Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with oven

Sprung oven door

goofyfoot — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:25:41 -0800

Our oven door springs are sprung. It's an old O'Keefe and Merritt stove - the kind with lots of space on top; we love it. But the oven door can't stay shut. Help! We've used sponges as shims, but they no longer work well. It's a gas stove. I can't manage a way to whittle a wooden shim down to the perfect wedge. A previous question here yielded this; has anyone tried one for this purpose? What other ways of securing a sprung spring door have you tried?

Our landlords aren't interested in helping us here unless it is to replace this big stove with a rickety tiny one, and we can't really afford to get a repairman out.

Metamess Prevention

magnoliasouth — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:04:25 -0800

What are some tips on preventing electric range messes? I'm not talking cleaning them, but preventing the messes in the first place.

You see, I am buying a new electric range and it is to be delivered tomorrow. I have 5 adults (three are young adults) in this house right now and it's a battle getting them to clean up after themselves, but that's for another post. The point is that I'm trying to come up with creative ways to keep my new stove nice looking and to prevent filth altogether.

I know there are a lot of seriously safety minded folks out there and while I'm not feckless I'm also not overly concerned with it, so ideas such as disposable drip pans, or oven liners, are fine by me.

Are there any other tips out there? Also I'm really looking for stove-top ideas since that appears to be the biggest problem.

Ding ! Dinner's Ready !

duckus — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:23:09 -0800

What are your best quick toaster/convection oven recipes? I'm looking at my unopened Krups Convection Toaster Oven and wondering what to make with it. Other than toast. I like quick and healthy food. Anything my two kids (6, and 11) might find tasty is also good.

(No) Bake Sale

Dr. Wu — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:05:23 -0800

I need to bake something, but it's hot (and getting hotter) and humid, and I don't want to raise the temperature in here any further. Any suggestions for no-bake (or toaster-oven?) treats? As part of our volunteer commitment to our CSA, my lovely fiancée promised to make some baked goods for their biweekly bake sale, which takes place this afternoon. However, she is overworked and never got around to baking last evening, and won't be home in time to make anything in time for the sale.

So I need to bake ... something. Could be anything, as we didn't promise to bring any item in particular. Cookies, brownies, whatever.

But, yeah, it's hot and I don't want it any hotter in here. Do you know any good no-bake recipes that produce something bake-sale friendly? Whatever I make must be apportioned into individual-size units, as cookies or brownies would be. A cake that could be sliced would work, too.

The toaster oven doesn't make things too warm in here, so I'm open to toaster-oven-specific recipes, too. Microwave is an option, as well.

We have a reasonably well-stocked kitchen, and I'm a pretty good cook. (She's the better baker, but I can manage.) Any ideas?

Thanks!

Electric-start Gas Oven Unable to Reach 250+ F degrees (121 C)

erin_trying — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:11:53 -0800

Electric-start gas oven unable to reach over 250 F (121 C) degrees--any way to fix or time to replace? I have an electric-start gas oven from the 1970s whose identifying marks have disappeared or been painted over. For nearly three weeks now it has been unable to get hot enough. It turns on. It goes as high as, about 250 F (121 C) degrees, but it will not get any hotter--except once or twice a week on whim it will get up to 400+ F (204 C) degrees, but there is nothing indicating why it decides to work then. The attached stove top, also electric-start gas, has worked fine the entire time.

Any clues on why this is happening? What can I do to fix it? I recently needed to have my fridge (also from the 1970s) replaced, so I feel a bit bad going "Oh! And a new oven too, please."

Possible factors of its demise:
I bake a lot (by which I mean about 10,000 cookies a year + other stuff) and the previous tenant of three years did not cook/bake at all. Even though I've only been here a few months I can't imagine it liked running a marathon with no training.

It has been absurdly humid where I live, moreso than normal this summer (my TV broke because of it!).

How to clean an oven

AceRock — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:30:54 -0800

Corningware broke inside hot oven. Oil/grease caked on everywhere. No self-cleaning mechanism. No oven hood. No idea what to do. Help! I can't even pre heat the oven now without filling the apartment with smoke. I'm looking for your best tips, tricks, strategies, products etc. for cleaning out my oven by hand. Thanks!

Pros and cons of cooking with an Aga

Bigbrowncow — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:17:50 -0800

Tell me about your Aga / Rayburn experiences We love cooking: stews, baking, stir frys, sauces, roasts, boiled veggies...

What would a big cast iron cooker like an Aga do for us? Where would it fail? What do you wish you'd known before you bought one or bought a house with one?

