Cooker advice

Wig

Hi

I just moved house and the cooker is a gas hob (no problem there)
and an electric oven... I don't like electric ovens I equate them with being expensive to run compared to gas. But I have no evidence for this. I wonder if there has been a comparison done in terms of kwh used for gas and electric ovens to cook for 2 hours on 200 C ?

Anyway, I digress, the real reason I am here today is to ask about this oven. There are two ovens a main one and one above that.

Only the one on top switches on, it is called a "Diplomat".

The dial goes from 0 - 300 or 400 and then a final turn and click to get to what I think is "grill only"

Thing is, when this top oven is turned on there is a big fan noise and cold air starts blowing out from the front top edge of the oven just above the the top of the door seal.

Why does it throw the air out the front like this? Does the air coming out get warmer as the oven heats up?

The main oven dial does not put the light on next to the dial or the fan and does not get warm like the top one did. So I assume not working.

Thanks for help.

Slowly57

From memory these kinds of oven;

- the top oven usually has a grill setting (as well as being a small oven) that only works if the door flap is open - no idea what the cold air thing is about unless it is a fan oven

- has the oven got a clock on it? You usually have to keep the electric on to power it - and the oven doesn't work unless the clock is on.

http://www.justanswer.com/uk-appliance/6r628-diplomat-oven-no-manual-when-turn-cooker.html

The_all_new_me_2

I think I read the difference is about 50 pence a week based on a families worth of usage.

Wig

Hi thanks,

When I first tried it I had difficulty setting the clock, the top oven worked but the lower oven did not.

I tried again yesterday, and I was able to set the clock. Also the lower oven worked.

Maybe as you say, the lower oven won't work unless the clock has been set.

I was thinking that the cold air may be to prevent a fire? Seeing as it is a built in oven, the cold air only comes on when the top oven or grill is on.

joedenise

The air means it is a fan oven and you may need to set the temperature about 10-20 degrees lower than recipe states (although most recipes now also give a fan oven setting). It's supposed to make the oven the same temperature on all shelves but have to say mine never has and I always use the higher setting anyway!

Denise

TheGardener

You are right about the clock - it doesn't need to be set as such but they are a bit fiddly and if the timer is set by accident (easily done without knowing how) the oven won't come on.
The top oven is not usually a fan oven as such but does have a fan that kicks in after the grill is turned off as a cooling mechanism and runs for a while after use of the grill or oven. As another poster says, the grill will only operate if the door is open.

I had this style of cooker because gas hob and electric oven are usually the cooks choice of the best of both worlds. I wouldn't change mine for the world having never got the hang of baking in a gas oven or how to do a gentle simmer on an electric hob. I don't find it more expensive to run but combi cookers are usually much more expensive to buy