Anyone that has ever crossed paths with an oven will be well aware of the adjustable rack positions within them.

However, did you know that the positions actually play a pivotal role in the cooking process?

When it comes to choosing top, middle or bottom in your oven, you don’t have to strike it lucky with guesswork. There’s actually a defined method to the ovenary madness.

Don’t let your culinary dreams go up in smoke or fall foul to a half-baked approach. Get the hot take on oven rack positions and keep your mealtimes piping hot and cooked to perfection.

Is Oven Rack Position Important?

In a nutshell – yes!

The placement of the right food on the right rack can be the difference between good eating and good riddance.

As a general guide on how to best utilise a multi-rack oven, the following dishes are placed on these racks for optimal cooking.

Bottom Oven Rack

Theoretically providing the closest proximity to the heat source, the bottom rack is perfect for foods that require intense heat for a short period of time. As such, this rack position is ideal for dishes like pizza and flatbreads.

Middle Oven Rack

The go-to position for most items of food, this is the safest bet for oven cooking items for an even finish – ideal for pies, pastries and lasagnes. This position allows the hot air to circulate around the food freely and fairly for a balanced bake.

Top Oven Rack

If you wish to use your oven for the purpose of grilling food, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the top shelf. This will give you direct access to the grill element on the roof of the oven. In the US, this is commonly referred to as “broiling”, so don’t be alarmed or confused if you stumble across the term “broiler” – it basically means “grill” to anyone outside the United States.

Is Oven Rack Position Important?

Naturally, oven models can and usually will vary from one brand to the next and you may find your oven features multiple levels outside of the simple top/middle/bottom trifecta. These are commonly found in between each of the aforementioned positions.

These mid-level settings allow for additional flexibility when cooking bulkier items, such as casserole dishes and large meats, while they can also provide a great middle-ground should you want to adjust your bake during cooking (e.g. lower the level if your food starts to burn).

The Golden-Brown Rule

A great rule of thumb when it comes to identifying which rack to use for your dish is to simply identify how you want your item to be cooked.

If you want the bottom of the food to brown, place low in the over; for the top to brown, place high; and, for the best of both worlds, place in the middle.

Cooking with Multiple Oven Racks

Having additional racks in the oven can provide a great way to cook several things at once. This can be particularly useful if you are cooking in bulk; e.g. baking several trays of cookies or multiple pizzas simultaneously.

However, when you do utilise the additional oven racks for cooking a variety of things at the same time, it’s worth keeping the following points in mind.

Food Placement

Theoretically As previously mentioned, cooking your food on varying levels of the oven can achieve a varying result, with the higher level resulting in a different finish than the lower. For an even bake, it may be worth moving your trays around midway through to ensure all items are cooked equally.

Cooking Time

Additionally, it’s worth remembering that food takes longer to cook the more items you have in your oven. It’s widely believed that two dishes will take 15% longer to cook than one: so, if you’re pizza was to take 10 mins by itself, cook for an additional minute and a half.

Multiple Oven Racks

Cooking with additional racks in the oven can not only make life easier for cooking in general, it can be a great solution for entertaining guests and catering for additional mouths to feed.

Don’t give your oven an easy ride. Get the most out of your oven by making sure you have the right equipment for the job.

If your grills, pans and oven trays are looking a little worse for wear or you simply want a couple of extra layers to add to your oven, head over to our replacements page now and bring your oven cooking experience to a whole new level today!

For more information on oven accessories and replacement parts, why not get in touch to find out more? Call now on 02920 452 510 or click the button below to drop us a message online.

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Ah, oven cleaning – a hated household chore like no other.

Right up there with the likes of cleaning the gutters, weeding the garden and unblocking the toilet, there’s a special place reserved in the pit of the soul for chores like oven cleaning. A deep, dark corner filled with loathing resentment, but a reserved spot nonetheless.

In fact, a 2017 study of 1000 Brits by Anglian Home Improvements had “oven cleaning” placed at the very top of the list of most hated household jobs, beating off stiff competition from the likes of grouting bathroom tiles, defrosting the freezer and cleaning the barbeque.

Nevertheless, as a homeowner or long-term occupant, it’s a chore that does require your attention from time to time. If you’ve bitten the bullet, rolled up your sleeves and accepted your oven-baked fate, you may need a helping hand.

