Why do I have to preheat my stove? ?

Question

What will happen if I just toss in the frozen dinner as it warms up?

Answer 1

It will take longer to cook, since it's starting at a low temp, and having to heat up..... Your directions call for X  minutes at X temp, and it will not be cooking the whole time at that temp

Answer 2

Elements are on full force when it heats up. So the preheat prevents food from being burned by the intense heat of the elements.

Answer 3

It will take your oven that much longer to heat up because it has to warm up the frozen dinner, not just the air in the oven.  It's faster to wait.

Answer 4

For a frozen - you don't really have to heat up the oven. It just helps your meal cook more evenly and in the time specified. If you decide not to wait for the oven to preheat, just know that it may take a little longer to cook than the package recommends.