![\"oven-grill](\"https:\/\/lifesimplified.gorenje.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gorenje-life-simplified-blog-oven-grill.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEveryone has had this moment in front of a new (or old) oven: staring at the symbols on the oven, wondering what they all do. Here\u2019s a short guide that will make all the features make sense.<\/p>\n
Simple icons or symbols engraved on the front panel of your oven are shortcuts to the oven\u2019s cooking and baking functions. We are fully aware that even though all ovens (as do most other appliances) come with an instruction manual, some people misplace it. A household appliance shouldn\u2019t be that hard to master, should it? Especially if it comes with these self-explanatory symbols\u2026 So, what do they do?<\/p>\n
The symbol for conventional heating is two parallel lines \u2013 one at the top and one at the bottom (often inside of a square). Since these lines represent the two heating elements used, this function is best used for mainstream dishes, as the heat is diffused by natural convection. The conventional heating mode is ideal for roasting meat or baking cakes.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s only one line at the bottom? The symbol with a single line at the bottom of a square represents only the lower heating element is in use. This has several advantages but is mainly used for baking dishes that require a crispy base \u2013 such as pizza. We would also use it for baking a casserole and even for juicy desserts. Bread, for example, prefers to be on the middle shelf, baked at around 180 \u00b0 C for half an hour.<\/p>\n
Another thing \u2013 did you know that the baking functions differ by about 20 \u00b0 C? 180 \u00b0 C in a static oven is equivalent to 160 \u00b0 C in a ventilated oven. Just something to keep in mind when you\u2019re trying to follow recipes to the dot.<\/p>\n
One of the first symbols you\u2019ll come across on just about any oven is the fan function \u2013 usually pictured as a fan. The fan\u2019s function is to heat up the tasty food you\u2019re cooking in the oven faster, reduce cooking time, and decrease energy consumption \u2013 that\u2019s why fan is often used in combination with one or more heaters. Fan ovens are great for baking multiple trays at a time, so you can put biscuits on the top shelf, cupcakes on the middle one, and muffins on the bottom one to prepare them all at the same time. This way you can use all levels, for example for baking roasts on the top and potatoes on the bottom or lasagna and vegetables or maybe fish and side dishes. The use of the fan function is also recommended if you like your meat cooked medium or rare as this way it will be tender on the outside and rare on the inside.<\/p>\n
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Probably one of the biggest mysteries people encounter the first time they look at the oven symbols is a zigzag line. A zigzag line represents the grilling function (if your oven has one). As many of you know, grills are great for crisping and browning food, as well as making toast or toasted sandwiches, melting cheese on lasagnas, and preparing delicious steaks.<\/p>\n
There may also be a half-grill setting, which means only the center of the grill element gets hot. In this case, you\u2019ll need to place the food dead center to get even cooking. If there\u2019s an icon with the zigzag line at the top of a square with the fan symbol underneath, this represents a fan with a grill. The fan distributes the heat, while the grill roasts from the top. The grill cycles on and off to maintain the temperature setting, which makes this method ideal for cooking meat and poultry.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s our simple yet effective chicken recipe: preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Put the chicken in the middle of the oven and far enough from the ceiling during baking (it is best to bake it at a medium height). The most convenient way to bake a chicken is on a rack, which is inserted into the baking dish. The grill allows the juices leaking from the meat to collect at the bottom of the roaster under the chicken during baking, and the heat circulates evenly around the chicken throughout the roasting. This will make the chicken more evenly baked and the skin will be crispy baked. Oh, another thing to remember: always place the chicken in a baking dish or on a wire rack with the breast facing down. The timing is important too, this is the math behind it: for every 500 grams of chicken take 15 minutes and finally add another 15 minutes for the whole chicken.<\/p>\n
The most obvious symbol on an oven is a light bulb. Some ovens cook with the light on automatically so you can see progress easily, but most have a light switch that you have to turn on to see your delicious food get prepared.<\/p>\n
No worries, you won\u2019t be drying any winter clothes in the oven after a walk in a snowy blizzard. If your oven happens to have a symbol that looks like a snowflake above a drop of water, this means it features a defrosting mode. When enabled, the oven fan is switched on and little or no heat is generated with the air circulation in charge of defrosting the food. It\u2019s a nice feature in case you forgot to take the food out to defrost overnight and you need to make a meal quickly.<\/p>\n
Sure, ovens are good at warming stuff. Literally. Look for a symbol of a dish with \u201csteam\u201d lines rising above it. This function is intended to keep the food warm without cooking it anymore. Want to be a professional host and surprise your dinner party with warm plates? Check if there is a symbol with three dishes lined horizontally above one another. This setting keeps your plates safely warm without damaging the fine china.<\/p>\n
Then there are Gorenje OptiBake ovens. Opt for a modern built-in pyrolytic oven and you\u2019re in for a treat. These ovens provide fully automatic cooking programs with 22 of the most popular recipes to choose from, which are just ideal for beginners. Extensively tested by Gorenje experts, the AutoBake programs are fail-safe, delivering great results. All you need to do is choose the dish type and (in a few cases) weight and press start. The oven will do the rest. Yes, it is a kind of kitchen magic. Just keep the AutoBake \u201ccheat sheet\u201d nearby.<\/p>\n
Yep, Gorenje has self-cleaning ovens<\/a> in its lineup too. A pyrolytic oven<\/a> is a kind of magic, as it heats up to about 500 \u00b0 C where it makes sure the dirt carbonizes and turns to ash. This process is called pyrolysis, hence where the name comes from. Ask around, households with pyrolytic ovens will tell you it is one of the best investments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everyone has had this moment in front of a new (or old) oven: staring at the symbols on the oven, wondering what they all do. Here\u2019s a short guide that will make all the features make sense. Simple icons or symbols engraved on the front panel of your oven are shortcuts to the oven\u2019s cooking…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,21],"tags":[147,4486,779,148,5771,8025],"class_list":["post-18687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-appliance-maintenance","category-chores","tag-baking","tag-food-preparation","tag-grilling","tag-oven","tag-oven-functions","tag-tips-and-triks"],"yoast_head":"\n