A Comprehensive Guide To Oven From Beginning To End
How to Repair Common Oven Parts The oven is a kitchen appliance that is typically used to cook food. The heat from the oven sterilizes food and kills most of the micro-organisms in them. A precise oven thermometer is essential for bakers of all kinds. Knowing how your oven functions will improve your baking cooking, roasting and cooking abilities. It will also eliminate those annoying hot spots which can cause damage to cakes, cookies and baked items. Thermostat The thermostat is an essential part of your oven. It assists in ensuring that the temperature of food corresponds to the temperature you have set on the control panel. It could be a problem as with any other sensor or switch that is electro-mechanical. The oven may overheat or underheat, or simply not keep the temperature you set. The oven thermostat is a small strip of two different metals joined. When heated, the different metals expand and bend at different rates, creating or breaking an electrical circuit. When the metal in your thermostat reaches the temperature that you have set on your control panel, it will turn off the power to the heater. As the oven cools down the bimetallic strip expands, re-establishing the circuit and activating the heating element. This cycle continues for a long time to ensure that the oven remains at a constant temperature. To identify a problem with the thermostat, you'll need to unplug the oven and ensure that all screws that hold it in place have been removed. Set your multimeter to the Ohms setting and then test the thermostat. If the multimeter displays zero or close to zero it means that the thermostat is working correctly and doesn't require to be changed. If the multimeter isn't reading anything, then the thermostat is defective and needs to be replaced. Cooker Spare Parts suggests that you replace your thermostat with a thermostat of the same type as the previous one. They can be purchased through the internet or at the kitchen store, and are available at a reasonable price. Bake Element Ovens are not complete without the bake element which creates heat to make your oven cook food. It's a small element that converts electricity into the high temperatures needed for baking, roasting, and broiling. Heating elements are commonly found in electric ranges and ovens and can be either uncovered or hidden under the oven's floor. In general, oven heating elements are constructed from high-resistance materials like nickel-chromium alloy. They work by converting electrical energy into heat through the process of resistance which then radiates throughout the oven's interior to raise the temperature to the desired temperature to cook various types of foods. When Recommended Reading turn on your oven the heating element gets to produce heat from the high-voltage electrical energy flowing across its metal surface. When the electric current flows through it, the element heats up. When the element reaches the temperature it is intended to it begins to glow red hot. The baked element is the primary source of heat for most oven functions. It's usually found at the bottom of the oven and is used to clean the oven in many automatic oven models. You may be noticing that the oven does not warm up as quickly or that your food hasn't fully cooked. To verify that you have a working oven baking element, plug your multimeter into its red and black ports, and then place the metal probes against each other on the opposite side of your element. The other end of the baking element against one terminal and then place your hand on it. If the element feels warm, remove it and try testing it again. If not, take it off and try again. Broil Element The broil element, usually found at the top of your cavity, provides high heat to cook or char the food. The oven's broil setting is a great way to quickly grill meat, crisp vegetables, reheat lasagna or caramelize the topping of a casserole. The broiler heating element is comparable to the bake element in that it converts electrical energy via resistance into heat. It is composed of an inner core comprised of metal wires, which are wrapped in an insulating expanded product known as perlite. The inner core is then enclosed in an outer layer of stainless steel to shield the wires from direct contact with the oven. The three-layer structure reduces the broil element's temperature making it safer and more efficient than the older designs of elements. You can use any heating element for baking or broiling in your oven. However, it is important to choose one that is compatible with the wattage that your oven is rated for. Utilizing a different wattage may damage your oven or cause it to overheat. The voltage and current ratings of the latest heating elements are available on the control panel of your oven. This allows you to determine the power and rating of your oven. Verify the resistance of the old element, and compare it with the wattage rating of the new element. The greater the resistance, the more energy an oven element consumes. If your broiler heating element is acting up or doesn't work at all, you should replace it as soon as possible. Your oven needs to function properly for you to to cook your favorite foods. If your oven doesn't operate at all, or only intermittently, then the issue could be in a different part. Light Bulb and Assembly The light lets you monitor your food as it cooks, without opening the door and let the heat escape. The light will also let you know when the casserole has been cooked. It's not unusual for the bulb to die. This can be frustrating, but it's a relatively easy repair that you can do yourself. Before you begin, be sure that the breaker hasn't tripped and that the three-prong connector remains intact. Remove the old bulb and then locate the new one. You may have to look online for a replacement bulb that matches the wattage and type of oven you have. Some ovens utilize standard appliance bulbs of 40 watts, while others need a halogen lamp up to 50 watts. Be aware that the oil in your hands could damage the halogen bulb, so you should use cotton gloves when handling it. Before putting the new bulb into place it is important to first take it out of its glass casing. It is important to take this step slowly to ensure that you don't damage it. You'll have to remove the air from the bulb and replace it with an appropriate mixture. This will extend the lifespan for the filament. If your bulb keeps blinking, it could be an electrical problem that requires a professional to fix. Make sure you're using the correct oven bulb and consult your Use and Care Guide to find more troubleshooting advice. Be sure to unplug your oven and turn off the power prior to beginning any repairs. This will prevent you from getting an electric shock. Vent Tube The vent tube is an important oven part that allows for an airflow within the cavity. This allows the bake element to circulate heat throughout the oven, making sure that the temperature is evenly distributed. It also allows the vapors escape from the oven and smoke to be drained from the cooking surface. It is essential for the proper operation of any electric or gas oven. Oven vent tubes may become blocked due to a variety of factors. Accidental spills or splatters may leave sticky residues in oven vents. These can draw in dust, debris and other contaminates that could cause clogs over time. Grease and oil particles can become airborne and settle around the vents, and vice versa. Other environmental factors such as kitchen and construction projects can create dust in the vents. This can cause clogs. Depending on the oven model, the vent tube may include an a bottle guide 20 or spreader 46 as well as a fill tip 12 that are integrally formed by the pipe 32. For example the bottle guide 20 might have a tapered outer layer that compliments the complementarily tapered inside of the spreader 46. This allows the vent tube to be smoothly fitted into various sizes and designs of bottle necks. A blocked or clogged vent tube can result in the loss of pressure inside the enclosing structure. This could result in a downdraft that pulls exhaust down the vent and backwards through the oven's burners, causing damage to oven components. Consult a professional if you suspect that your vent tube might be blocked or clogged. best oven uk will diagnose the problem and offer suggestions for removing or cleaning the vent.