An oven is an essential piece of equipment we all have in our kitchens. However, there’s a difference between an old, outdated stove and a modern oven with various settings and programmes.
Smeg is world famous for being a top manufacturer of the latter. Smeg ovens are not only sleek and aesthetic but are packed with settings and functions to make cooking more straightforward and more effective.
With all these settings comes a price, though – a Smeg oven might be tricky to use if you want to ensure you’re getting your appliance’s real benefits.
This article will explain how to use your Smeg oven and take advantage of all the exciting settings.
Smeg Oven Basics
First, you need to know how to get your appliance up and running to start using it. These steps differ slightly depending on your model of Smeg oven, but you can confirm the details in your user manual.
Turning the Oven On
Before you can start cooking, you need to turn on your Smeg oven. Getting started is incredibly simple, as all you’ll need to do is select your desired settings without pressing any additional buttons.
Use the function knob to choose your desired settings to heat your oven and start cooking. Once you’ve done this, a light will turn on in the oven to indicate it’s on.
Next, you can select the temperature with the thermostat knob, and your oven will immediately start heating up – the thermostat light will turn on to indicate this. When the set temperature has been reached, the light will turn off again.
If your oven won’t turn on, press the two cooking buttons simultaneously.
Setting a Timer
Another important primary function of a Smeg oven is the timer. You can use this timer in place of using an analogue kitchen timer or setting a timer on your smartphone.
The timer on your Smeg oven will let off a ‘beep’ sound when the time has elapsed, but the oven will not switch off.
- Press the bell button on your control panel.
- 00:00 will show on the display. Use the + and – buttons until the desired duration for your timer is displayed.
- When the time has elapsed, you can press the bell again to turn off the beeper.
Setting a Cooking Timer Countdown
Another option you have on your Smeg oven is to set a cooking timer countdown. With this setting, the oven will automatically turn itself off when the timer has elapsed.
This is a great way to prevent overcooking or even burning your dishes when you’re busy with other tasks and might forget to take your food out of the oven.
Here’s how to set this timer:
- Press the cooking button. This will look like a pot with steam coming out the top.
- Once pressed, the symbol ‘A’ will flash, and the timer will display 00:00.
- You can press the + and – buttons until you reach the desired cooking time.
- After a few moments, the timer will be applied and begin to count down as the oven heats up.
- A beeper will sound at the end of the timer, and the oven will automatically turn off the heating element.
Smeg Oven Settings
Besides basic temperature control and setting a timer, your Smeg oven has many other functional capabilities. Different models will have different settings and functions available, and you can check your user manual to confirm which are available on the Smeg you own.
Here are the primary settings on your oven and what they can do.
The ECO Setting
The ECO function helps cook on a single shelf with low energy consumption. This is the most energy-efficient setting and will help reduce energy consumption and costs.
Any type of food can be cooked using this setting, except those that might produce a lot of moisture, such as vegetables.
Avoid opening the oven door while using the ECO function to retain the heat inside the oven.
The Pizza Function Setting
Your Smeg oven even has a specific pizza function that is designed to help you cook pizza perfectly in a short time. By using mainly the upper element, this function will give you the optimal heating for a crispy crust and melted cheese and can also be used to bake cookies and cakes.
Some Smeg oven models come with a pizza stone to enhance this setting.
The Bottom Heater Only Setting
You can choose to enable only the bottom heating element in your electric oven. This setting is an excellent option for dishes that you want to avoid scorching on the top since only the lower element will be generating heat.
You can use this setting for cooking stews, pastry dishes and more.
The Top Heater Only Setting
With this setting, you can achieve perfect browning on your dishes.
This programme is a great function for casseroles and baked pasta dishes with cheese on top that needs to be melted and browned.
The Grill Setting
Similarly to the Top Heater Only setting, the grill makes use of only the top element in your oven. You can also use this programme for browning purposes or to cook small to medium portions of meat to perfection.
This can also be used for grilling large quantities of sausages, bacon, spare ribs, and other types of food evenly.