Luckily, we’ve got a few tricks to help make the process as pain-free as possible.

How to Clean Your Oven

While cleaning your oven may seem like a mammoth task akin to scaling Everest on a unicycle, it can actually be surprisingly straightforward… provided you haven’t let your oven degenerate into a cremated cornucopia of crust.

In fact, you don’t even need any store-bought oven cleaner to give your cooker the sprucy boost it needs. All you need is water, baking soda and steady supply of elbow grease.

Step by Step Guide: How to Clean Oven Inside

• Empty oven
• Remove/clean racks
• Mix ½ cup of baking soda with 3 tbsp water
• Spread paste on interior oven surface
• Do not paste heating elements
• Leave for 12 hours
• Grab a well-deserved cuppa or beer for getting this far
• Return to the scene of the crime
• Wipe off paste using a wet washcloth
• Spray vinegar in grooves
• Wipe clean to remove any remaining paste residue
• Bask in glory of shiny-clean oven.

Alternative Oven Cleaning Methods

If you really want to go to town on your oven, you can of course buy an over-the-counter oven cleaning product and follow the instructions accordingly.

There are a variety of store-bought remedies available from recognisable brands available in most supermarkets; however, results can vary dramatically and the fumes alone are enough to put you off for a lifetime.

Failing that, you can always get a professional to provide a comprehensive oven cleaning service. There are oven cleaning specialists available nationwide, many of which are available on coupon sites online, offering their services.

Self-Cleaning Ovens

Some ovens come with a “self-cleaning” feature. While this may seem like a gift from the gods of gadgetry, this is also a prime example of “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is”.

Self-cleaning ovens essentially fire up the internal temperature of an oven so that it rivals the depths of hell. The purpose of this is to burn off any remaining food residue, vapourising any evidence of its existence.

While this may seem like a sound strategy, it is somewhat flawed. As a result of the oven becoming a kitchen-based thermal reactor, it should come as no surprise that this can, at times, compromise major components of the cooker.

Naturally, these ungodly temperatures can cause a myriad of fiery damage, from melted circuit boards to charred wiring and broken heating elements. Imagine the scene of Sarah Connor’s nuclear nightmare from Terminator 2 and you won’t be far wrong.

As such, you may want to think twice before you activate your oven’s self-cleaning cycle and set off Judgement Day in your kitchen.

Beyond Saving

When it comes down to cleaning your oven and its internal components, you may find that some of the parts are simply past the point of no return. For example, you may find a tray/rack that’s simply tattooed with unidentified molten cement. In this case, your best bet is to simply buy a replacement tray/rack.

On the other hand, you may have attempted a self-clean and found out first-hand the effects of turning your oven into a fiery furnace. Should this be the case, you can again find replacement part right here at Cooker Spare Parts, covering everything from electric thermostats to grill elements.

For more information on oven cleaning and oven parts, drop us a line on 02920 452 510 or alternatively send us an email using the link below.

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A noisy oven can be a major annoyance for any homeowner, particularly if you spend a lot of time cooking or hanging out in the kitchen.

However, a riotous racket from your cooker could be an indication of something far worse than just audio irritation.

If your oven is turning your kitchen into a clamorous karaoke of cooker noises, don’t chalk it up to being “one of those things” – it’s likely a sign that your oven is need of some overdue TLC.

Investigating a Noisy Oven

In addition to ruining the kitchen ambience with its dinnertime din, a loud cooker can also raise serious alarm bells over the health of your appliance.

A noisy oven can be a tell-tale sign of a serious problem with your cooker. Think of it as a cooker’s cry for help and your oven’s way of alerting anyone in earshot that it’s in dire need of assistance.

If your oven is making such a piercing plea, don’t read it the last rites and fork out on a replacement. The solution could be a lot simpler and a lot less expensive!

Diagnosing a Noisy Oven

More often than not, an uncharacteristically noisy oven typically points to an issue with the oven’s fan motor. That being said, most ovens have two fans: namely the cooling fan and the circulation fan.

Like any appliance, these components can and will wear over time as they reach the natural end of their lifespan. For oven motors, this often causes them to make a loud rattling noise when the oven is on.

To get to the bottom of it, it’s time to channel your inner sleuth and get inspecting. But remember, safety first, kids - be sure to disconnect your appliance from the mains before you do so.

