Not baking in center

I am baking banana bread right now. I am using an electric range that turned three years old last month. My bread is done perfectly on the outside and totally unbaked in the inside. I did six zucchini breads recently that could all be used for bricks on a house. Two dinners with boneless skinless chicken breasts were dry as a bone because I had to over bake them to get them done. I made a bundt cake. Took it out of the pan after the 10 minutes. Totally baked on outside and hollow, yes, hollow inside. No wonder my cake tester came out clean! I never had this problem before. The recipes I am using are tried and true. I have used them for years. I don't want to have to purchase a new range. I also put a thermometer in the oven. It goes to the temp I set such as 350. If I open the door it drops of course and then rises again. I did have to do an adjustment because it was 25 degrees off, but the baking results remain the same.

PatHoganWick
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7 Comments

Droplet
Droplet November 12, 2012
When you baked your banana bread, by the time it looked perfect on the outside was it in the oven for the usual amount of time (same as when you were making it before)? What you are describing sounds odd and I probably shouldn't be giving my opinion since I am not an electrotechnician, but...if your heating element stays red all the time and things are done on the outside and faulty, one way or another, on the inside, perhaps the bottom heating element has gone bad and you are essentially broiling things. Without heat from the bottom to bake the core and increased heat from top to compensate for reaching the set temp, I'd guess some strange things could happen.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour November 11, 2012
Have you checked to see if the door gasket is faulty? With the oven on, run your hand (in the air, not touching the door) around the edges of the door looking for heat leaks. If the gasket seems to be functional correctly you may need to replace a heating element.
You may just want to have a professional come out and check the problem, especially if you can't seem to pin it down.
 
PatHoganWick
PatHoganWick November 11, 2012
Yes I have. No hot air coming out at all. Nice and tight door. The heating element glows very red. I think I will have to do that. Frustrating. They just don't make these things like they used to
 
Monita
Monita November 11, 2012
I'm sorry; that's frustrating. Then perhaps it is an oven issue. Try your thermometer in different places in the oven. Perhaps the heat is not coming through all over. See if you get the same reading all over - front - back; high to low
 
PatHoganWick
PatHoganWick November 11, 2012
I will try moving it around. I really miss having a gas stove :)
 
Monita
Monita November 11, 2012
Could you have possibly left something out from the ingredients - by mistake. I had a similar problem once when I inadvertently left out baking powder. I know this won't fix your banana loaf but might help you re-do it. Don't think it's an oven problem
 
PatHoganWick
PatHoganWick November 11, 2012
Thank you Monita, but no. Every ingredient was in there. I couldn't possibly be leaving an ingredient out of everything I put in the oven. Everything I have been baking and cooking comes out the same way. Undone in the center. Everything. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cakes, breads. Everything. Everything I am doing are tried and true recipes I have done for many years without a problem.
 
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