Here at Workman Appliance Repair, we’ve seen our fair share of malfunctioning ovens. While there are many cases where an oven repair is needed, there are also times when adjusting your cooking strategy is all the fixing you need. Here are a few troubleshooting tips to help you determine if you truly need an oven repair.
The Problem: Uneven/Slow Cooking. If your oven seems to be struggling to cook dishes through in the anticipated time or achieve an even cook, you may have an issue with heating or heat distribution. However, the problem could also be an improperly placed oven rack or an overfilled oven.
Troubleshooting Tip: Try adjusting the racks depending on what you’re cooking. For example, cookies usually do best on the center rack slot, whereas a roast is ideally placed on the lowest one. Overfilling the oven can also cause problems, so make sure you’re leaving enough room for air to circulate and provide an even cook. If the issue persists after you’ve tried these adjustments, an oven repair service may be necessary.
The Problem: Significantly Varying Cook Times. Having an oven that is always wildly outside the given cook time for a recipe can be frustrating. It’s quite possible that your oven has problems heating or that the internal thermometer is reading incorrectly, but there’s also a chance that a much simpler culprit is to blame.
Troubleshooting Tip: It’s tempting to peek in at your food every few minutes but try to avoid constantly opening the oven to check on things. This little habit lets out a lot of heat, can cause uneven cooking, and forces your oven to work harder. Additionally, remember that recipe cook times are guidelines, not hard rules. Once you learn your oven’s unique characteristics and performance, you can adjust your cook times accordingly. However, if your oven has been consistent with cook times and then suddenly things start to go awry, that’s a good sign that you’ll need a technician to complete an oven repair service.