The Fan-Only Setting
You have the option to use only the fan in your Smeg oven by selecting the option with the fan symbol.
This is a great setting for reheating food in the oven because it uses only the thermostat and the fan element.
You can also use this setting for baked goods and other recipes that require consistent and even cooking.
The Fan With Grill Setting
You can also use your fan in conjunction with the grill in your oven. The fan will soften the high and intense heat that is emitted from the grill in Smeg ovens, allowing you to get a perfect and even grill on even thick steaks.
It’s recommended that you use the top two shelves for this setting or the bottom shelf if you want to use this function to heat up dishes.
The Defrost Setting
These ovens can even be used to defrost frozen foods.
This is a great way to safely thaw your foods without any risk of contamination since the food will be defrosted using only the cool air in the oven circulated by the fan.
When using the defrost function, place foods on the first shelf of the oven and keep the oven door closed. Avoid overlapping the food and place a tray below the items to catch moisture that melts away.
The Fan With Circulaire Setting
The circular element is incorporated into the rear of the oven. The combination of this heating element and the oven fan allows you to cook different foods on several levels of the oven.
The circulation of hot air ensures that the heat will be instantly and evenly distributed throughout the whole oven on every level. This setting also prevents odours and flavours from mingling, so you can bake a pie and cook vegetables at the same time.
The Microwave Setting
Some models of Smeg ovens come with a Microwave mode. With this setting, you can thaw and heat almost any food without influencing the smell, taste, or even how it looks.
This setting is also quick and energy-efficient, making it an excellent eco-friendly option for when you’re in a rush or just looking to save on your electricity bill.
The Microwave and Grill Setting
You can also combine the Microwave setting with the grill.
This will allow you to brown and crisp the top of your food perfectly while also ensuring that your dish is cooked thoroughly and evenly all the way through.
The Rotisserie Setting
Some ovens come with accessories. If your Smeg oven has a rotisserie attachment, your appliance will also have a rotisserie setting to help you create the perfect Sunday roasts.
The rotisserie will slowly rotate your meats to achieve an even cook whilst retaining all the moisture, leaving you with juicy roasted chicken or meats. This setting can also be used with the full or half grill settings.
The Bread Proving Setting
If you’re an avid baker, you can also use your Smeg oven to prove your dough for bread baking.
The oven will remain at a constant temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, which is the perfect environment for your yeast-based doughs and pastries to prove and rise to perfection.
The oven has a particular cavity for bread proving, and you simply need to turn on the setting and leave the dough there for as long as necessary.
Smeg Oven Cleaning and Maintenance
To keep your Smeg oven in the best possible condition, it’s a good idea to clean it regularly. Smeg recommends various cleaning methods, which can be found in your user manual.
Pyrolytic Self-Cleaning Function
Specific models of Smeg ovens (Pyrolytic models) have a self-cleaning function.
This mode will help remove grease and char build-ups in your oven with nothing but the power of heat. There is also an ECO Pyrolytic setting for when you have lighter cleaning work and want to save energy. The ECO version uses less intense heat and a shorter duration.
Vapour Cleaning Function
Another cleaning function of your new oven is the vapour cleaning setting, which uses steam to clean the oven cavity.
The steaming method is used for loosening deposits found in places in your oven that are harder to reach and clean.
The function softens and loosens residues, and water vapour removes it easily afterwards.
Manual Cleaning
Despite having these useful cleaning functions, it’s still vital that you manually clean your oven from time to time since these settings won’t be able to tackle all the dirt and mess that might end up in your appliance over time.
Make sure to use cleaning products that are safe (with no chlorine, ammonia or bleach) on the steel parts of your appliance, and avoid using abrasive materials.
Final Thoughts
While there are loads of useful and seemingly complex settings and functions on your oven, using the appliance is quite intuitive and user-friendly.
Once you’re familiar with what you can do with it, it becomes simple to use and manage the different settings and achieve the most out of your new oven.