ideal for baking cakes and other desserts. However, to achieve the flaky and crispy underside of a pie, positioning the racks lower in your oven can help avoid an undercooked crust.
While you can use both racks in a standard oven for baking, it is recommended to rotate the baking pans from rack to rack throughout the cooking cycle, as is custom in baking cookies. However, convection ovens are designed for multi-rack cooking and provide rapid air circulation throughout the oven—eliminating the need to rotate or adjust the cookware. Learn more about how to cook and bake in your oven and how to cook multiple dishes at once .
Maytag brand offers a wide selection of gas and electric ranges designed for power and durability. Get mealtime done quickly with appliances you can count on.
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