If you’re the owner of a Whirlpool cooker, you probably know that it comes with several features that can help you cook specific foods to perfection. These functions make it easy to whip up restaurant-quality dishes even if you’re not a professional chef.
But what do you do when the symbols are rubbed off/worn off of your electric oven, or you lose your manual and can’t figure out what the different symbols and functions mean?
You’ll need some help to decipher the various functions and symbols, whether you’re dealing with new or old symbols so that you can make the most of your fan oven. With this comprehensive guide, you’ll be able to navigate the world of cooking with a Whirlpool electric oven and create outstanding meals that will impress your family and friends.
Whirlpool Oven Function Symbols
Conventional Cooking
Overview: The Conventional Cooking symbol is represented by a solid horizontal line at the top and one at the bottom. The Conventional function is perfect for baking, roasting, or heating casseroles on a single oven rack. When baking or roasting, the oven’s bake and broil elements will cycle on and off in intervals to maintain the desired temperature.
Best for: Dishes such as roast meats, baked goods like cakes, cookies, and bread, and casseroles.
Benefits/Drawbacks: This setting is the most used and versatile of any of the cooking functions. One downside to note is the heat distribution may not be as uniform as with other settings, leading to potential hot spots.
Convection Bake
Overview: The Convention Bake function is represented by a fan in the middle with a solid horizontal line above it and one below. During Convection Bake, the oven’s bake and broil elements cycle on and off in intervals to maintain the temperature, while the fan continuously circulates the hot air.
Best for: When you want a crispy exterior, such as for roasted meats, poultry, and vegetables.
Benefits/Drawbacks: The Convection setting is also useful for baking items like bread, pastries, and cakes, where the circulating air can help to produce a more uniform rise and texture. However, not all recipes are suitable for convection cooking, so it’s always best to consult a recipe or the oven manual for guidance on which setting to use.
Forced Air
Overview: The Forced Air function is represented by a fan within a circle. The Forced Air setting is perfect for baking delicate cakes and pastries, as well as cooking multiple dishes simultaneously on different oven racks. This function is also useful for cooking different foods at once, without the risk of transferring odours or flavours between them. During Forced Air, the oven’s convection ring element cycles on and off to maintain the temperature, while the fan continuously circulates hot air throughout the oven.
Best for: Baking delicate items like cakes, pastries, and souffles, as well as foods that require gentle heat, such as meringues and custards.
Benefits/Drawbacks: One of the biggest benefits is the ability to cook a lot of food at once without sacrificing results. A minor annoyance, however, is the fan can cause lightweight items, such as paper or parchment, to blow around inside the oven.
Whirlpool Grill Symbols
Grill
Overview: The Grill function is represented by a symbol of a zig-zag line at the top. Grilling involves cooking food with direct radiant heat. This function is ideal for thicker cuts of meat, fish, and poultry, as well as unevenly shaped pieces, as it allows for more even cooking.
Best for: Grilled chicken, fish fillets, and seafood, such as shrimp and scallops, benefit from the direct heat of the grill.
Benefits/Drawbacks: Grilling adds a unique flavour and texture to foods that cannot be replicated with other cooking methods except for your outdoor barbecue. Indoor grilling in an oven may produce more smoke and odours than other cooking methods.
Turbo Grill
Overview: The Turbo Grill function is represented by a small fan with a zig-zag above it. The Turbo Grill setting is particularly helpful for roasting large cuts of meat, such as legs, roast beef, and chicken. During Turbo Grilling, the oven’s broil elements will cycle on and off to maintain the temperature, while the fan continuously circulates the hot air throughout the oven.
Best for: Roasts of beef, leg of lamb, whole chickens.
Benefits/Drawbacks: Not only do you get crispy exteriors on your large cuts of meat, but the cooking time is also reduced getting them to the table sooner. The one downside is that the fan is noisy and needs to be on for some time.
Specialty Cooking Functions
Browning
Overview: The Browning function is represented by a solid black upside-down dome at the top with three lines radiating away from it. After certain functions are complete, the display may indicate the option to use the browning function. However, this function can only be utilized if a cooking time has been previously set.
Best for: Adding a crispy, golden-brown finish to the top of dishes such as casseroles, gratins, or baked pasta.
Benefits/Drawbacks: This is the ideal setting for getting a beautiful crust or exterior on foods without much fuss. Remember to monitor the dish even though this is preset since it can burn quickly.
