THE LOWER OVEN
Uses of the lower oven
The lower oven is the smaller of the two ovens. It is heated by elements in the top and bottom of the oven. It is designed for cooking smaller quantities of food. It gives especially good results if used to cook fruit cakes, sweet or savoury flans or quiche. The lower oven is also ideal for use as a warming compartment to warm dishes and keep food hot. Use a temperature setting of 80°-100° on the lower oven temperature control.
Hints and tips
There should always be at least 2.5cm (1") between the top of the food and the element. This gives the best cooking results and allows room for rise in yeast mixtures, Yorkshire puddings, etc. When cooking cakes, pastry, scones, bread, etc., place the tins or baking trays centrally below element. Ensure that food is placed centrally on the shelf and there is sufficient room around the baking tray/dish to allow for maximum circulation. Stand dishes on suitably sized baking trays to prevent spillage onto the oven base and to help reduce cleaning. The material and finish of the baking tray and dishes will affect the degree of base browning of the food. Enamelware, dark, heavy or nonstick utensils increase base browning. Shiny aluminium or polished steel trays reflect the heat away and give less base browning. DO NOT place dishes directly onto the oven base as it becomes very hot and damage may occur. DO NOT use the grill pan or meat tin as a baking tray as this will increase base browning of the food. Because of the smaller cooking space, lower temperatures and shorter cooking times are sometimes required. Be guided by the recommendations below. For economy leave the door open for the shortest possible time, particularly when placing food into a preheated oven.
Things to note
1. The lower oven neon will glow until the oven has reached the desired temperature and then go out. It will cycle ON and OFF periodically during cooking showing that the temperature is being maintained. 2. The control cooling fan will operate after a time. 3. The lower oven worls independently of the upper oven. 4. Dishes, tins or trays should not be placed directly on oven floor as it becomes very hot and damage will occur.
