25
Hints and tips for using the oven
Always cook with the oven door
closed.
The oven is supplied with an exclusive system
which produces a natural circulation of air
and the constant recycling of steam.
This system makes it possible to cook in a
steamy environment and keep the dishes soft
inside and crusty outside. Moreover, the
cooking time and energy consumption are
reduced to a minimum. During cooking steam
may be produced which can be released when
opening the oven door. This is absolutely
normal.
However, always stand back from the
oven when opening the oven door during
cooking or at the end of it to allow any
build up of steam or heat to release.
Conventional cooking
Heat comes from the top and from the
bottom, therefore it is preferable to use the
central runners.
If cooking requires more heat from the top
or from the bottom use the top or the bottom
runners.
Fan cooking
The food is cooked by means of preheated
air force blown evenly round the inside of
the oven by a fan set on the rear wall of the
oven itself.
Heat thus reaches all parts of the oven evenly
and fast and this means that you can
simultaneously cook different types of foods
positioned on the various oven shelves (Fig.
5). Fan cooking ensures rapid elimination
of moisture and the dryer oven environment
stops the different aromas and flavours from
being transmitted from one food to another.
The possibility of cooking on several shelf
heights means that you can cook several
different dishes at the same time and up to
three tins of biscuits and mini pizzas to be
eaten immediately or subsequently deep
frozen.
Naturally the oven can also be used for
cooking on just one shelf. In this case you
should use the lowest set of runners so that
you can keep an eye on progress more
easily.
In addition, the oven is particularly
recommended for sterilizing preserves,
cooking home-made fruit in syrup, and for
drying mushrooms or fruit.
Grilling
When grilling meat or fish, spread a little oil
on them and always place them on the oven
grid. The shelf level depends on the
thinckness of the food.
Always place the dripping pan at the lowest
level, with some water in it, to avoid smoke
and unpleasant smells.
Some hints
For baking cakes
Cakes require a moderate temperature
(normally between 150 and 200 °C). In
addition, the oven must be heated up
beforehand - for about 10 minutes.
The oven door should not be opened before
at least 3/4 of the set cooking time is up.
Normal short pastry dough should be
cooked in a mould or tin for 2/3 of total
cooking time required and then garnished
as desired before being cooked completely.
Clearly, the remaining cooking time depends
on the type of garnish used (jam, fruit, etc.).
Care should be taken to ensure that any
dough and cake mixes are of the right
consistency since an unduly moist mix
lengthens cooking time unnecessarily. The