Used Pizza Oven?

furiousxgeorge — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:40:39 -0800

How much would you expect to pay for a used restaurant quality pizza oven? Where would you look for such a thing?

My kingdom for a repeatable toaster oven!

rouftop — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:49:55 -0800

What happened to toaster ovens? And are there any left that are any good? Our humble Black & Decker died a few months ago. This was the kind where you turned a knob to your desired toast setting, then pressed a lever. The toaster would pop automatically.

When I went looking for a replacement, I found that every toaster oven -- including Black and Decker's -- had replaced this lever mechanism with something more like an egg timer. You turn the dial to your desired setting and it tick-tick-ticks back to zero, at which point it pops.

This is inherently a worse design as it's impossible to turn it to the exact same spot every time. On our replacement Euro-Pro toaster, it also doesn't even stop ticking at the same place on the dial every time. As a result, my family burns every piece of toast that isn't babysat.

What happened to toaster ovens? And are there any left that allow for repeatable toasting experiences?

(PS please don't tell me to buy a regular slotted toaster as there is no counter space for one!)

An oven element's silent protest...?

Decimask — Sun, 31 May 2009 08:23:56 -0800

My electric oven's bottom element looks fine, but... ...it won't heat up. The broiler works just fine. My first job was in the hardware section of a store we lovingly refer to up here as Crappy Tire, so I've seen a few fried elements, and they tend to fail pretty catastrophically. But this is weird: not only is the oven's element immaculate, the backing plate it is still shiny and clean.

Note:

I've tried switching the 30amp fuses for the elements, and it made no difference

There's no evidence under the wiring plate on the back of anything smoking, shorting, etc.

Has anyone ever had an element fail without any sign like this?

I can't wait on two hours for a pizza to bake

saffry — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:06:23 -0800

I'm having trouble with my oven and think it's the door gasket/seal. Specifically, I see that the gasket is only going 3/4 of the way around the door, and isn't on the bottom. Is that normal? I think the answer is probably no, so...... how easy is this to fix?

Oven dilemma: gas vs electric (240 or 120 volt)?

lapsang — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:27:05 -0800

Apartment not wired with 240 Volts - should I rewire or replace my 240v electric wall oven with 120 volt oven and is it recommended? Or should I go with gas? I renovated my apartment and rented it. In the process I bought a 240 volt oven from IKEA. Damn thing never worked. Discovered that it requires 240 volts and my (old) apartment isn't wired for that.

So the choices:

1. spend $500 on wiring and keeping the IKEA oven
2. replace the IKEA oven with a gas wall oven and spending $100-200 on piping the gas to the oven (plus the hassle of selling and buying and installing a replacement)
3. find a 120 volt oven

Do 140 volt ovens even exist and are they worth it. Are gas ovens any good?

What to do?

cheers

What's the best cleaning method for a HORRIBLY dirty aluminum grill grate?

covert7 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:56:22 -0800

What's the best cleaning method for a HORRIBLY dirty aluminum grill grate? I have an aluminum grate that is in really bad shape. It's coated in carbon/grease that seems to be fused on. Also the same thing with a little catch pan and grate for my toaster oven. I've tried using those oven cleaner sprays and they might have helped a tiny bit but just barely. After much scraping I can see teeny slivers of actual metal beneath...

Anyone got any good ideas on getting rid of all this residue? Thanks fo the help!

How to I construct and operate the most environmentally friendly wood burning pizza oven?

FearAndLoathingInLJ — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:23:44 -0800

How do I reconcile operating a wood burning pizza oven with environmental friendliness? I am as environmentally conscious as the next guy, likely more so, but to make pizza the Neapolitan way, one requires a wood burning oven. What steps can I take in the construction and operation of my oven to reduce the environmental impact?

I know there are carbon credits and things like that, but I'd prefer a reasonable solution that deals with the fuel or exhaust or trapping or something like that.

Cold as ice. As cold as ice to me.

Mayor Curley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:46:35 -0800

The oven portion of our gas range went from being fine to dead inside. Made baked potatoes one night, next night I turned it on and it wouldn't heat up at all. The burners still work fine. I reviewed some literature about repairing it myself, but I'm trying to decide if it's a good idea. It's not a fancy range-- no self-cleaning or anything like that. It has electric ignition for the burners and a built-in timer/digital clock but that's it. We don't know how old it is because it came with the house. But it is ghastly dead.

I have previously repaired a dishwasher and a washing machine by replacing parts, but I've never opened up an oven. I have never tested electric parts with a multimeter and don't own one.

