How to Prep Your Oven for the Holidays
Is your oven ready for all the bread, cookies, and other sweet treats you plan to make during the holidays? The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. Your oven is the most fundamental part of holiday baking. You don’t want to ruin cookies or other recipes due to uneven temperature, low heat, or other issues. Luckily, you can take care of your oven ahead of time to make sure it’s in full-on baking mode this winter.
Deep Clean Your Oven
Deep cleaning the oven can help remove stains and burnt remnants of food that could ruin your baked goods. Built-up grease and other food can also negatively affect how your oven works. Reduced efficiency means underbaked pastries.
Spare yourself the despair and clean your oven with an oven-cleaning solution. Follow the directions on the packaging and give it ample time to dry before using the oven. It’s also important to clean up any grease, oils, or other messes as soon as you can instead of putting it off.
Check the Temperature
How long does it take for your oven to heat up? It should take a modern oven between 12 to 15 minutes to reach 350 degrees and 20 to 25 minutes to reach 400. If your oven is preheating for longer than 20 minutes, then you likely have an issue with the heating element or internal thermostat that a professional needs to address.
Run a preheat test at several temperatures to gauge how fast your oven works. If it’s too slow, call in an expert to take a look.
Make Sure Your Oven Is Level
An unlevel oven can heat food unevenly and cause poor baking results. To level your oven, disconnect its power and use a carpenter’s level to check its balance from both the front and back and side to side.
If your oven isn’t level, you can adjust its feet on the bottom using a wrench. This will help balance its corners and ensure it is properly balanced for optimal heating. Of course, a professional can also help perform this job if you don’t feel confident doing it yourself.
Add a Baking Dish Underneath the Bottom Rack
Use an oven-safe dish, or even foil, while baking to catch anything that may fall off the racks. Protecting the bottom of your oven during holiday cooking prevents buildup and burning that can scorch the oven and cause damage.
Let the professionals at East Valley Super Techs in Queen Creek, AZ help you enjoy the holiday season to the max with professional oven and stove repair at your service.
