Why Does Food Burn on the Outside but Stay Raw Inside in the Oven?

The most common reason food burns on the outside while remaining raw inside is that the oven is set too hot. High heat browns and darkens the surface quickly, while the time needed for heat to reach and cook the center does not change; the outside finishes much earlier than the inside. This difference is more noticeable with thick or dense batter or a large piece of meat, because heat has farther to travel to reach the center. Thin, flat foods are less likely to have this problem.

How do oven rack position and pan choice matter?
A pan placed near the top rack is very close to the upper heating element, which can make the surface darken too quickly. Moving the food to the middle rack helps heat distribute more evenly from both sides. Dark, thin metal pans absorb and transfer heat to the surface quickly, which can make the outside brown earlier; using a light-colored or glass pan slows the increase in surface heat somewhat.

How to prevent a burned outside and raw inside
Set the oven temperature 10–15°C / 18–27°F lower and extend the cooking time a little to give heat more time to reach the center and prevent the surface from burning too soon. When the surface reaches the desired color, loosely cover it with aluminum foil so the inside can continue cooking without the outside getting darker. Before cooking is finished, insert a thin toothpick or knife into the center and check that it comes out clean; this is the most reliable way to avoid being misled by the outside’s color.

Is there a difference between convection and conventional ovens?
Convection ovens distribute heat more evenly, so food is somewhat less likely to burn on the outside while remaining raw inside than in conventional ovens. However, the same problem can occur if the temperature is set too high, even with the fan on. When baking in a convection oven, the temperature is generally recommended to be set 10–20°C / 18–36°F lower than the recipe specifies. Using an oven before it has preheated can also contribute: food placed in a cold oven experiences uneven temperature fluctuations as the oven heats, which can increase the difference between how the surface and center cook. Preheating the oven for at least 10–15 minutes reduces these fluctuations. An oven thermostat that is miscalibrated is another common problem; using a separate oven thermometer is the most reliable way to check whether the display reflects the actual temperature.

Dense batter baked in a deep pan has a more noticeable difference between how the outside and inside cook than the same batter in a shallow pan; the deeper the pan, the longer heat takes to reach the center. Using a shallower, wider pan for the same recipe can reduce this difference. The pan’s material matters as well as its color: silicone pans conduct heat more slowly than metal, which can lengthen cooking time somewhat but slow browning on the surface.