Fixing a Noisy Oven

A noisy oven fan can be the result of something as simple as a loose blade or fixing nut. To eliminate this possibility, it’s worth tightening any loose screws/bolts to ensure everything is securely held in place.

Oven fans usually consist of three separate parts: the fan motor, the blade and the fixing nut. If all parts are securely in place and the noise still persists, you may need to replace a fan part.

If you have diagnosed your issue and would like a replacement fan/motor component, click the button below to browse our stock of replacement parts.

Browse Oven Fan Motor Parts

Replacing an Oven Fan

Once you’ve diagnosed the problem and identified the part that needs attention, you can now tackle the task of solving the issue and replacing the problem part. That being said, it’s often not as easy as you might think.

Replacing an oven fan can be both difficult and dangerous, particularly if you don’t know what you’re doing. What’s more, with so many oven brands, models and variations on the market, prior maintenance knowledge of one oven can be entirely different for another.

A botched DIY job could void your warranty, while a failed attempt of fixing the issue could exacerbate your problems even further. As such, if you’re unsure, your safest bet is to call in a pro to check it out for you.

That being said, if you are intent on flexing your mechanic muscles and intent on doing your own oven overhaul, be sure to do your homework beforehand. Consult your manual and research your oven’s make and model thoroughly before getting your hands dirty.

For more information on fan motors and oven fan parts, call now on 02920 452 510 or use the button below to drop us a message online.

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When it comes to keeping your kitchen cooking in heated harmony, nothing throws a spanner in the works quite like a dodgy oven.

A faulty cooker can be surprisingly impactful when it comes to mealtimes and bring your even the most basic of culinary capabilities to a screeching halt.

80s Hair Metal icons, Cinderella, said it best – you don’t know what you got till it’s gone – and this can most certainly be applied to any oven-less kitchen.

But fear not, oven-reliant foodies of the world: this blog has a whole host of tips tailor-made to help get you pie making, pasta baking and cheesecaking again in no time.

“My Oven Keeps Cutting Out – What Shall I Do?”

Before you read your cooker its last rites and put your oven plans on ice for the foreseeable, there are a few things you can do to help get your oven fired up again.

Overheating

A lot of modern ovens come equipped with a protective safety measure to stop them from overheating. This typically comes in the form of a circuit breaker, cutting power to the oven in the event that it gets too hot.

If your oven is cutting out, even for normal heat functioning, there may well be a problem with the safety thermostat. As such, this is a great place to start – after all, replacing your thermostat is a lot cheaper than replacing your oven!

If your thermostat is faulty and needs replacing, you can do so by ordering a spare part right here at CSP. Click here to find your make and model now.

Ventilation

If your thermostat is in working order, there may be an issue with your oven’s ventilation. Poor ventilation can cause the heat to build up to the point that the oven overheats and causes the thermostat to trip, again cutting out your oven in the process.

This can be a common issue for new installations and can be a fundamental issue with the oven cavity itself. As a precaution, call your fitter and seek their advice. They should be able to help you sort out the ventilation and have you up and running again.

Faulty Element

Another potential cause of your heating dismay could be the oven elements themselves. As a fundamental part of the oven’s operation, a broken or faulty element could put your meal prep on ice pretty fast.

This can usually be visually diagnosed by taking a quick look at the element for any obvious signs of damage/wear and tear.

Alternatively, turn your oven on and take a look at the element as the oven warms up. If it no longer glows red during cooking, you have yourself a faulty element.

If this is the case, why not head over to our cooker elements section and pick up a replacement element part.

Electrical Faults

The host of complex wires, cables and circuits within the make-up of an electric oven can make it a whole different beast, with a variety of additional issues that are extremely hard to diagnose.

Electric ovens can easily cut out if there is a fault with one of the components inside. Even issues with the clock and the switch can cause the oven to shut off, so pay close attention to these electrical oven parts in particular – both are tell-tale signs that you need professional assistance.

That being said, some electrical ovens also have the ability to make things a little easier at times, particularly if they display an error/fault code. If the display shows an error code, simply refer back to the manual (or type the code in online) to accurately diagnose the issue.

If no such code is visible, your best bet is to call in a pro to get to the bottom of it once and for all.

For more information on oven maintenance and replacement oven parts, why not give us a call on? Drop us a line on 02920 452 510 or send us a message using the link below.

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