Temperature is an important part of cooking, fire is often cited as the one innovation that jump-started human’s evolution as a whole.

Nowadays, we have much more sophisticated methods of heating our food, and can more accurately control its temperature.

Sometimes it seems like we have a never ending supply of recipes to choose from. But, once we dig in we see that we are stumped by the way that the recipe calls for temperatures.

• Gas Mark
• Fahrenheit
• Celsius
• Terms instead of degree measurement

Thankfully, there is no need to abandon the recipe altogether. Simply convert the temperature or term to one that you are more familiar with.

Below is a graphic showing the most commonly used temperatures and terms.

Common Cooking Temperatures and Terms

Temperature at…	Celsius	Fahrenheit	Gas Mark
Freezer storage	-18	0	N/A
Water freezes	0	32	N/A
Refrigerator	4	40	N/A
Room temperature	20-22	68-72	N/A
Water boils	100	212	N/A
Very cool oven	110	225	14
Cool oven	120	250	12
Very slow oven	140	275	1
Slow oven	150	300	2
Low oven	160	325	3
Moderate oven	180	350	4
Moderately hot oven	190	375	5
Hot oven	200-220	400-425	6 – 7
Very hot oven	230-240	450-475	8 – 9
Extremely hot oven	260	500	9
Broil			Grill