When a French recipe says thermostat 6 or Th. 6, set your oven to 180°C, which is 350°F. Multiply the thermostat number by 30 and you have the temperature in Celsius: Th. 7 is 210°C and Th. 8 is 240°C.
Most recipes now give the degrees directly, so the second chart below covers those too.
Thermostat to °C and °F
- Th. 1: 30°C (85°F). Not used for cooking.
- Th. 2: 60°C (140°F). Keeping food warm, drying.
- Th. 3: 90°C (195°F). Meringues, very slow drying.
- Th. 4: 120°C (250°F). Slow roasts and confits.
- Th. 5: 150°C (300°F). Custards, slow braises.
- Th. 6: 180°C (350°F). The default for cakes, gratins and roasts.
- Th. 7: 210°C (410°F). Tarts, puff pastry, roast chicken.
- Th. 8: 240°C (465°F). Set 475°F. Browning gratins, starting bread.
- Th. 9: 270°C (520°F). Many home ovens stop at 260°C (500°F), so use the top setting.
Common °C settings on a Canadian dial
- 150°C: 300°F
- 160°C: 325°F
- 170°C: 340°F. Use 350°F if your dial doesn't offer 340, and check a few minutes early.
- 180°C: 350°F
- 190°C: 375°F
- 200°C: 400°F
- 210°C: 410°F. Set 400°F, or 425°F for a browner crust.
- 220°C: 425°F
- 230°C: 450°F
- 240°C: 465°F. Set 475°F.
- 250°C: 480°F. Set 475°F or 500°F.
Some digital ovens can display Celsius. Check the manual before converting every recipe by hand.
What does chaleur tournante mean?
Chaleur tournante is fan-forced heat, which is convection bake on a Canadian oven. Chaleur statique or four traditionnel is a regular bake, with no fan.
The recipes on this site are written for a conventional oven. With convection, lower each temperature by 15°C (25°F) and check a few minutes early.
Careful with other French recipes: if one says chaleur tournante 170°C, that number is already for a fan, so don't lower it again.
Convection suits roasts, vegetables and trays of cookies. Choux and soufflés are the most sensitive to a fan, so keep the door closed until they have set, and don't open it to check early.
What is the gril?
Passer sous le gril or gratiner means to brown the top under the broiler, with only the top element on. Keep the dish near the element and watch it: a gratin goes from golden to burnt in under a minute.
Check the oven, not just the dial
Home ovens often run hotter or colder than the dial says. A hanging oven thermometer shows what the oven is really doing. Preheat for at least 15 minutes, because the dial can beep before the walls are hot.
To try the chart on a real dish, bake the gratin dauphinois at 160°C (325°F).
