The Hardest Step in Baking: Let It Cool

A loaf still bakes after it leaves the oven, and your knife should wait.

We know that smell. We know the kitchen is warm and someone is hovering. Yet slicing too early does real damage, because the inside of a baked good is still setting as it cools.

What is happening

Hot bread is full of steam. When you slice it right away, the steam escapes and the crumb turns gummy. In cakes, starches firm up as they cool, and a warm cake can tear or collapse. Cookies are soft until the sugars set, which is why they fold when you lift them right away.

How long to wait

• Cookies: 5 minutes on the pan, then move to a rack.
• Layer cakes: 10 minutes in the pan, then cool completely on a rack before you frost.
• Quick breads: 15 minutes in the pan, then at least an hour on a rack.
• Yeast loaves: at least one hour. Two for a large sourdough.
• Fruit pies: three to four hours, so that the filling can set.
• Cheesecake: cool it in the oven with the door ajar for an hour, then chill it overnight.

Why use a rack

A rack allows air under the pan. Without it, trapped steam leaves the bottoms soggy.

How to survive the wait

Clean the kitchen. Make coffee. Bake a small tester, like a muffin, so that someone gets a warm bite. Our members also recommend standing in another room. Patience is an ingredient, and this one is free.