Learn how to properly clean and prepare your oven for Thanksgiving with these easy steps. Ensure your turkey and side dishes turn out perfectly every time.
Thanksgiving is fast approaching! This special holiday is meant to be a time of family, gratitude, and delicious food. But it can also be served with a side of stress, especially if your oven isn’t working properly. After all, it’ll be the star of the show on Thanksgiving, cooking the turkey, pies, and traditional side dishes that your family loves.
That’s why you’ll want to identify any oven issues ahead of time. Here are a few suggestions that may help you prepare your oven for the upcoming challenge of Thanksgiving cooking.
Step-by-Step guide to Prepare Your Oven For Thanksgiving
Clean Your Oven
Although cleaning your oven after every use is unnecessary, occasional spot cleaning means less extensive cleaning later. We recommend cleaning your oven at least five days before Thanksgiving, deep cleaning at least every three to six months, and regularly spot-cleaning. You can get the job done with ammonia, dish soap, and baking soda. For extra dirty oven racks, fill a tub with hot water mixed with some dish soap and let the racks soak for 10 – 15 minutes. Then you can use a scouring pad to scrape off the softened grime.
This will make your food tastier and your home smell more pleasant. Avoid self-cleaning your oven the night before your Thanksgiving dinner. This can often cause more harm than good and may lead to broken parts and components.
Test the Temperature
Most ovens have indicators that let you know when it’s reached the right temperature. However, deviations are common. Plus, many oven thermometers aren’t accurate. To determine when and if your oven is reaching the desired temperature, we suggest getting a freestanding thermometer to monitor the accuracy of the oven’s temperature controls. These are typically more sensitive and accurate than your oven’s internal thermometer.
To test the temperature, place your thermometer in the middle of the center rack. After the preheating cycle is complete, turn on your oven light and check to see if the oven sensor matches your free standing thermometer. To test if the oven is properly calibrated and maintaining its heat, continue to check the thermometer every 20 minutes for the next hour or so.
If inaccurate, the oven temperature dial may need to be adjusted to match the internal temperature of the oven. Remove the plastic knob from the temperature dial. Mark where the alignment flat spot on the back of the knob is with a marker. Next, use a screwdriver to loosen the screws holding the outer part of the dial to the inner mechanism. If your oven is not reaching the correct temperature, hold the stem and rotate the dial counter-clockwise. If the oven is running too hot, hold the stem and rotate the dial clockwise. Finally, reattach the knob to the dial on the oven.
Don’t Overload Your Oven
On Thanksgiving day, you might need to play tetris with your dishes. However, make sure to leave at least 2 inches of space between the dishes and oven walls. You may also want to consider other cooking options, such as the stove top, microwave, grill, slow cooker, pressure cooker, deep fryer, or multi-cooker.
Speaking of stove tops, if you have burners that keep turning on and off, not igniting, or keep tripping the breaker, you’ll want to troubleshoot and resolve your problems to make sure it’s ready to cook up that turkey.
Is it Time to Replace Your Oven?
With routine maintenance and upkeep, your oven should last anywhere between 20 to 25 years. If you’ve had the appliance for a long time, it may be smart to invest in a newer model instead of tackling a costly repair project right before the holidays.
Contact iFiX Today for Appliance Repair in Ogden and Surrounding Areas
For holiday appliance repair, give iFiX, LLC a call today! iFiX provides honest, fast, in-home appliance repair services to Utah customers. Our repair technicians have the training, certifications, and skills necessary to work on all styles of gas and electric models. We hope you and your family have an enjoyable holiday season.
