diff --git a/applications/solvers/compressible/rhoCentralFoam/BCs/T/smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField.C b/applications/solvers/compressible/rhoCentralFoam/BCs/T/smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField.C
index a1347365f5d150bec6c2a7eaf3697a68d27ac635..101c41a3534c9c9964b7dfd3cd867525e5e242bf 100644
--- a/applications/solvers/compressible/rhoCentralFoam/BCs/T/smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField.C
+++ b/applications/solvers/compressible/rhoCentralFoam/BCs/T/smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField.C
@@ -77,13 +77,13 @@ smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField::smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField
 :
     mixedFvPatchScalarField(p, iF),
     accommodationCoeff_(readScalar(dict.lookup("accommodationCoeff"))),
-    Twall_("Twall", dict, p.size())
+    Twall_("Twall", dict, p.size()),
+    gamma_(dict.lookupOrDefault<scalar>("gamma", 1.4))
 {
     if
     (
         mag(accommodationCoeff_) < SMALL
-        ||
-        mag(accommodationCoeff_) > 2.0
+     || mag(accommodationCoeff_) > 2.0
     )
     {
         FatalIOErrorIn
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField::smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField
             "    const dictionary&"
             ")",
             dict
-        )   << "unphysical accommodationCoeff_ specified"
-            << "(0 < accommodationCoeff_ <= 1)" << endl
+        )   << "unphysical accommodationCoeff specified"
+            << "(0 < accommodationCoeff <= 1)" << endl
             << exit(FatalError);
     }
 
@@ -113,15 +113,6 @@ smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField::smoluchowskiJumpTFvPatchScalarField
         fvPatchField<scalar>::operator=(patchInternalField());
     }
 
-    if (dict.found("gamma"))
-    {
-        gamma_ = readScalar(dict.lookup("gamma"));
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        gamma_ = 1.4;
-    }
-
     refValue() = *this;
     refGrad() = 0.0;
     valueFraction() = 0.0;
diff --git a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPIMPLEControls.H b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPIMPLEControls.H
index fe3ccd324bbbc9eaf9f38b07983592e2797083af..9de98ee20b5a90380c805c3a56a803a706729040 100644
--- a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPIMPLEControls.H
+++ b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPIMPLEControls.H
@@ -3,20 +3,11 @@
     int nOuterCorr(readInt(pimple.lookup("nOuterCorrectors")));
     int nCorr(readInt(pimple.lookup("nCorrectors")));
 
-    int nNonOrthCorr = 0;
-    if (pimple.found("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors"))
-    {
-        nNonOrthCorr = readInt(pimple.lookup("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors"));
-    }
+    int nNonOrthCorr =
+        pimple.lookupOrDefault<int>("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors", 0);
 
-    bool momentumPredictor = true;
-    if (pimple.found("momentumPredictor"))
-    {
-        momentumPredictor = Switch(pimple.lookup("momentumPredictor"));
-    }
+    bool momentumPredictor =
+        pimple.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("momentumPredictor", true);
 
-    bool transonic = false;
-    if (pimple.found("transonic"))
-    {
-        transonic = Switch(pimple.lookup("transonic"));
-    }
+    bool transonic =
+        pimple.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("transonic", false);
diff --git a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPISOControls.H b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPISOControls.H
index e51ecdbb8bc237b527daf3cbf741b744a4592ab4..5f14c2bcae2f56ecdfa998ba1224e6b3ad438d0a 100644
--- a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPISOControls.H
+++ b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readPISOControls.H
@@ -2,32 +2,18 @@
 
     int nCorr(readInt(piso.lookup("nCorrectors")));
 
-    int nNonOrthCorr = 0;
-    if (piso.found("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors"))
-    {
-        nNonOrthCorr = readInt(piso.lookup("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors"));
-    }
+    int nNonOrthCorr =
+        piso.lookupOrDefault<int>("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors", 0);
 
-    bool momentumPredictor = true;
-    if (piso.found("momentumPredictor"))
-    {
-        momentumPredictor = Switch(piso.lookup("momentumPredictor"));
-    }
+    bool momentumPredictor =
+        piso.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("momentumPredictor", true);
 
-    bool transonic = false;
-    if (piso.found("transonic"))
-    {
-        transonic = Switch(piso.lookup("transonic"));
-    }
+    bool transonic =
+        piso.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("transonic", false);
 
