Baking recipes always call for the oven to be at 350 degrees. This is why it's the 'standard' temperature.

Emily Shiffer
Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:37:19 +0000
Oven, Oven temperature, 350 degreees, Why is 350 degrees so common, Baking tips, Baking advice, Ovens, 350 fahrenheit, Thermometer, Baking temperature, Caramelization, Maillard reaction, Chemistry, Baking

The holidays are all about baking. From delicious Christmas cookies to pies to extravagant dinner feasts, the oven is used a ton during this time of year.

And if you've ever made a recipe that requires the oven, you've probably noticed it tells you to preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. But why?

It's a question that people on Reddit were curious about, too. One person posed the question: "How did 350 degrees become such a standard in all thing baking and roasting etc…?"

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From a scientific standpoint, 350 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended because of something called the Maillard reaction, which was discovered by French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard in 1912. Essentially, the Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction that takes place in food between 280 and 330 degrees Fahrenheit.

"The Maillard reaction is responsible for the formation of desirable sensory qualities such as flavor, aroma, color, and texture in cooked and thermally processed foods, in addition to the improvement of nutritional value and shelf life of foods," a 2025 study published in the journal Foods explains.

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So there is a lot of chemistry that takes place while food is cooking in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

"The real specifics of the Maillard reaction occur when an amino acid (which forms the backbone of proteins) reacts with a reducing sugar (such as glucose and fructose) to produce a 'browning' type reaction," Nicholas Gillitt, chief science officer at the David H. Murdock Research Institute, told PBS. "The products of this reaction have all sorts of flavors and aromas depending on the individual compounds that end up reacting. And because eating food is a very sensory experience, these products usually enhance the palatability, taste and/or smell of the food enticing us to eat and enjoy."

Modern ovens can also be finicky. As one Redditor explained, "There is a magical reaction called the Maillard reaction that happens up to 330 degrees, its what makes roast food so delicious. Most ovens are a bit inconsistent, so to make sure the Maillard reaction happens as much as it can, the oven is set higher."

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Plus, caramelization, the sugar-breaking process that creates browning, begins at about 320 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the University of San Diego. This is why cookies become golden brown when done and have that oh-so-yummy taste.

Baking in an oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit not only helps prevent burning but also allows the necessary chemical reactions to fully develop. It's essentially the baking "sweet spot" temperature.

"Yeah the big deal is going higher to like 375 or 400 things will start burning or crisping too quickly," another Redditor added. "Which sounds good (and can be!) but the vast majority of things meant to be baked are big thick items that need to be cooked evenly. That's why they're to be baked in the first place. Maybe there's a more ideal 'perfect' temp to do it but 350 is pretty darn close to it and is a significant number."