# Meat loaf burning



## ericjoanne

How do I keep my meat loaf from burning when it is cooking? I always do what the recipe saids to do and cook it like it says but it still burns on the sides and the bottom. Please can someone help me with ths problem.


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## Katie H

Can you tell us a little about your recipe?  How many pounds of ground meat are you using, what kind of pan is it cooked in (metal, ceramic, glass), what oven temp are you using, etc.?


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## Mama

If you are using glass or a dark colored pan you may need to turn the temperature down 25 degrees.


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## archiduc

ericjoanne said:


> How do I keep my meat loaf from burning when it is cooking? I always do what the recipe saids to do and cook it like it says but it still burns on the sides and the bottom. Please can someone help me with ths problem.


 
Hi Ericjoanne,

If you are using a fan assisted oven for a recipe not written for that then you will be cooking it at too high a temperature.

Try reducing the temperature and/or place the container (loaftin?) of the meatloaf in a bain marie and cook. Now, what is a bain marie? Place the meatloaf mix in a loaf tin, cover tightly with foil and place in a roasting tin. Add hot/boiling water to a depth on the side of the tin to about 2 inches and bake.

Hope this helps,
Archiduc


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## padams2359

You might also be trying too hard.  I mean to keep your family healthy.  There may not me enough of a fat content in the meat so that as it cooks, it separates from the sides.  Meatloaf should not be cooked above about 350 degrees.  You may not want to use a convection oven on this one.  The air circulating is not really getting to any portion of the meat except the top, which you may find to be dry and a little hard.


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## Scotch

You may need to check to be sure your oven is not too hot. The thermostats are often way off. Using an oven thermometer, I discovered that my lower over is 50 degrees hotter than the top oven at normal cooking temps, so if the recipe says to bake the cookies at 350, I set the top oven to 350 and the bottom to 300 and the cookies in both are done at the same time. 

If you don't have the problem with anything but the meatloaf, then maybe it's the pan you're using, or perhaps the time in your recipe is wrong. 

Give us a little more information and we may be able to offer other suggestions.


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## expatgirl

send me the burnt edges........cancer-generating or not I love them........seriously, go with suggestions to reduce the temp........also wrap your pan in some foil......not the meat.....just the pan......will help on the cleanup if nothing else.......many people like a bit of ketchup or a mixture of chili sauce and ketchup on the outside of the meatloaf.......


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## smoothseas

Another thought…
 
If  you’re using ketchup (or any other sweetened ingredient) in your mixture, it could be the sugar(s).that’s causing it to burn.


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