The holidays are an overwhelming time for most people, between family gatherings, travel planning, and hectic shopping trips. You may find yourself cooking much more than usual, which can put a strain on your oven. If you don’t cook from scratch very often and you’re suddenly tasked with making a Thanksgiving dinner for 10, for example, your oven may not be up to the task. These tips can help you avoid a service call hours before guests are supposed to arrive.
Clean your oven and stovetop thoroughly. Giving your stove a complete cleaning before the holidays arrive allows your oven to work more effectively. You should make it a habit to clean your oven regularly at least once a month going forward. The more grease and crumbs you have in the bottom of your oven, the harder it has to work to reach and maintain a constant temperature. Clean out your burner’s drip pans, scrub the stovetop and burners, and wipe out the entire interior of your stove including the racks. Be sure to unplug the oven if you’ll be cleaning the inside with wet cleaners.
Avoid your oven knobs when cleaning. While you can give the front of the knobs a quick wipe with a dry cloth, don’t remove the knobs while using wet cleaning products. This area directly links to the electrical system of your oven and saturating it can short circuit the system.
Keep your oven door closed while you’re baking. You may want to peek at the progress of your casserole, but it’s best to do that using your oven light through the oven door. Every time you open your oven door, a significant amount of heat escapes, and your oven has to work harder to compensate. By keeping the door closed as much as possible, you allow the temperature to stay consistent.
Give your oven a test drive. Testing your oven is especially important if you’re hosting a big holiday dinner when you normally don’t cook or bake that often. You don’t want something to go wrong when your turkey is only half-cooked. A few weeks to a month before the holiday season, slow-bake a chicken or another basic meal in the oven that requires operation for several hours. You should also test the broil setting if you’ll be broiling any foods.
Replace any worn out oven burners. If you have an electric oven, thoroughly check the burners during operation for areas that appear to be hotter than the overall burners. This is a sign that the burner is wearing down and may possibly cause an electrical short. Replace any burners displaying this symptom as soon as possible.
Use alternative devices to prevent overworking your oven. For many, a crockpot can be a lifesaver, as can the microwave. You may want to make more low-maintenance meals in between your big holiday get-togethers. This practice allows your oven to take a breather in between long cooking sessions.
While these preventative tips can often keep your oven running smoothly, issues can and do still occur. If your oven is giving you trouble and you need speedy repairs to prevent it from affecting your holiday plans, count on CS Appliance Service this holiday season. Give us a call at (781) 953-9600. You can also find more appliance maintenance tips on our Facebook page, located at https://www.facebook.com/CSApplianceService/.