Gas mark
The gas mark is a temperature scale used on gas ovens and cookers in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth of Nations countries.
History
[edit]The draft 2003 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary lists the earliest known usage of the concept as being in L. Chatterton's book Modern Cookery published in 1943: "Afternoon tea scones… Time: 20 minutes. Temperature: Gas, Regulo Mark 7". "Regulo" was a type of gas regulator used by a manufacturer of cookers; however, the scale has now become universal, and the word Regulo is rarely used.
The term "gas mark" was a subject of the joint BBC/OED production Balderdash and Piffle, in May 2005. The earliest printed evidence of use of "gas mark" (with no other terms between the two words) appears to date from 1958.[1] However, the manufacturers of the "New World" gas ranges in the mid-1930s gave away recipe books for use with their cooker, and the "Regulo" was the gas regulator.[2] The book has no reference to degrees. All dishes to be cooked are noted to be at "Regulo Mark X".
Equivalents in Fahrenheit and Celsius
[edit]Gas mark 1 is 275 degrees Fahrenheit (135 degrees Celsius). Oven temperatures increase by 25 °F (13.9 °C) each time the gas mark increases by 1. Below Gas Mark 1 the scale markings halve at each step, each representing a decrease of 25 °F.
For temperatures above 135 °C (gas mark 1) to convert gas mark to degrees Celsius () multiply the gas mark number () by 14, then add 121:
For the reverse conversion:
These do not work for less than 1. For temperatures below 135 °C (gas mark 1), to convert gas mark to degrees Celsius apply the following conversion:
For the reverse:
It is usual to round the results of such calculations to a round number of degrees Celsius.
| Gas mark | degrees Fahrenheit | degrees Celsius | Descriptive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1⁄4 | 225 | 107 | Very slow/very low |
| 1⁄2 | 250 | 121 | Very slow/very low |
| 1 | 275 | 135 | Slow/low |
| 2 | 300 | 149 | Slow/low |
| 3 | 325 | 163 | Moderately slow/warm |
| 4 | 350 | 177 | Moderate/medium |
| 5 | 375 | 191 | Moderate/moderately hot |
| 6 | 400 | 205 | Moderately hot |
| 7 | 425 | 219 | Hot |
| 8 | 450 | 233 | Hot/very hot |
| 9 | 475 | 247 | Very hot |
| 10 (omitted in most tables) |
500 | 261 | Extremely hot |
Note that tables of temperature equivalents for kitchen use usually offer Celsius values rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, with steps of either 10 or 20 degrees between Gas Marks.[3][4]
Other cooking temperature scales
[edit]French ovens and recipes use a scale based on the Celsius scale:"Thermostat" (abbreviated "Th"), where Thermostat 1 equals 30 °C for conventional ovens, increasing by 30 °C for each whole number along the scale.[5]
In Germany, "Stufe" (the German word for "step") is used for gas cooking temperatures. Gas ovens are commonly marked in steps from 1 to 8, corresponding to:
| Stufe | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approx. Temp. | 140 °C | 160 °C | 180 °C | 200 °C | 220 °C | 240 °C | 260 °C | 280 °C |
Other ovens may be marked on a scale of 1–7, where Stufe 1⁄2 is about 125 °C in a conventional oven, Stufe 1 is about 150 °C, increasing by 25 °C for each subsequent step, up to Stufe 7 at 300 °C.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "gas". OED Online. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007.
- ^ "Gourmet Britain / Food Encyclopedia / Regulo TM settings". Gourmetbritain.com. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Conversion Guides". BBC Good Food. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Cooking Conversion Charts". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Oven Temperatures". Practically Edible. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "Temperatur-Angaben" [Temperature Information] (in German). GuteKueche. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 11 Feb 2012.
