Reading Thermal makes thermal profiling of industrial ovens to determine optimal baking times for cookie production easier and more efficient than ever before. Our technology gives you a clear picture of what your cookies actually experience in the oven, so you can set baking times with confidence and keep them there shift after shift.
Why Time Alone Isn’t Enough
Two runs at the same setpoints can deliver different results. Load size changes, dough temperature drifts or a zone breathes a little more than it did yesterday. The timestamp on the conveyor isn’t the full story; it’s the outcome of how heat and moisture move around each cookie. Profiling shows whether your product heats too slowly up front, races past ideal color in the last zone, or dries unevenly across the belt. With that insight, “10 minutes” becomes a deliberate choice rather than a habit.
What A Cookie’s Thermal Journey Looks Like
Cookies go through predictable stages in the oven. They spread, the fat melts, the structure sets and browning finishes the flavor. If the early heat is gentle, they’ll spread smoothly and set with a uniform edge. If a late zone runs too hot, you’ll see rings of overbrowning and a tougher bite. Thermal profiles trace those stages from entrance to exit, revealing the moment a cookie reaches its ideal temperature path and how long it should stay there.
Tools That Turn Guessing Into Knowing
Reading Thermal’s SCORPION® 2 platform captures the conditions at product level while the cookies ride the belt. The SCORPION® 2 Data Logger is the backbone; it travels through the oven and records what your cookies feel in real time. The Temperature Sensor Array compares center and edge lanes, so you can spot the classic “left side darker than right side” problem.
For stubborn variations, the Digital Air Velocity Sensor Array and Heat Flux Sensor help explain why two zones with identical setpoints behave differently on the product. The Digital Humidity Sensor rounds out the story by showing whether a zone is drying too quickly and stealing chew from your finish.
Finding The Sweet Spot For Bake Time
Start with a cookie that already represents your standard – color, spread, thickness and bite. Run the SCORPION® 2 through at your current settings and save that profile as a reference. Next, make a few small adjustments to conveyor speed or specific zones and profile again.
When you overlay the curves in SCORPION® Software, you’ll see clear cause and effect: a quicker rise in the first third of the oven might improve spread, while a gentler final zone can protect moisture and keep edges from turning brittle. The “optimal baking time” becomes the conveyor speed that reproduces your best-looking, best-tasting cookie with a profile you can match tomorrow.
By using Reading Thermal products for thermal profiling of industrial ovens to determine optimal baking times for cookie production, you can see how the oven truly treats your product. You can also set baking times that deliver the same result every day. Thermal profiling turns a moving target into a repeatable process, so every box your customers open tastes just the way you intended. Our experts are standing by to tell you more. Just call 610-678-5890 or contact us online to get in touch.