-    int nOuterCorr = 1;
-    if (piso.found("nOuterCorrectors"))
-    {
-        nOuterCorr = readInt(piso.lookup("nOuterCorrectors"));
-    }
+    int nOuterCorr =
+        piso.lookupOrDefault<int>("nOuterCorrectors", 1);
+
+    bool ddtPhiCorr =
+        piso.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("ddtPhiCorr", false);
 
-    bool ddtPhiCorr = false;
-    if (piso.found("ddtPhiCorr"))
-    {
-        ddtPhiCorr = Switch(piso.lookup("ddtPhiCorr"));
-    }
diff --git a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readSIMPLEControls.H b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readSIMPLEControls.H
index 44c1eef780fb86fb7ac938ce4e8891b1aeb2bc17..b3ea4bf674b51cb33efa0a9a41efbed125d8e0a8 100644
--- a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readSIMPLEControls.H
+++ b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readSIMPLEControls.H
@@ -1,25 +1,14 @@
     dictionary simple = mesh.solutionDict().subDict("SIMPLE");
 
-    int nNonOrthCorr = 0;
-    if (simple.found("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors"))
-    {
-        nNonOrthCorr = readInt(simple.lookup("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors"));
-    }
+    int nNonOrthCorr =
+        simple.lookupOrDefault<int>("nNonOrthogonalCorrectors", 0);
 
-    bool momentumPredictor = true;
-    if (simple.found("momentumPredictor"))
-    {
-        momentumPredictor = Switch(simple.lookup("momentumPredictor"));
-    }
+    bool momentumPredictor =
+        simple.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("momentumPredictor", true);
 
-    bool fluxGradp = false;
-    if (simple.found("fluxGradp"))
-    {
-        fluxGradp = Switch(simple.lookup("fluxGradp"));
-    }
+    bool fluxGradp =
+        simple.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("fluxGradp", false);
+
+    bool transonic =
+        simple.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("transonic", false);
 
-    bool transonic = false;
-    if (simple.found("transonic"))
-    {
-        transonic = Switch(simple.lookup("transonic"));
-    }
diff --git a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readTimeControls.H b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readTimeControls.H
index 0f92947b62138dc746e3958a057e537c57600c12..34e805aadc917bb0fb3f7d450d3c48c6a2534fdc 100644
--- a/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readTimeControls.H
+++ b/src/finiteVolume/cfdTools/general/include/readTimeControls.H
@@ -40,11 +40,7 @@ scalar maxCo
     readScalar(runTime.controlDict().lookup("maxCo"))
 );
 
-scalar maxDeltaT = GREAT;
-
-if (runTime.controlDict().found("maxDeltaT"))
-(
-    maxDeltaT = readScalar(runTime.controlDict().lookup("maxDeltaT"))
-);
+scalar maxDeltaT =
+    runTime.controlDict().lookupOrDefault<scalar>("maxDeltaT", GREAT);
 
 // ************************************************************************* //
diff --git a/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/EulerCoordinateRotation.C b/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/EulerCoordinateRotation.C
index d3afa3021f3b158cbbe01d88484ece4e5b8f2676..00828a0db846ea35641d839231a410e8eae66513 100644
--- a/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/EulerCoordinateRotation.C
+++ b/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/EulerCoordinateRotation.C
@@ -133,18 +133,12 @@ Foam::EulerCoordinateRotation::EulerCoordinateRotation
 {
     vector rotation(dict.lookup("rotation"));
 
-    bool inDegrees = true;
-    if (dict.found("degrees"))
-    {
-        inDegrees = Switch(dict.lookup("degrees"));
-    }
-
     calcTransform
     (
         rotation.component(vector::X),
         rotation.component(vector::Y),
         rotation.component(vector::Z),
-        inDegrees
+        dict.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("degrees", true)
     );
 }
 
diff --git a/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/STARCDCoordinateRotation.C b/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/STARCDCoordinateRotation.C
index 8ea78b382718b6b9627cadc9f78e90093ab54ca4..a8f03d5f89812c0060cddf8531670dd7e7c6d9b6 100644
--- a/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/STARCDCoordinateRotation.C
+++ b/src/meshTools/coordinateSystems/coordinateRotation/STARCDCoordinateRotation.C
@@ -134,18 +134,12 @@ Foam::STARCDCoordinateRotation::STARCDCoordinateRotation
 {
     vector rotation(dict.lookup("rotation"));
 
-    bool inDegrees = true;
-    if (dict.found("degrees"))
-    {
-        inDegrees = Switch(dict.lookup("degrees"));
-    }
-
     calcTransform
     (
         rotation.component(vector::X),
         rotation.component(vector::Y),
         rotation.component(vector::Z),
-        inDegrees
+        dict.lookupOrDefault<Switch>("degrees", true)
     );
 }