While ovens have become a mainstay in kitchens around the world, many people aren’t always sure how to properly use their oven to cook delicious meals. Figuring out how to use an oven on your own can be daunting. But it’s easier than you might think, as long as you keep a few basic things in mind.
With this beginner’s guide, Electrolux Indonesia will help you on your oven cooking journey. Below are some basic things you should know about how to use an oven.
1. Types of ovens
There are several types of ovens, and they need to be used in different ways.
You should know what type of oven you’re dealing with to be able to use it efficiently. Here are the most important varieties:
Gas ovens
Gas ovens use a gas-fueled burner to cook your food. If your home already has a gas connection, gas ovens are relatively cheap to install and run, though they are notorious for their uneven heat distribution.
Electric ovens
Electric ovens use electrically heated coils to cook the food. The coils heat up relatively slowly, but then keep a constant temperature more steadily than a gas oven can. While electric ovens can be more expensive to run, many people also find them more convenient, especially for baking and broiling.
Convection ovens
One of the most recent evolutions of the oven, convection ovens add more heating elements and a fan to reach more stable temperatures. Convection ovens usually cook your food most evenly and quicker when compared to other oven types.
We have an ultimate buying guide to help you distinguish different types of ovens. Read our guide to find more helpful tips for choosing a good oven.
2. How to use new oven for the first time
If you've just purchased a brand-new oven and this is your first time using it, here are a few easy steps you should follow to remove the burning smell and other debris from the manufacturing process.
These instructions for using an oven for the first time can be applied to both electric ovens and gas ovens.
- Check the User manual for the electrical power requirements and ensure that your electricity source is compatible.
- Remove all items from the packaging, including protective plastic.
- Set your oven to high heat (at least 200 degrees Celsius) for 45 to 60 minutes.
- When finished, open the door to allow the oven to cool down. This allows air to circulate and prevents lingering odors inside.
- After cooling, use a warm, soapy wash cloth to wipe down the inside of the oven and you're good to go.
3. How to preheat your oven
All ovens need to be preheated, whether they’re gas, electric, or convection. Preheating will ensure that your food cooks evenly and is cooked all the way through.
It typically takes around 12-15 minutes to preheat an oven, though this depends on the oven as well as on the desired temperature. Below is a brief guideline on preheating time for different ovens:
Type of oven |
Preheating time |
Gas ovens |
5 – 10 minutes |
Electric and convection ovens |
15 – 20 minutes |
Note: Consult your recipe to find out which temperature it should be set to and turn it on well before your meal is ready to be cooked.
Latest models of ovens will usually let you know when preheating is done, either with an indicator light or on an LED screen.
When you’re preheating, remember to:
- Not open the oven door unnecessarily, since the heat will escape, and the preheating will take longer.
- Take out the cooking trays you need before turning on the oven.
4. Where to place your oven rack
Ovens are designed in a way that makes the very middle the place with the most even heat distribution, so most foods will cook very well there. However, here are some additional tips:
- If you’re baking things that should have an extra crispy underside: Place the rack near the bottom.
- If you’re going for a crunchy crust or broiling: Place it near the top.
If you’re cooking more than one batch of something, such as cookies: Put one sheet near the top, one near the bottom, and then rotate them. In a convection oven, however, this isn’t as important, since the heat gets circulated evenly.
5. Avoid opening the oven while you’re cooking
When you open the oven door, the heat escapes into your kitchen and the temperature inside your oven decreases. That means that your oven needs time to heat up again once you’ve closed the door. This may increase the time needed for cooking your food and could even lead to it being undercooked.
For this very reason, most ovens have windows that allow you to look inside the oven without having to open it. While you’re going to have to open it at some point, try to avoid that until it’s absolutely necessary.
>>> Read more: How to bake pizzas in electric oven
6. How to deal with oven’s hot spots
Ovens often have areas with more intense heat and areas with less heat. Those hotter sections, the so-called “hot spots”, can be used to cook food more quickly, but also put your food at risk of burning. Gas ovens are most notorious for these hot spots, since the heat distribution in gas ovens isn’t as even as it is in electric or convection ovens.
