Gas Mark
Encyclopedia
The Gas Mark is a temperature
scale used on gas ovens and cookers in the United Kingdom
, Ireland
and some Commonwealth of Nations
countries. It is the most common temperature scale on new gas ovens sold in the UK; very few models are labelled in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit
.
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" applied to a particular 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
TV series Balderdash & Piffle, in May 2005, which sought to establish the history of the term. The earliest printed evidence of use of "gas mark" (with no other terms between the two words) appears to date from 1958. However, the manufacturers of the "New World" gas ranges in the mid-1930s gave away recipe books for use with their cooker and the word Regulo appears to be a proprietary name for their thermostat. The book has no reference to degrees, either in Fahrenheit or (as then) Centigrade. All dishes to be cooked are noted to be at "Regulo Mark X".
(135° 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.
Different manufacturers and oven types do vary, so this table cannot be relied upon; instead, cooks should refer to the cooker instruction book for the oven type used, or calibrate the scale using an oven thermometer.
In Germany, "Stufe" (the German word for "step") is used for gas cooking temperatures, where Stufe ½ 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.
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
scale used on gas ovens and cookers in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and some Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries. It is the most common temperature scale on new gas ovens sold in the UK; very few models are labelled in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
.
History
The draft 2003 edition of the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
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" applied to a particular 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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
/OED
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
TV series Balderdash & Piffle, in May 2005, which sought to establish the history of the term. The earliest printed evidence of use of "gas mark" (with no other terms between the two words) appears to date from 1958. However, the manufacturers of the "New World" gas ranges in the mid-1930s gave away recipe books for use with their cooker and the word Regulo appears to be a proprietary name for their thermostat. The book has no reference to degrees, either in Fahrenheit or (as then) Centigrade. All dishes to be cooked are noted to be at "Regulo Mark X".
Conversion
Gas mark 1 is 275° fahrenheitFahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
(135° celsius
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
).
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.
| Gas mark | Fahrenheit Fahrenheit Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees... |
Celsius Celsius Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death... |
Descriptive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 225° | 107° | Very Slow/Very Low | |
| 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° | 204° | Moderately Hot |
| 7 | 425° | 218° | Hot |
| 8 | 450° | 232° | Hot/Very Hot |
| 9 | 475° | 246° | Very Hot |
Different manufacturers and oven types do vary, so this table cannot be relied upon; instead, cooks should refer to the cooker instruction book for the oven type used, or calibrate the scale using an oven thermometer.
Other cooking temperature scales
French ovens and recipes often use a scale more closely related to the Celsius temperature: "Thermostat" (abbreviated "Th"), where Thermostat 1 equals 30 °C for conventional ovens, increasing by 30 °C for each whole number along the scale.In Germany, "Stufe" (the German word for "step") is used for gas cooking temperatures, where Stufe ½ 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.