Do you frequently use the same oven setting regardless of what you’re cooking?
You’re in good company, as many don’t actually know what those symbols on their ovens mean. However, each symbol is meant to adjust the oven’s setting based on what you’re cooking.
The consumer experts at Which? recently enlightened TikTok users with a video asking, “Are you using your oven wrong? ” They explained in the caption: “Oven symbols can be tricky to decipher, and without understanding them, your cooking might suffer. But most ovens tend to use similar symbols, so once you’ve learned what to look for, you should be able to navigate your way around most you come across.”
First up was the ‘classic oven fan symbol’, showing a fan encased in a circle, which is “good for most types of cooking, especially if you use more than one shelf”. They then discussed the symbol with a line at the bottom – signifying that “heat only comes from the bottom” – ideal for “gently cooking stews and casseroles and crisping up the base of a pizza or pastry”.
Another symbol with lines at both the top and bottom indicates heat coming from these directions, described by Which? as “good for single shelf cooking of pastries or scones, or something substantial like a large cake”, and also suitable for roasting meat.
Next, there’s a symbol with zig-zag lines at the top, which the experts explained is the grill symbol. “Some should be used with the door open, some closed, so always check your oven’s manual,” they cautioned.
They added: “The grill is great for anything that sizzles, like sausages and bacon. Also handy for browning off meat or the top of a lasagne.”
There’s also a symbol for grilling with a fan on, which is “good for cooking through thicker pieces of meat or fish without heating the whole oven, or burning the top”. Another symbol combines the grill and the lower heating element, which is “a good option for pies, tarts or pizzas that need a crispy base and a brown top”.
Yet another symbol, the “half grill setting”, allows you to use only one section of the grill element – so you’ll want to ensure your food is directly underneath. It appears several people had been puzzled by the symbols, with one person saying: “*cries in rental where the symbols have worn off and the manual long gone*,” while another simply said: “Good info”, and a third confessed: “I just whack it on fan 200c for anything and everything.”