Do you, handywomen and men, think this sounds typical of a specific part failing? Do you think I can fix this without spending an entire precious saturday swearing in my kitchen? If no, does it make more sense to find a repair person or just replace the unit? I am adverse to spending money, but it seems like repairing inexpensive appliances is often less cost-effective than paying for their repair. I live just outside of Boston, Massachusetts if it matters.

Is it worth the trouble to vent our range hood outside?

odinsdream — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:55:50 -0800

Is it worth the trouble to vent our range hood outside? We are replacing our old range hood with an above-range convection microwave which can either vent outside or back into the room. Is there a good reason I should go to the trouble to vent it outside?

There is a pathway above the cabinets and it's a short distance to an outside wall, which I'd have to cut a hole in from the outside. I cannot easily reach the exterior wall from inside. I'd have to do most of the cutting work from the outside and fish the vent pipe over to the hole.

What benefits would I gain from venting outside?

Recipe for truly succulent, traditional Jewish brisket?

roxie110 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:01:41 -0800

How do you make truly tender, succulent Jewish-style brisket? I've had a craving for brisket-like-my-grandmother-used-to-make for about a year now. I finally got the meat and my mother's recipe and cooked it today. The taste is great and the thin end of the meat turned out close to what I was hoping for; the thick end is cooked through but not moist and falling apart like brisket in my world should be, and when I stick a fork in it gives a lot of resistance. I don't know if I over- or undercooked it. I should mention that my "dutch oven" (really a stockpot) was too narrow so I used a Calphalon deep covered 13" nonstick skillet instead--maybe a big mistake? I am such a brisket novice.

Below is a quick recap of how I cooked it. I've looked up a ton of recipes but each one is slightly different, and life's too short to try every one. My question is this: who has a foolproof (mostly) recipe for truly tender, traditional Jewish brisket!? And just as important, how do you know how long to cook it and when it's done? (Can you overcook a brisket, as long as there's still liquid in the pan?)

Recipe I used for half a first-cut brisket, about 3 pounds, fat trimmed:
Preheat oven to 350. Place thickly sliced onions, carrots, and a couple chopped garlic cloves in bottom of Dutch oven. Rub ketchup, ground pepper, paprika, and one envelope onion soup mix on all surfaces of brisket. Add liquid to 3/4 inches deep (I used 1.5 cans low-sodium beef broth; most of liquid was absorbed by the end of cooking). Place chunks of potato around meat. Cover tightly and roast for 2.5 hours. Baste two or three times during cooking. Remove from heat, cool meat, and slice across the grain.

Help! And thank you!

Is it too soon to ask my new landlord for a new oven?

buzzkillington — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:49:12 -0800

So, I moved into my new apartment 2 weeks ago, and finally found the time to cook my first real dinner. The problem is my oven. I love to cook, and it looks like this apartment came with an O'Keefe & Merritt oven, something mustard-colored out of the 70s (not the cool vintage 50s kind.) Two of the burners wouldn't light at all, and the other 2 lit, but when I turned them off and tried to re-light them they wouldn't. And this is my first older oven, so I guess you can't use the oven and the stovetop at the same time? Or at least I couldn't. This aggression will not stand. I guess my question is, after only 2 weeks of occupancy, how do I go about talking to my landlord about getting a new oven? Or talking her into getting a new oven, in these trying financial times. I guess that every tenant before me was fine with it but I could barely make edible pasta and garlic bread and that's not gonna work. Thoughts?

I want to eat well!

big open mouth — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:33:00 -0800

In search of awesome recipes that use microwaves, a stovetop and a toaster oven. So, my apartment doesn't have a functional oven and only one stovetop, but I love to cook. I miss baking cupcakes and cookies during these still-chilly nights. I'm tired of peanut butter sandwiches and I want to learn how to make yummy food with the appliances I have.

I'm thinking stir fry's, indian food, good pasta dishes, etc etc. Anybody got any advice? It's much appreciated. And Happy Valentine's Day!

Help me to not overthink a plate of beans (and rice)

availablelight — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:44:11 -0800

Rice and beans for the inexperienced and time-pressed cook? I have a 5 pound bag of (non-instant) rice. I have an assortment of bags of dried beans (a pound of kidney beans, a pound of black beans, a pound of navy beans, etc.). Am I imagining this, or is there a way to prepare a one-shot, one-pot/dish batch of rice and beans in the oven? (I do know that the beans will have to be pre-soaked, but that's about all I know-- my experience with dried beans is limited to including them in a long-simmering soup or stew--I've had bad experiences with bags o'beans in other situations)

I have other potential add-ins like spices, tomato sauce, veggies, etc.

