An adaptive cooking system (200) includes an oven (202) with at least one heating element (234) configured to heat the oven, at least one steam generator (232) configured to produce steam within the oven, and at least one blower device (230) configured to circulate air within the oven. The adaptive cooking system further includes at least one thermometer (240) configured to detect a temperature of air circulating within the oven. A controller (300) is communicatively coupled to the oven components. The controller (300) is configured to cause the blower device (230) to circulate air within the oven for a predetermined amount of time. For example, the blower device (230) may initially circulate air within the oven while the heating element (234) and the steam generator (232) are turned off or powered down. The controller (300) is further configured to detect a temperature of the air and control the heating element (234) and the steam generator (232) based on the temperature of the air.
