My sister said a $12 oven thermometer was a waste, then my banana bread came out raw twice
I always figured my oven dial was close enough since cookies and pizza turned out fine. But after two raw loaves in a row last weekend, I stuck a cheap thermometer in there and it was running 40 degrees cold the whole time. So now I'm torn: was I dumb for trusting the dial for 6 years, or is baking just way more sensitive to temp swings than I thought? My sister says real bakers learn by feel and never need one, which honestly sounds like a flex. Do you keep a thermometer in your oven or go by instinct?
The part about cookies and pizza turning out fine really hits home, because that was my exact excuse for years. I always thought my oven was close enough, and for most things it probably was. Then I started baking bread and learned that dough is way less forgiving than a cookie, which does not care much if things run a bit hot or cold. So I do not think you were dumb at all, and your sister's "bake by feel" line only works if you already know what the right feel is. These days there is a cheap thermometer hanging in my oven and it stays there.