How To Use Your Oven Efficiently And Get Better Results

The oven is one of the hardest-working appliances in most kitchens, and small changes in how you use it can mean better results and less wasted energy. This guide explains how to use your oven efficiently, from preheating and choosing between fan and conventional settings to shelf positions, batch cooking and when a smaller appliance makes more sense. There is a short FAQ on cookers and ovens at the end.

How To Use Your Oven Efficiently, Starting With Preheating

Many of us switch the oven on and wait for it to heat up out of habit. A Which? oven expert says modern ovens heat up quickly enough that preheating is not always needed, particularly for roasting. It does still matter for cakes, soufflés, biscuits and anything else that needs to rise and then set, so follow the recipe for baking.

If you do preheat, put the food in as soon as the oven is up to temperature rather than leaving it running empty. It also helps to know your oven is accurate. Which? testing has found ovens can be out by up to 30°C, so an inexpensive oven thermometer is worth having if your bakes often come out underdone or scorched.

Which Setting To Use, Fan Or Conventional

A fan oven uses a fan and a circular element at the back to move hot air around. Which? says good fan ovens spread heat evenly, so food on the top, middle and bottom shelves should cook in a similar way. That makes fan the natural choice for roasting and for cooking on more than one shelf at once.

Because the air is moving, food cooks faster, which is a big part of how to use your oven efficiently. Which? says fan temperatures are typically around 20°C lower than conventional, and not adjusting for this can cook the outside of your food too quickly. Many recipes give a separate fan temperature, so check before you set the dial.

The conventional setting uses elements at the top and bottom with no fan. It suits single-shelf baking such as pastries, scones or a large fruit cake. Other settings are useful too:

• Bottom heat: gentle cooking for stews, or crisping pizza bases.
• Fan with bottom heat: crisp bases on pizzas and pies.
• Full grill: sausages, bacon and browning the top of a dish without heating the whole oven.
• Grill and fan: a gentler heat for thicker cuts of meat or fish.

Shelf Positions And Keeping The Door Shut

Getting Shelf Positions Right

Very few ovens heat perfectly evenly from top to bottom, and conventional ovens in particular can have hot and cold spots. As a general rule from Which?, roasts do best in the middle, where they get good heat all round, while pizza benefits from the bottom shelf.

If you are using the conventional setting with more than one tray, you may need to swap them over partway through. With a good fan oven you can make better use of every shelf at once, which helps with batch cooking.

Keep The Door Shut

Keeping the door closed is one of the simplest parts of learning how to use your oven efficiently. Every time you open the oven door, hot air escapes and the oven has to work to heat back up. The Energy Saving Trust advises against opening the door more than you need to. Use the light and the glass door to check on food instead, and give the glass a clean if you cannot see through it.

Take care with the door itself. A Which? expert warns against resting hot pans on the open door, as sudden temperature changes can damage the toughened glass.

How To Use Your Oven Efficiently With Batch Cooking

Batch Cooking And Reheating Safely

Ovens are well suited to batch cooking, according to the Energy Saving Trust, because they have room for several dishes at once. Filling the shelves in one session and reheating portions later in the microwave is an efficient way to cook.

Follow food safety guidance from the Food Standards Agency when you do:

• Cool leftovers and put them in the fridge within two hours.
• Eat chilled leftovers within 48 hours, or freeze them.
• Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through.
• Stir microwaved food, as it can be hot at the edges and still cold in the middle.

When A Smaller Appliance Uses Less Energy

Heating a large oven for one jacket potato is rarely the best option, and sometimes knowing how to use your oven efficiently means not using it at all. In Which? tests, an air fryer used much less energy than an oven for single portions, including about a third of the energy for a jacket potato and roughly half for a roast chicken. Which? adds that the savings drop off if you have to cook in several batches, because an air fryer holds less.

The Energy Saving Trust found the same pattern: an air fryer is often cheaper to run than an oven for one or two people, while the oven is better for larger meals and batch cooking. Its comparison also found the microwave was the cheapest appliance tested for reheating a meal. You can see the figures in the Energy Saving Trust guide to cheaper cooking. For compact kitchens, our guide to space saving cooking appliances looks at the options.

Oven Safety Basics

Electrical Safety First’s oven safety advice includes never leaving food cooking unattended, turning the oven off when you are not using it and keeping oven gloves and tea towels away from the heat. Do not use the oven to store things or to heat your home, and never block its vents. Clean it regularly once it has cooled, as built-up grease is a fire risk. Our guide on cleaning the oven with bicarbonate of soda explains one gentle method.

Cookers And Ovens FAQ

Do I Need A Special Plug Or Circuit For My Cooker?

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Electrical Safety First advises having an oven fitted by a qualified electrician, as many need their own dedicated circuit to avoid overloading kitchen wiring. Gas and dual fuel cookers must be installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

What Is A Range Cooker?

A large freestanding cooker with several ovens, a grill and a hob in one unit, often with a storage or warming drawer. Which? gives standard widths of 90cm, 100cm or 110cm. They come in gas, electric, induction and dual fuel versions, with dual fuel (a gas hob and electric oven) the most popular.

What Is The Difference Between Built-In And Built-Under Ovens?

A built-in double oven is full height and usually fitted at eye level in a tall housing. A built-under double oven is shorter and sits beneath the worktop or hob.

What Oven Capacity Do I Need?

Which? found single ovens average around 64 litres, while in a double oven the main cavity averages about 62 litres and the smaller one around 35 litres. Usable space can be well below the stated figure, so check the shelves will take your largest roasting tin.

How Do Self-Cleaning Ovens Work?

There are three main types: pyrolytic, catalytic and steam. Our guide to how self-cleaning ovens work explains each one.

When To Call An Engineer

If your oven is not reaching temperature, the fan has stopped, the door will not close properly, the controls are behaving oddly, or you notice burning smells, buzzing or scorch marks on the plug or socket, stop using it and switch it off at the mains. Never open up an oven yourself. Appliance Repair Men provide cooker repairs in Bootle and across Merseyside and West Lancashire.

Quick Checklist

• Preheat for baking, but not always for roasting.
• Use fan for multi-shelf cooking and lower the temperature to match.
• Keep the door closed and check through the glass.
• Fill the oven when you use it, then reheat portions in the microwave.
• Use an air fryer or microwave for small portions and reheating.

You will find more practical home guides at Beyond The Garden Gates.

Kaan Rassad

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