To determine how long a dish will take to cook at a different temperature, you can use the concept of the "thermal death time," which states that the cooking time required to achieve the same level of doneness is inversely proportional to the temperature change.
The formula to calculate the adjusted cooking time is as follows:
Adjusted Cooking Time = Original Cooking Time × (Original Temperature / New Temperature)^n
Where:
- Original Cooking Time is the cooking time specified in the original recipe (40 minutes in this case).
- Original Temperature is the temperature specified in the original recipe (375°F in this case).
- New Temperature is the temperature you want to cook at (425°F in this case).
- n is a constant factor typically between 0.7 and 0.8, and it depends on the type of food being cooked. For most baked goods, a value of 0.8 is commonly used.
Let's calculate the adjusted cooking time for the dish meant to cook for 40 minutes at 375°F when cooked at 425°F:
Adjusted Cooking Time = 40 × (375 / 425)^0.8 ≈ 40 × 0.872 ≈ 34.88 minutes
Rounding up, the adjusted cooking time at 425°F would be approximately 35 minutes.
Keep in mind that the above formula is an estimation, and actual cooking times can still vary based on factors such as the size of the dish, the specific ingredients used, and the oven's individual characteristics.
As for simultaneous cooking of two items in an oven, if the two dishes require different cooking temperatures, it may not be ideal to cook them together. You'll need to prioritize one dish over the other or find a compromise temperature that works for both items. Otherwise, you might end up with one dish undercooked or overcooked. If the difference in cooking temperatures is not significant, you might be able to use the same temperature and adjust the cooking times accordingly.