Sometimes they’ve also baked batters/doughs with a cold oven start. The idea is that there’s more time for rising before the top crusts over, limiting the height of the rise.
Kind of OT, but I’ve seen (Pepin?) chicken pieces sauteed starting with the flesh side down. The reasoning was that by the time the skin side is turned onto the pan surface, it has warmed up, and the pan is thoroughly hot. This maximizes browning/crispness, as does serving as soon as the skin is finished cooking, as opposed to exposing the skin to steam, sitting there as the underside cooks, if you’ve done the skin side first.
Also, Pepin has a fish fillet recipe where you score the skin side, rub with oil/seasoning, then bake at high heat, skin up the whole time. The flesh cooks through without turning, and the skin is crisply delicious.
