U S I N G T H E O V E N
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Loading the shelves
• The oven has five positions for shelves. These
are numbered from the lowest to the highest
(see diagram opposite).
• You can make the most of the oven, if you cook
more than one tray of food at a time, eg two
trays of scones, small cakes or sausage rolls.
• When placing shelves, it is important to give the
maximum space above and below. Load shelves in this way:
– when baking with one shelf, place it at shelf position 3 or 4
– when cooking with two shelves, place them at shelf positions 2 and 4.
Hints for better baking
• Select the correct shelf position for the food.
• Make sure dishes fit into the oven before switching it on.
• Keep the edges of the baking dishes at least 40mm from the side of the oven. This
provides better circulation of air and better cooking.
• Do not open the oven door more than necessary.
• Do not place foods with a lot of liquid into the oven with other foods. This will cause
food to steam and not brown.
• After the oven is turned off it retains heat. Use this heat to cook custards or to dry bread.
• Do not use a lot of cooking oil when roasting. Too much oil will splatter the sides of
the oven.
• Use brightly finished aluminium or non-stick cooking pans for sponges and cakes.
Condensation
Condensation fogs the oven door and happens when you are cooking large quantities of
food from a cold start. You can minimise condensation by:
• keeping the amount of water used in cooking to a minimum;
• making sure that the oven door is firmly closed;
• baking custard in a baking dish which is just a little smaller than the water container;
• cooking casseroles with a lid.
Note: If you are using water in cooking, this will turn to steam and may condense outside
the oven. This is not a problem or a fault.
