Its been HOT this summer. Although most of us try to avoid even USING our oven in the summer, sometimes we can’t avoid it (try telling that to the Maslyn Mrs. – she says she thinks ovens are ‘out of order’ from July to October
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But if you have to use your oven, here are some tips to keep use to a minimum and make sure heat doesn’t escape.
Multi-task. Plan meals around mains, sides and desserts that can be cooked at the same time (at around the same temperature) on different oven racks.
If you use more than one pan in the oven at a time, make sure to stagger them around the racks to maximize airflow inside the oven.
Don’t open the oven door to see if your cupcakes are done. You’ll lose about 20 degrees doing that (and release that heat into your home). Instead, rely on your eyes, nose, and a good oven light.
Keep the door-seal clean and check often to make sure it’s doing it’s job. A leaky seal is a sure way to waste energy and leave your kitchen (and house!) sweltering.
Clean the inside regularly, too. If the inside of your oven is squeaky clean, you can be sure the heat and energy is going into cooking your food and not the leftover pizza stuck to the bottom. (Just don’t clean the day before a big, special meal… this is the #1 thing that causes an oven to go out!)
If you can, close off the kitchen when you’re cooking. It will keep the heat in one room and cut on cooling costs for the whole house.
Glass and ceramic baking dishes cook food much more efficiently than metal pans. You can cook food just as quickly at a temperature 25 degrees cooler in a glass pan.
If you have a self-cleaning oven, set it to clean right after you’re done using it. It will use the residual heat to get started.
Turn it off. Rather than waiting for the buzzer or beep, jump the gun and turn your oven off before your food is done cooking (Make sure whatever you’re making can handle it — if you’re doing any baking, we’d skip this tip). Leave the door closed and let the heat inside finish the work.
Calibrate your oven by using a cheap thermometer to test the temperature. If your oven’s temperature gauge is even a little off, you could be wasting power and money and you might need to call Maslyn & Sons Appliance for an oven repair.
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