12
Main Oven Operation
Note: care should be taken not to touch the hotplate, oven combustion chamber door and flue areas unless a
insulated glove is used, as these areas are hot working surfaces and will burn unprotected skin.
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The oven is indirectly heated from the outside by hot gases from the heat source so that no flame or elements within
the oven means full use can be made of the whole cooking area.
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The oven is hotter towards the top than the bottom.
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To heat the main oven and increase the hotplate temperature - turn the cooker control knob to desired setting as
required.
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There are 5 runners or shelf positions within the oven on which the grid shelves, solid shelf and meat roasting tin fit
directly.
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When left on
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setting your main oven will maintain a low idling temperature suitable for slow cooking .
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As the Rayburn is made of cast iron, the time for the appliance to heat up and cool down is longer than with a
conventional oven. As a Rayburn user you will soon get used to thinking ahead.
Hints
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Do not forget the thermodial reflects the temperature in the middle of the oven, by moving the food higher
or lower or use of the solid plain shelf a hotter or cooler temperature can be achieved.
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The main oven has good all round temperature. You’ll notice joints of meat gain colour quicker
than in a conventional oven, this is due to the heating from all round the cast iron oven (not just an element
or gas flame). Moisture is quickly sealed in, giving a succulent moist finish.
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Heat loss when you open the oven door is not as great as that from a pressed metal box type oven so you
can peep to see how a cake is cooking without it sinking.
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For perfect baking results some food such as trays of biscuits, small cakes or items nearer the top or on the
floor of the oven, may need turning during cooking. Alternatively, use a lower shelf position and place the
cold plain shelf on the top runner above the cakes to diffuse the heat.
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One of the many benefits of the cast iron main oven is that when the oven is hot the floor of the oven is
hotter than that of a conventional cooker and can be used directly for cooking.
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No need to bake quiche pastry cases “blind”, just place the flan dish on the oven floor for “soggy-free”
pastry or finish off the base of fruit pies etc. This position is also useful for shallow frying (a cast iron dish
is recommended) with the added advantage that fat splashes are carbonised so cleaning is minimal and
cooking smells are taken away through the flue.