Here are some oven tips on how to deal with those hot spots:
- Find the hot spots by putting slices of bread on a cooking tray and putting them in the oven. Bread that browns more quickly indicate hot spots.
- To make sure your food cooks evenly, turn your cooking trays around frequently or use a rotating cooking tray.
Check out our helpful tutorial videos on how to use Electrolux ovens.
7. How to clean your oven
Many modern ovens come with a self-cleaning function, usually in three varieties:
- Pyrolytic ovens burn grease and sugar residue, so you only have to wipe up a bit of ash
- Catalytic ovens work similarly, but only take care of grease, while sugar residue is unaffected
- Steam-cleaning ovens soften up the dirt for you, so you only have to wipe It off with a rag
The following products from Electrolux are examples of ovens that come with self-cleaning features:
- Different oven functions for diverse cooking.
- Steam Assisted Cleaning makes chores easier.
- Pizza program grills above and cooks from below.
- SteamBake for bakery-style bread at home.
- Smart food probe monitors core temperatures.
- Easy pyro cleaning at high temperature.
For manual oven cleaning, you also have several options:
Store-bought oven cleaning products
Work fast, but often use strong chemicals. Always follow the instructions when using these products.
Baking soda and vinegar
Apply a paste of water and baking soda to your oven’s surfaces and let it work overnight. Wipe off, spray with vinegar, and wipe again.
Lemons
Cut two lemons in half and put them in an oven-proof bowl filled with water. Place the bowl in the oven and turn it to 120 Celsius degrees for about an hour. Open the door and let it cool off. When the inside of the oven is safe to touch but still warm, wipe the surfaces with a wet cloth.
*Disclaimer: Professional oven cleaners might be required to provide the best care for your oven surface.
8. How to maintain your oven properly
Cleaning your oven already helps to give it a longer lifespan, but it needs proper maintenance beyond that. Always consult your oven’s user manual in order to find out how best to keep your appliance in working order, but here are a few basic tips:
Keep your oven door seal clean
The seal on your oven door ensures that hot air doesn’t escape the oven, ensuring that the temperature on the inside remains steady while you’re cooking. Keeping the seal clean is as easy as regularly wiping it down with a damp rag.
Keep your oven fan free of obstructions
Regularly check the vents in front of your oven’s fan for obstructions and make sure to remove them by wiping off the vents. Unless you have experience, do not attempt to clean the fan itself, since this is usually only possible if the appliance is at least partially disassembled. Better to leave it to the professionals.
Find the support you might need for your oven from our website.
Schedule professional maintenance for your oven
Making sure experienced maintenance workers look at your oven at regular intervals will help catch any issues before they become real problems.
How to take care of my oven
9. Finally, enjoy cooking with your oven
An oven is the ultimate cooking machine, letting you create everything from cookies and cakes to casseroles, lasagnas and pizzas. And when you really know how to use your oven, cooking even intricate meals becomes as easy as pie.
With Electrolux ovens, you also have the benefit of the latest technologies like pyrolytic cleaning, super-safe glass doors and steam cooking, so take the leap to upgrade your kitchen today. Check out the broad selection of ovens Electrolux has to offer and find the one that best suits you.
- SteamBake for bakery-style bread at home.
- Smart food probe monitors core temperatures.
- Easy pyro cleaning at high temperature.
- Different oven functions for diverse cooking.
- Steam Assisted Cleaning makes chores easier.
- Pizza program grills above and cooks from below.
- Different oven functions for diverse cooking.
- Large gas oven to cook for a crowd.
- Rotisserie turnspit roasts to perfection.
- 4-in-1 oven toast, bake, grill and rotisserie.
- AirFry your food for a fried taste with less oil.
- Convection function for roasting or baking.
- 3-in-1 oven toasts, bakes and grills.
- Convection function for roasting or baking.
- High power for fast heating.