What to do with a brisket?

tavegyl — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:02:39 -0800

Went to market, came back with a brisket. Now what? I have a 1.5 kilo beef brisket sitting in the fridge, asking to be cooked for dinner tomorrow. It's now nearly 9pm and I won't have time to go get additional supplies. What can I do with a brisket to have it ready by 7pm tomorrow?

When buying it I'd thought vaguely of searing it like a steak, but it looks like this is a more demanding cut of meat than that.

I've looked through recipes online, but as a novice brisketeer would appreciate tried and trusted or wildly experimental advice.

Some limitors:

1. I work from home, so can dash to the kitchen when needed.

2. Available implements: an oven, a small roasting pan, shallow casserole dishes, and cooking pots of various sizes. No grill, barbeque, crock pot, pressure cooker or Dutch oven.

3. Available condiments: Soy sauce, worcester sauce, brown sugar, basil, star anise, 5-spice powder, crushed chillies, black pepper, garlic, ginger, onions, white wine, chicken stock cube, vegetable stock cube, miso, lemon, fortnight old rosemary, maple syrup, honey. No coffee, but could be arranged in the morning. Cardamom, mustard seeds, cinnamon, fennel seeds.

4. Available vegetables: peas, carrots, new potatoes, chinese broccoli, spinach, 3-4 mushrooms, 1/4 leek

5. Preferences: I'm a total novice. That said, this searing thang that many of the recipes recommended sounds like fun. As did one recipe which recommended a layer of caramelised onions on top. I'm not a fan of hearty stews, gravies or excess sweetness with my meat. I like pink in my meat. Red too.

6. The Brisket: Must be used tomorrow so that a grain fed Devonshire cow should not have died in vain. Rolled into a little cylinder, with a layer of fat about 1/2 cm thick. Gently oozing.

7. Added bonus if any marinading tips come before I go to bed.

Save my dinner! (and, judging by the size of this animal, several dinners to come.)

I want a rotisserie chicken tonight; please help...

anthropoid — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:12:36 -0800

My sister gave me a slightly used convection oven/rotisserie cooker and the manual is missing. It's a Cook's Essentials/QVC brand and I can't find any information on it at all... It appears to have all the pieces it came with but I have no clue how to use this thing. A pretty thorough online search yielded very little information about the oven itself, let alone a manual or how to use it.

Details: Cook's Essentials model #910200 (120VAC/60HZ/1500 watts)

Also, should I be concerned with this recall of the sister model??

How healthy is a bag of guts?

InsanePenguin — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:40:42 -0800

Can I cook a chicken with the giblet bag in? I bought one of those Perdue Chicken Roasters that comes with the pop-up thermometer and the bag of giblets inside the chicken. I let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator like it tells you to and I always do, but this time I couldn't get the bag of giblets to come out. Usually it slides out nice and easy, but this one was glued in, I swear. I ended up tearing the bag a little, but not terribly.

Anyways, I put it in the oven anyways but I'm anxious now. The bag is made of a material that doesn't seem like it would melt or hurt the chicken in anyway, but the instructions do tell you to take the bag out before you cook it.

So, MeFi, should Mrs. Penguin and I eat it?

Aluminum foil turned brown; should I be worried?

taramosalata — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:15:11 -0800

I made (delicious!) mashed sweet potatoes in a conventional stove-top pot, covered the pot with Reynolds aluminum foil, then put it in a still warm but off-position oven (simply to save stove-top and counter space for the moment while wanting it to stay at room-temperature). Retrieving the pot a few hours later, I found that the inner surface of the foil had turned a light brown. It was also moist from the condensation, but had remained clean, unoiled, unburnt. I've cooked quite a bit and never seen this. What could be causing such discoloration, and is it a worrying symptom (of, say, toxins in the foil)? Plus: if -- as FAQs on the subject seem to agree -- kitchen aluminum foil is 'the same' on both sides, even though one side is shiny and the other matte, does this discoloration phenomenon indicate otherwise?

Help put muffin tin back together again

sararah — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:56:53 -0800

My sister has a stone muffin pan like this (except it is 6 jumbo muffin cups) that broke into three pieces during a recent move. She said none of the cups were damaged, so any ideas on an oven-safe adhesive to put it back together? Oven-safe/food safe would be ideal, of course, but since the offending breaks are between the cups as long as the adhesive is oven-safe you wouldn't have any food actually touching the adhesive. I know a little about epoxies, etc (they are activated by air?) but not much about their heat-safe properties.