Here’s When Preheating Your Oven Really Matters (And When It Matters Less)

Thanksgiving morning is always a bit of a frenzy. You're finishing up prepping this side dish or that, and next thing you know, it's time for the turkey to go in the oven so it comes out right on schedule. But—oh no—you find yourself staring down an ice-cold oven. You forgot to preheat it! Does it really matter?

The same question pops up on busy weeknights, when everyone has crossed over from happy to hangry, and you're too tired to do the math on whether it's faster to order a pizza or pull out a frozen one to bake yourself. (Twenty minutes? Two thousand hours? I can barely do math even when I've had lunch.) You decide to save your future self a few bucks and land on "home" pizza—maybe throw in a few chicken nuggets to quash the tween eye rolls. Is waiting the extra time to preheat the oven worth it?

Short answer: Preheat your oven for the best results. Pour yourself a little glass of me-time while you wait, because preheating guarantees evenly cooked casseroles, roasted-to-perfection turkey, caramelized veggies, and crispy tater tots. There's a little wiggle room for the anti-preheating cohort when the food is precooked, but it might not get dinner on the table any faster. 

Preheat for Casseroles and Roasts

Casseroles, roasts, and roasted veggies don't necessarily demand a preheated oven, since these types of dishes cook for much longer than, say, a frozen pizza. However, whatever time I may have been hoping to save by popping frozen mac and cheese into my cold oven is immediately eaten up by the length of time it takes to heat through. And on Thanksgiving, when oven space is at a premium, the last thing you want is a bottleneck.

If you did prep ahead and have a pre-cooked casserole you're pulling out of the freezer for the feast, thaw it ahead of time in the fridge, and preheat your oven to bake. What about that green bean casserole you prepped the night before and have waiting in the fridge? You'll also want to preheat to ensure even, efficient cooking.

And for the turkey that's been defrosting in the fridge for the past several days, it's even better to bring it to room temperature before roasting. Starting with a cold bird can increase the time it takes for the oven to get to temp and extend the cook time further.

Yes, on any other average day, you can probably get away with not preheating your oven for frozen cooked foods—if you have to. But even though it may feel like the longest 20-ish minutes of your life, preheating your oven guarantees that Grandma's Tuna Noodle Casserole is going to taste as creamy, noodley, and potato chippy as you remember it.

Do You Need To Preheat Your Oven for Frozen (or Fresh) Pizza? 

When it comes to frozen pizza, the box instructions are designed to work in any oven across America. That means that if your oven preheats fast, and mine heats up like a turtle in honey, we both still start cooking at an equal number of degrees Fahrenheit, and get consistent results in roughly the same time. 

While a frozen pizza could technically start in a cold oven, it will need to be thawed before cooking, and it might require a few extra minutes to get brown and bubbly. Unless your range comes with one of those brilliant "no-preheat pizza" buttons, you can't go wrong with preheating your oven.

If you're baking a fresh pizza, you'll always want to preheat, since a blazing hot oven best mimics a professional pizza oven.

Chicken Nuggets Do Better in a Preheated Oven

Did somebody say frozen chicken nuggets? While you could start frozen nuggets in an oven without preheating, it probably won't do the once-crispy breading any favors. For zero chance of soggy outsides and cold dino nugget-insides, preheat the oven to the suggested temperature. 

Even though frozen chicken nuggets appear golden brown straight out of the package, I like to eliminate the possibility of foodborne illness by letting the package instructions show me the way. Preheating the oven and baking the nuggets to an internal temperature of 165°F makes this a winner, winner, chicken… You get it.