• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Baking 101
  • Recipes
  • Shop

The Bake School

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Baking 101
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • Baking 101
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Baking School

    Published on: September 27, 2022 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: January 19, 2023 Leave a Comment

    Oven rack position

    114 shares
    • Facebook
    • Reddit
    • Flipboard
    Baking pie on the bottom oven rack.

    Some recipes suggest using the middle oven rack to bake cookies, other recipes mention using the bottom oven rack to bake pie, and then you might naturally choose to use the middle rack to bake a cake. Does the oven rack position matter? What oven rack position should you bake with?

    Baking pie on the bottom oven rack.
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    My oven racks' default positions are the middle and bottom racks. Most of the recipes I bake use these positions. But for specific recipes, I may use one or the other, and they cannot be used interchangeably.

    Jump to:
    • Basic oven rack positions
    • What to bake at each position
    • Utilizing multiple rack levels
    • Baking on two racks simultaneously
    • How to know which rack to use
    Baking cookies on the middle rack of the oven.

    Basic oven rack positions

    Most ovens have 5 or 6 rack levels and each serves a different purpose.

    • The top rack is for broiling. It's the closest to the top heating element of your oven. When you set your oven to the "broil" setting (as opposed to the "bake" setting), only the top element heats up and the heat of the oven is concentrated towards the top of the oven. When you want to brown the top of a casserole, the cheese on top of a lasagna, or caramelize the sugar layer on top of crème brûlée in the oven, you will use the top rack for these specific baking tasks.
    • The middle racks are for even baking. You likely have 3 middle racksThese racks are evenly spaced and approximately halfway between the top and bottom heating element. You would use the middle racks when you set your oven to "bake" for baked goods that you want to feel an even heat (not too hot on top, and not too hot on the bottom).
    • The bottom rack is for recipes that require more directed heat on the bottom. Any baked goods that you have trouble baking through on the bottom specifically should be baked on the bottom rack, which will benefit from the heat of the bottom element concentrated on the bottom of the baking pan.
    Baking muffins on the middle rack position of the oven.

    What to bake at each position

    1. Top oven rack: you will use the top rack for these specific baking tasks:
      1. To brown the top of a casserole or the cheese on top of a lasagna or a gratin
      2. To caramelize the sugar layer on top of crème brûlée in the oven.
    2. Middle racks: these are especially useful for cakes and cookies. These require even heat, when you don't want heat concentrated on top or on bottom of the baked goods.
    3. Bottom rack: it's best to bake pies on the bottom rack. Pie filling is quite insulating and prevents the bottom crust from cooking without more heat directed to the bottom of the pan. Therefore baking and browning the bottom crust of a fruit pie can be very difficult. You need more heat directed to the bottom crust to help it cook, which is why using the bottom rack is your best best!
    Baking bread on the middle rack of the oven.

    Utilizing multiple rack levels

    As you become a more skilled baker, you will likely start to transition to using different racks for different stages of baking:

    • You may start a pie on the bottom rack to ensure the crust gets a good amount of heat early on, then you may slide your pie to the middle rack to finish heating the pie all the way through.
    • You may begin to bake casseroles on the middle shelf, then in the last 10 minutes, move the pan to the top rack to broil, creating a delicious golden-brown top that you would never achieve on the middle rack.
    Pie baking on the bottom rack of the oven.

    Baking on two racks simultaneously

    You might find yourself in a situation where you have two sheet pans of cookies to bake at once. But technically, there's only one true middle rack in your oven. You have two choices:

    1. Bake the two pans separately on the middle rack, one at a time. When the first is done baking, take it out and slide the second pan in.
    2. Bake both pans at the same time, using the first and third middle rack positions, leaving the true middle rack empty.
    Baking cake on the middle rack position of the oven.

    If you choose to bake multiple sheet pans of cookies or layers of cake at the same time, make sure to rotate and swap the pans partway through the baking time to ensure that they bake evenly.

    How to know which rack to use

    If you are ever unsure of which oven rack position to use (or if the recipe doesn't specify), ask yourself a few questions to establish what your goal is:

    1. Do I want to caramelize the top of something? Brown cheese? Crisp up the top? Use the top oven rack position in conjunction with the broil setting!
    2. Am I worried the bottom of my baked goods won't bake properly? Use the bottom oven rack in conjunction with the bake setting!
    3. Do I want an even bake throughout? Use the middle oven rack position in conjunction with the bake setting.

    Once you know where you are headed, you can adjust your baking rack positions accordingly and utilize your oven's full potential.

    Here's a rundown of recipe categories and which oven rack to bake them on:

    • cookies: middle oven rack
    • cakes: middle oven rack
    • scones: middle oven rack
    • bread: middle oven rack
    • pie: bottom oven rack with a sheet pan under the pie plate to catch drips
    • fruit crisps and crumbles: middle oven rack with a sheet pan under the baking dish to catch drips

    More Baking School

    • An open jar of homemade vanilla extract with vanilla beans poking up above the alcohol.
      How to make vanilla extract
    • A bowl of homemade vanilla sugar.
      How to make vanilla sugar
    • Small bowls of sixteen different sugars to show the difference in texture and colour of each of them.
      Sugar in baking
    • Brown butter in a saucepan.
      How To Make Brown Butter

    Baking resources

  • Baking conversion charts
  • Baking ingredients and pantry staples
  • Baking substitutions
  • Common baking conversions
  • Choosing baking pans
  • How to measure ingredients for baking
  • Mixing methods
  • Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    This is a picture of Janice Lawandi

    Hi, I'm Janice!

    I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

    More About Me

    Join the Community

    If you enjoy the free content on this website or have questions, consider joining the Bake School Community!

    Easter Treats

    • Strawberry jam with rhubarb smeared on a piece of toast on a plate.
      Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
    • Freshly baked rhubarb crumble ready to be served.
      Rhubarb Crumble
    • Rhubarb upside down cake sliced to serve it.
      Rhubarb raspberry upside-down cake
    • Serving rhubarb muffins on plates with a side of butter.
      Rhubarb muffins with sour cream and streusel
    • Let's bake with rhubarb-best rhubarb recipes roundup
      What to bake with rhubarb
    • Bluebarb or blueberry rhubarb crumble with a marzipan oat crumble topping in a blue baking dish with a fluted edge
      Blueberry rhubarb crisp with marzipan crumble

    Berry Baking

    • Milk crumbs on a Momofuku Milk Bar style cake-layers of blackberry curd, almond cake, and almond frosting
      Blackberry almond cake — Milk Bar style
    • raspberry amaretti semifreddo slice
      Almond raspberry semifreddo
    • Vanilla cardamom tapioca pudding with strawberries
      Homemade tapioca pudding recipe with fresh strawberries
    • A pan of baked honey blueberry muffins with streusel topping.
      Honey blueberry muffins
    • A plate of raspberry financiers.
      Raspberry Financiers
    • Honey-kissed-strawberry-rhubarb crumbles
      Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble With Honey

    Eggless chocolate cake

    Chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles on a cake stand.
    Learn to make an eggless chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting!

    Baking conversions

    Buy the baking conversion charts NOW!

    As seen on

    Logos of online and offline publications that featured the Bake School and Janice Lawandi.

    How to poach pears

    Poached pears on an enamelware plate.
    This easy poached pears recipe is simple and you can use the poached fruit for salads, appetizers, and desserts!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Janice Lawandi
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and conditions
    • Accessibility
    • Press

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Portfolio

    As seen on

    Logos of online and offline publications that featured the Bake School and Janice Lawandi.

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    COPYRIGHT © 2025 · THE BAKE SCHOOL