- Why is moisture condensing on the door of my oven?
Unlike older ovens, most modern ovens now have controlled ventilation. This means they are able to contain the moisture produced by the evaporation from the food.
THIS IS A GOOD THING NOT A NEGATIVE! By containing the moisture within the oven, less moisture is able to evaporate off the food that is cooking, resulting in more a more moist meat.
In a standard oven, all moisture inside the oven comes directly from the food in the oven. In vented ovens that moisture was vented out and this resulted in a drier result. In order to combat this we did things like adding stock to the roasting dish or cooking in an oven bag. This is not necessary in a Smeg Oven. The downside of a moist result is that browning is retarded by the moisture. To achieve the perfect result of moist meat with good browning there are several options.
- Firstly choose the correct function for the job. For quick browning to occur it is best to use an function with a radiant element .
- Dont overcrowd your vegetables on a tray. Vegetables contain a lot of water and if they are crowded up on a tray evaporation will be slower.
- Dont use baking paper with roast vegetables. As tempting as it can be to achieve a quick clean up, you may find the coating on baking paper actually traps a layer of moisture between the food and the paper, reducing the browning of the food. The oven trays are great at absorbing and reflecting heat and are the best item you have to help create browning on your food.
- Avoid opening the oven door repeatedly. When you open the door, the door glass cools quickly and this provides a perfect surface for moisture to condense on. If you wish to remove any steam build up from the oven, do this in the last 10 minutes of cooking only.
- How often do I need to pyro my oven?
It depends on how often you cook and what foods you cook. Once very 6 weeks is a good standard but if you mainly cook meats and foods with oil or fat, then you may need to clean it more frequently, or less frequently if you mainly use your oven for baking. If the level of dirt inside the oven is creating smells or smoke it's time to pyrolise your oven. If you have any food or oil patches on the bottom of the oven, remove the bulk of this with a plastic scraper leaving just the burned on residue. Make sure you clean the inside glass of the door and remove all accessories from the oven before you run the pyro function - Where do the fumes from the fat burned go during the pyrolytic function in my SMEG oven?
Fumes created during this process are filtered by a ceramic converter at the top of the oven. The amount of fumes depends on how dirty the oven is. There may be a slight burned smell when running a pyrolitic clean if your oven is particularly dirty . Keep the room well ventilated while running the function. - What happens if I leave my oven racks in during a pyrolytic function?
The racks may warp and discolour, and the telescopic runners may seize up due to the extreme heat created during the cycle. That is why all hardware must be removed from the ovens interior before operating the pyrolytic function in a SMEG oven. - What do I use to clean racks and trays?
If you have a large sink or tub, dissolve 2 T Dishwasher powder in a tub of warm water and soak trays for a couple of hours, then wipe dry. You can also use Selleys oven gel, Baking soda and water paste or BarKeepers Friend. To prevent buildup of stains on trays, pour boiling water in a tray immediately after cooking then wash with detergent and water. - What function do I use for roasting
Smeg: Turbo/Supercook is the ideal function for Roasting. If you are cooking meat and potatoes on separate levels, put the meat nearer the bottom of the oven and potatoes nearer the top. The oven is more moist nearer the bottom and this will be the best place to achieve a moist roast meat result. Do not overcrowd your trays, cook on more levels rather than one single layer if the food is crowded. - How do I get crispy roast potatoes in my Smeg oven?
If you have it use the Smeg deep roasting dish and preheat it. Alternatively preheat a regular oven tray to oven while it preheats using Turbo/supercook - near the top of the oven. Use potatoes categorised as good for roasting and baking, ie Agria. Par boil in salted water for 5-8 minutes, drain well and leave for a few minutes to dry off more . Add a slug of olive oil and toss to coat. Add to preheated tray in oven set to Turbo/Supercook 200c in the top half of the oven. - What do I use to clean my oven door glass ?
Wipe with detergent and water while still warm rinse with clean cloth. For tougher stains trybBaking soda paste, barkeepers friend or Selleys heavy duty oven gel . If you are removing the internal door glass, make sure it is all replaced before cooking or running a pyrolitic cleaning function - Is there a benefit in using an oven bag in my Smeg oven?
No. The venting technology in your Smeg oven means it acts like a giant oven bag retaining moisture within the oven cavity. If you have an oven with Pyrolitic cleaning then this means you dont have to worry about a dirty oven. - What are the telescopic runners for?
Telescopic runners allow ease of access and safety for basting, easy removal of heavy roasting dishes . They avoid the necessity of resting the heavy greasy oven dish on the oven door as you can grasp the tray from the sides - What does the candle icon in my oven functions mean?
Sabbath mode. It is a mode which reduces the technology in the oven for when people whose religion restricts the use of technology during the Sabbath . - When do I use a fan forced (circulaire) function in my oven ?
This function is ideal for baking on one or on multiple layers. - What is the best way to clean my oven if it is not Pyrolitic? Can I use oven cleaners?
Keep the oven clean as you go by wiping out with damp cloth, when the oven is still a little warm.
Do not use abrasive products in your oven as this will affect the enamel making it harder to clean in future It is possible to use nonabrasive oven cleaner products in some ovens. - What is the best way to clean the meat probe?
Wash with hot soapy water and dry. Do not put probe in the dishwasher. - Can I place aluminum foil liner on base of my oven?
No, you cannot place anything on the base of the oven including an aluminium foil liner. This can interfere with the cooking results and damage the base of the oven. - Do I leave the door open when using the grill function?
No, the oven door must remain closed when using all oven programmes and functions. - Should I turn the oven off at the wall after cooking?
No, it is not necessary to turn your oven off at the wall and infact it may not be safe to do so. The oven cooling fan continues to run on after the oven function finishes to cool the oven cavity and glass door . It is important to allow the cooling fan to run after you have finished cooking - The fan seems to keep running for quite a long time after I have been cooking. Is this normal?
Yes, this is completely normal and is a safety feature. The cooling fan will run on after a cooking session to keep the glass and the area around the oven exterior cool. .
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