You are probably cleaning up your house and getting ready for the onslaught of relatives and friends visiting over the holidays as you read an online guide to prepare your oven for the holidays. Besides tidying up your home, inspecting your appliances is essential to getting ready for this merry season.
Holiday Oven Prep Tips
Preparing to cook for the holidays requires a comprehensive check and maintenance of major appliances like your Kenmore oven, and this guide to prepare your oven for holidays will greatly benefit you. Keep reading to know what Kenmore Best Appliance Repair Pro can advise you about your oven.
Use the Oven’s Self-Cleaning Feature with Caution
Preventative appliance maintenance is essential for a worry-free holiday season. Now that self-cleaning features are available, keeping your oven clean is considerably less hassle. We saved ourselves a whole day of scrubbing the oven with steel wool and abrasive chemical cleaners.
However, if you plan to use your oven’s self-clean feature, we recommend doing it at least 14 days before the big day. This way, you can start your holiday preparations with a clean, well-functioning oven. You will also avoid having to reschedule your holiday party if something goes wrong with your oven.
Fire Up Your Range or Oven for Testing
Cooking for a large group of people may be stressful, so now is the time to test out your recipes before the holidays. Keeping all your reliable tools in good working order is important.
Fortunately, sprucing up the oven for the holiday season can produce a simple yet delicious treat. All you have to do is go to the store, pick up a simple cake mix, and bake it according to the settings recommended by the box. While baking, your home will fill with a delicious aroma. On the other hand, a burning scent coming from the oven is a warning sign that it’s time to clean the oven before the holidays.
Closely inspect the finished cake. Have you overcooked or dried out your recipe? Or is there an uncooked part or undercooked sauce inside? These problems point to a heating element issue. If your unit is malfunctioning, there is still time to get a Kenmore range repair or an oven replacement.
Verify the Accuracy of Temperature Displays
Using your oven’s self-clean function can render the temperature reading inaccurate. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and position a digital thermometer on the middle oven rack. After 20-30 minutes, examine the temperature on display and make any necessary adjustments.
Safely and Thoroughly Clean Your Oven’s Interior
An important piece of advice we can give you for the winter holidays is to give your oven a thorough and safe cleaning in the fall.
Clean your oven interior in these easy steps:
- Take out the oven trays and racks and soak them in hot soapy water before scrubbing off the grime. Afterward, rinse and let the racks dry.
- Make a thick paste by mixing a 1:3 ratio of water and baking soda.
- Use a paintbrush to spread the paste around the inside of the oven. Do not put it near the heating source element. Let it dry all night.
- Dust your oven interior off to remove the dried residues of the cleaning paste with a soft brush. Using a moistened cloth, remove any stains that do not easily come off.
No matter how tempting, never clean the inside of your oven with soap, especially solely. Cleaning products can leave a persistent odor or unpleasant flavor in food and even necessitate a Kenmore wall oven repair, which might put a major crimp in your holiday baking plans.
Inspect Oven Lights and Racks
It is not uncommon for oven racks to distort and become skewed after some time. While cleaning your oven interiors, do not forget to inspect the racks to make sure they are level. This will guarantee that your main courses and desserts cook uniformly.
Also, relamp the oven lights as needed. A bright light inside the oven will help you avoid burning food and give you an idea of how your dish is doing without constantly opening the door.
Confirm that Your Vents Are Clean and Ready to Exhaust Fume
Only clean vents will allow your range hood to do its job. A buildup of oil and food debris in the vents can lead to smoke and unpleasant odors from cooking entering your home. There will be a fire hazard if a hood vent is clogged with grease and grime. See the manual or connect with a service expert for instructions on how to clean your particular Kenmore model.
Preparing ahead of time helps alleviate some of the pressure that comes with the holidays. It helps you avoid unexpected crises. So, schedule an appointment for professional repairs if the situation calls for it.
For more insights about your Kenmore range and oven, we have other related blog posts that might help you. You can also notify us via our 24/7 hotline for in-depth guidance and quality service repairs.