Gas mark, fan or Fahrenheit: reading any oven temperature
A British recipe says gas mark 4, an American one says 350 °F. They mean the same oven.
Recipes describe oven heat in four common ways: Fahrenheit, Celsius, Celsius for a fan oven, and gas marks. Once you know how they line up, any recipe works in any kitchen.
The middle of the dial
Gas mark 4, 350 °F and 180 °C are the same moderate oven, the setting most cakes and bakes use. Each gas mark above 1 adds 25 °F, so gas mark 6 is 400 °F (200 °C).
Fan ovens run hotter
A fan circulates hot air and cooks faster, so recipes set fan ovens about 20 °C lower. A recipe written for 180 °C conventional becomes 160 °C fan.
Air fryers go further
An air fryer is a small, powerful fan oven. Lower the temperature by about 25 °F (14 °C), cut the time by about 20%, and check a few minutes early.
Try it yourself