Bread
Overview: The Bread function is represented by a loaf of bread and pizza graphic. The Bread function is perfect for baking various types and sizes of handmade bread using fresh dough that has not been frozen. This function features a program with pre-set settings specifically designed for baking bread. Simply choose the desired temperature and cooking time, and the oven will take care of the rest.
Best for: Handmade breads, including traditional loaves, rolls, baguettes, and sourdough bread.
Benefits/Drawbacks: The pre-set program with predefined settings helps to take the guesswork out of baking bread which can be tricky. The downside is that this function is shared with a pizza setting so make sure to select the right one.
Pizza
Overview: The Pizza setting is represented by a graphic of a loaf of bread and a pizza. The Pizza function is designed for baking homemade pizzas of different types and sizes using fresh dough. This function includes a pre-set program with specific settings for pizza baking. By selecting the appropriate temperature and cooking time, the oven automatically manages the cooking cycle for you.
Best for: Achieving a crispy crust and melted cheese, creating the perfect pizza every time.
Benefits/Drawbacks: Pizza that is equal to a pizzeria in quality is easier to achieve with this setting. The downside is that some pizzas may require adjustments to temperature and time settings to achieve the desired result.
Maxi Cooking
Overview: The Maxi Cooking function is represented by a roast with an XL next to it. Maxi Cooking is perfect for roasting large cuts of meat weighing over 2.5 kg. During Maxi Cooking, the bake and broil elements cycle on and off at intervals to maintain the desired oven temperature. This helps to prevent overcooking or undercooking, resulting in delicious and perfectly cooked meat dishes.
Best for: Any type of roast, whole chicken, or beef briskets that weigh over 2.5kg.
Benefits/Drawbacks: The primary benefit is it allows for cooking dishes that are too large to be cooked using other functions on the oven. The downside is that it consumes more energy compared to other cooking functions.
Fast Preheating
Overview: The Fast Preheating function is represented by a thermometer with two arrows pointing up. Fast Preheating is a function that can reduce the time to preheat the oven. Once the Fast Preheating cycle is complete, the oven will automatically switch to a normal Conventional cycle. By using the Fast Preheating function, you can save time and energy, making cooking more efficient and convenient.
Best for: Getting food on the table faster due to a reduced wait to heat the oven.
Benefits/Drawbacks: This function is a good option when you’re short on time but still want to cook a meal. However, you may end up waiting for it to cool down for a lower temperature cooking for a specific dish.
Rising
Overview: The Rising function is represented by a small dome with a dotted dome over it. The Rising function of an oven is ideal for the proving of sweet or savoury dough. This function can help reduce the dough proving time by approximately one-third compared to proofing at room temperature, which is typically between 20-25°C. The Rising function works by maintaining a temperature of 40°C inside the oven during the proving cycle.
Best for: A consistent and quick rise for yeast-based doughs.
Benefits/Drawbacks: There is no need to have to find a warm spot in the kitchen with no drafts when you use this function. The only downside is that you can’t use the oven while the dough proves.
Keep Warm
Overview: The Keep Warm function is represented by a pie with wavy lines radiating away from it. The Keep Warm function on an oven is designed to maintain a steady temperature of 65°C inside the oven. This function is useful for keeping cooked dishes warm until they are ready to be served.
Best for: Preparing large meals or for when you need to keep food warm while waiting for guests to arrive.
Benefits/Drawbacks: This function is useful when preparing large meals or when you need to keep food warm for an extended period of time. On the other hand, the Keep Warm function of keeping food warm for an extended period of time can affect the texture and flavour of some dishes.
Defrost
Overview: The Defrost function is represented by a snowflake with a water drop. The Defrost function is designed to help you defrost frozen foods quickly and safely. It works by circulating cool air throughout the oven, which helps to thaw the food evenly and efficiently.
Best for: Ideal for defrosting meat, poultry, fish, and other frozen foods, without cooking or damaging the food.
Benefits/Drawbacks: You can save time and energy compared to other defrosting methods, such as thawing at room temperature or using a microwave. It may not be suitable for all types of frozen foods, so it’s important to follow the instructions in your user manual.
Cook Time
Overview: The Cook Time function is represented by a half clock with a dotted other half.
Timer
Overview: The Timer function is represented by a stopwatch.
Time Of Day
Overview: The Time of Day symbol is represented by a clock.
End Cook Time
Overview: The End Cook Time function is represented by a clock with an arrow surrounding it pointing clockwise.
Oven Control Lock
Overview: The Control Lock is represented by an ASCI symbol of a skeleton key.