16
Conventional Oven
Oven Control
Heating of the oven is achieved by turning control clockwise to the required oven temperature
scale on the control panel, as recommended in the temperature charts. The main oven light will
immediately come on.
The thermostat light indicates that the main oven is heating. When it turns off, the temperature inside
the oven has reached the setting made with the thermostat knob. At this point, the light will turn on and
off as the oven maintains the temperature at a constant level.
The cooking charts provided in this book are a guide only, giving approximate cooking
temperatures and times. To suit personal taste and requirements, it may be necessary to increase
or decrease temperatures by 10°C.
The oven is fitted with two rod shelves. The oven is heated by two tubular sheathed elements
located under the floor of the oven and on the oven roof, inside the cavity. It should be noted that at
the end of a cooking period there may be a momentary puff of steam when the oven door is
opened. This will disperse in a few seconds and is a perfectly normal characteristic of an oven with
a good door seal.
Oven Positions
The correct positioning of food is indicated in the temperature charts.
To prepare meat and poultry for roasting in your conventional oven.
(a) Wipe the joint, dry well with a clean cloth, kitchen tissue etc. and weigh it. Meat which has been
stored in a refrigerator should be allowed to come to room temperature for approximately 30
minutes before cook ing, and frozen meat or poultry must be completely defrosted before placing
in the oven.
(b) The weight of any stuffing used should be added to the oven ready weight of the meat / poultry
before calculating the cooking time.
(c) Place the joint in the meat pan supplied with your cooker. Small joints weighing less than 1.75kg
(31/2 lbs) should be roasted in a smaller meat pan/tin - or they may be ‘pot roasted’ - a small joint
in a large meat pan causes unnecessary oven splashing and evaporation of meat juices.
(d) Additional fat should not be added, except for veal, very lean meat or poultry which can either be
‘larded’ with fat bacon or brushed
very sparingly
with cooking oil or melted fat.
(e) Beef, lamb, mutton and poultry may be dusted lightly with seasoned flour to give a crisp outer
surface. The skin of duck and goose should be pricked to release excess fat during cooking, and
the rind of pork should be scored, brushed lightly with oil, and rubbed with salt, to give crisp
crackling.
(f) Potatoes for roasting only require to be brushed with cooking oil or melted fat.
(g) It is not necessary to baste when roasting in an electric oven and stock or liquid should not be
added to the meat pan since this only causes unnecessary soiling, steam and condensation.
For optimum cooking performance, there must be clearance between meat pan and oven
sides. The meat pan must be placed lengthways in the oven to allow for air circulation.
Times and
Temperatures
for Roasting
The secret of succulent, tender meat, is not to roast it too quickly, at too high a temperature. Best
results are obtained when roasting is carried out at a low temperature. When a lower temperature
is used, the joint loses less weight, is more tender (too high a temperature causes meat to be
tough and dry) and the splashing of fat onto the oven interior is reduced to a minimum. When a
complete meal is being cooked in the oven, cooking time may need to be increased and
temperature may need to be raised for approximately the last 30 minutes of the cooking period (for
instance when cooking Yorkshire pudding to serve with roast beef). The suggested times and
temperatures should be used as a guide, but may vary according to:-
1. Whether you prefer meat rare, medium or well done.
2. The size and shape of your joint.
(a) A short thick joint requires a longer cooking period than a long thin joint.
(b) A small joint under 1.5kg (3 lbs) takes longer per 450g (1 lb) cook in the time given for
‘minutes’ per 450g (1 lb) without the ‘minutes’ over added.
(c) Boned/rolled and stuffed joints take longer to cook through than those with a bone.
N.B.
Remember to switch off the oven control after cooking is finished. If the door of the oven is left
open for long periods of time with the control switch ON, then the grill element will become hot. The
correct positioning of food is indicated in the temperature charts.
