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Suspected oven heating problems

535 views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  brianshaw 
#1 ·
Hi,

Nothing comes out good with my oven :( 

At first i thought its me, not following the recipe, not pre-heating the oven enough, not mixing well my dough (overmixing or undermixing) , but then, even simple stuff didn't come out, or needed double time then the recipe asks for 

so i went and bought an oven thermometer, and figured out the oven takes really long time to heat + doesn't always reach the desired temperature 

For instance, yesterday i baked cookies, pre-heated the over for 40 minutes to 170c (340f) , and thermometer shown ~145c (285f) , so raised the temp to 180c, baked cookies, recipe was saying 12 minutes, but had to put them for 20 minutes

any idea what can i do? 

Thanks,

Shani 
 
#2 · (Edited)
Two things to have checked out: the oven's thermostat and the calibration of your ovens temp knob. If the thermostat is going on the fritz you could see irregular heating like you described. If the knob isn't calibrated you'll not know what the temp is when you're baking unless you have a separate thermometer (which you should have anyway). Oops, you have one. Have the ovens thermostat checked!!!!
 
#3 ·
By the way, I feel your pain. My mom had the same problem, plus an igniter that was going to fail soon. So I replaced those parts and all was well. Two weeks later I visited and she had a new oven. She was so upset by the problems that even when fixed she was upset at the oven and wanted it out of her house!
 
#4 ·
Check your oven model. Then look for the thermostat and the element as individual parts. Elements are usually a pretty simple DIY replacement. and not particularly expensive. Thermostats, well I've never replaced an oven thermostat, but I expect it wouldn't be much different than the element: a couple of screws and an electrical plug/socket system.
 
#5 ·
Both are relatively easy for somebody skilled at DIY. The amount of disassembly of the oven is often the most challenging aspect. For older equipment, having to deal with generic aftermarket parts can sometimes make it challenging also. But DIY is a whole lot more affordable than hiring a pro. Seems like both stove/oven and refrigerator repairs are priced so high that replacement becomes a more sensible alternative. It's sad but true.
 
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