My cream puffs used to come out flat and dense. I checked my oven with a thermometer and baked at a higher heat. They puffed up so well, I almost couldn't believe it. This win has me excited to try more tricky bakes.
My aunt makes cream puffs every Christmas and never checks her oven temp. They turn out fine. Sometimes I wonder if baking is really that scientific or if people like you and the_wyatt just overcomplicate it. Like, maybe your old oven just had a cold spot. Not everything needs a full investigation.
Okay but "maybe your old oven just had a cold spot" is exactly the kind of thing that proves the point! That's a real problem that needs finding. If your aunt's oven is steady by pure luck, that's great for her, but most of ours aren't. Sarah_fisher49, it's not about overcomplicating, it's about fixing actual issues instead of just hoping for the best every single time. A little science just stops the guesswork.
Hey, a friend of mine had the same flat puff problem for years. She finally got an oven thermometer like you, and it fixed everything. Makes you wonder, maybe @sarah_fisher49's aunt just got lucky with a steady oven.