It’s very important to bake polymer clay correctly to keep the desired shape and durability, therefore it’s important to follow the manufacturers instructions for appropriate baking temperatures. To be more precise you can use an owen thermometer to ensure that you are not baking it too hot or too cool. Under-baked clay is brittle, so you don’t want that in your jewelry or art piece.
If the clay gets burned, immediatly remove it and take it outdoors to cool. You don’t want to keep those fumes in your house. When I bake polymer clay in a regular oven, I always keep the fan running during the whole time it’s being baked.
You can also use a clay dedicated toaster owen for baking their polymer clay. These ones needs to be pre-heated. Toaster ovens tend to spike to high temperatures so monitor it to prevent burning and smelly fumes.
It’s been said that every polymer clay artist has burned their clay at least once by mistake. So if you do, don’t take it too hard 
2 comments
Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor says:
Jul 6, 2009
I agree with you Zarah that polymer clay needs to be baked properly to have the strength needed for your jewelry projects. As long as your temperature is correct you can actually bake your beads for much longer than the 30 minutes the package says, and in fact I recommend baking for 1 hour or more to ensure proper curing. If you try this yourself, you will see your beads are much stronger and will sand and polish up much nicer than if they are cured for a shorter period of time.
Typical ovens, especially toaster ovens go up and down in temp so often that the polymers in the clay aren’t held at the correct temp for the half hour they need to cure. By adding the extra time, it ensures that they have bonded and the end product will be of much higher quality.
If a piece burns, it is not due to the amount of time baking but rather the temp they were baked at. Just make sure they are baked at the proper temp and you can bake for as long as you like without burning.
Zarah says:
Jul 6, 2009
Happy for the tips! That’s a good point
Who doesn’t want stronger beads? I look forward working more with polymer clay, it’s fun to work with colors like that. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs