Mastering Your New Oven: Understanding Oven Settings

You did it. You finally purchased the oven of your dreams. Now, as you stand in your kitchen, gazing at its sleek design and state-of-the-art features, you ask yourself, “how does all of this work?” We’ve all been there, but luckily, understanding all of the buttons, knobs and interfaces is easier than you think.

Discover how to master the intricacies of your new oven. From bake to broil, conventional to convection, learning how to properly use your oven’s array of settings can help you become a culinary maestro in your own kitchen. Take a break from that next recipe and keep reading to uncover the secrets to maximizing flavor, texture and efficiency in your oven-cooked creations.

To determine how to use your oven, you should start by understanding the type of oven you have and how it heats and cooks food. There are three main types of ovens used in household kitchens:

• Conventional ovens. Conventional ovens, or traditional ovens, use heating elements at the bottom and/or top of the oven to produce heat that is particularly well-suited for baked goods, roasts, oven-baked poultry and roasted vegetables.
• Convection ovens. What is convection cooking? How is a convection oven unique? Well, it uses a fan and exhaust system that circulates hot air around the food that results in faster and more even cooking. This more balanced heating method encourages browning and crisping.
• Microwave ovens. Although they can’t create the same fully cooked dishes as a traditional or convection oven, microwaves are unmatched in speed and convenience when it comes to reheating leftovers, defrosting foods and quickly cooking simple dishes.

Combination ovens are also featured in many household kitchens. As their name would suggest, combo ovens combine features of conventional and convection ovens with additional functionalities like steam cooking or microwaving. Many wall ovens are combination ovens, making them a good option for households looking to utilize space without sacrificing cooking versatility.

Both traditional ovens and convection ovens come with a variety of oven controls and oven buttons to help enhance cooking efficiency and convenience. Here’s an overview of the controls and technologies typically found in conventional household ovens:

• Start/Set. Usually found on the far left of the oven’s top surface or digital interface, this turns the oven on and sets the temperature. Simply tap the start/set button and choose your desired temperature and tap the bake button.
• Delay start. Allowing you to set the oven to turn on at a specific time and temperature to start preheating, the oven delay start feature helps ensure that your dishes are cooked to perfection.
• Bake. By tapping the bake button after setting your temperature, you are commanding your oven to start preheating. Some ovens have a separate preheat button, but most modern ovens save space on the control panel by having the bake button perform the same function.
• Broil. Typically featuring high and low options, the broil setting allows for cooking food from above using the top heating element of the oven. The closer your food is to the top heating element, the more seared it will be.
• Roast. Using the same hot air as the bake setting but at a higher temperature, the roast mode cooks food in an uncovered pan, browning the outside and crisping it while keeping the inside tender.
• Keep warm. If you’re food is fully cooked and you want to maintain its serving temperature, your oven’s keep warm setting will keep casseroles, side dishes and other foods warm and tasty.
• Door lock. A door lock is a safety feature designed to prevent the oven door from being opened during certain cooking processes, particularly those involving high temperatures or self-cleaning cycles.
• Self-cleaning. Using high heat or steam to remove food residue, grease and other debris from the oven interior, the oven self-clean feature is designed to simplify the cleaning process and eliminate the need for manual scrubbing.  

Convection ovens share many basic functionalities as a regular oven, such as start, delayed start, bake, broil and more. However, using a convection oven differs slightly from a conventional oven due to its airflow system, which distributes heat more evenly throughout the oven’s chamber. Here’s an overview of the digital oven controls and that can found on a convection oven:

• Pizza mode. A dedicated pizza mode optimizes the cooking conditions for making frozen pizzas, resulting in a crispy crust and perfectly melted cheese. For fresh pizzas made from scratch, an outdoor pizza oven might be the better choice.
• Dehydrate. The dehydrate function uses low, consistent heat and airflow to remove moisture from foods, making it ideal for drying fruits, vegetables, herbs or making homemade jerky.
• Air fry. Convection ovens with an air fry basket can air fry your favorite foods for the perfect crunch, but without the added calories from a traditional deep dryer. Additionally, you can typically prep more food in a convection oven than a standalone air fryer.
• Bread proof. Using a combination of steam and low heat, the bread proof option creates a warm environment to activate yeast in bread dough. This function is essential for bakers.
• Speed convection. Combining the convection fan with microwave technology, speed convection significantly speeds up cooking and reheating times.
• Multi-stage cooking. Some convection ovens allow you to program multiple cooking stages with different settings and times. This lets you automatically transition from one cooking mode to another without needing to constantly monitor the oven.

Microwaves usually feature a control panel with various time and power level controls. Time settings allow you to specify how long you want to microwave your food, while power levels adjust the intensity of the microwave radiation. The higher the power level, the faster your food will cook.

Many microwaves also have preset buttons for common tasks like reheating, defrosting or cooking specific foods. These presets automatically adjust the time and power level for optimal results based on the type of food selected. When looking into how to choose the best microwave for your kitchen, be sure to keep in mind that a microwave offers convenience and speed for reheating and quick cooking tasks, but it's not a substitute for a traditional or convection oven.

Understanding the different features and functions of your oven is essential when it comes to maximizing its performance and ensuring safe and efficient cooking experiences. Whether you were wondering how to use a conventional oven, a convection oven or even a microwave, you can now approach cooking with confidence.

From learning how to preheat an oven to understanding how the self-cleaning button works, you're now equipped with the essential skills to make the most of your kitchen appliances. So, roll up your sleeves, fire up your oven and let your cooking creativity soar as you create your next culinary masterpiece.