Kitchen Appliances

OVENS

An oven window and light make it easy to check the
progress of baking items without opening the door. Opening
the door wastes energy and can effect baking results. Some
oven windows have three panes of heat-resistant glass with air trapped between each pane
which minimizes heat loss through the window.
However, a window is a convenience only if the consumer can see through it clearly.
Factors affecting visibility are the color of the glass, the brightness of the oven light, and the
coarseness of the screening that is often used to reinforce the glass.
A proper seal is vital to keeping heat inside the oven for efficient operation and
excellent baking results. A silicone rubber seal can withstand very high temperatures, thus has
a long life. Strong springs are important to hold the oven door tight against the seal.
One of the newest features found in ovens is convection cooking. It is available in portable,
full-size, free-standing, and built-in wall ovens. In convection ovens, a
fan blows the heated air over and around food, increasing the rate of
moisture evaporation and thus decreasing cooking time.
The oven temperature can be reduced 25 to 50 degrees when
cooking with convection because of the air circulation and more even
cooking. Shorter cooking times and lower temperatures add up to important energy and dollar savings. Because convection ovens use forced-air for cooking, noise level is a consideration. It should be low enough to not be
irritating.
Some manufacturers are making combination ovens as an option to conventional gas
or electric ovens. These combination ovens allow microwave-convection, microwave-
conventional, or convection-conventional cooking in a single large oven. The consumer can
cook with either method or combine them for faster cooking. Some combination ovens can
reduce cooking time by one-third.