The In-Depth Easy Guide To The Common Oven Symbols & Functions

Few people are prepared for how complex working their oven can be. There is actually a lot to take in and remember and the most important things to remember are the symbols dotted around the oven.

These symbols are used to represent important functions but knowing which is which and what does what can be very difficult. But we can help with our helpful guide you’ll never be lost trying to figure out how to set a certain function on your oven. So, let’s take a look at ten of the most important symbols you need to know about.

Fan Oven

This symbol looks like a square with a circle in it, with three prongs in the middle, think about a plug socket and you’ll get the idea. This button activates the fan oven which helps distribute the heat more evenly around your oven. It will also help speed up the cooking time and decrease energy consumption.

Conventional Heating

This symbol is easy to remember it is simply marked by two lines inside a square. One line at the top of the square and one at the bottom, these lines represent the heating elements. This heating mode will activate both heating elements in the oven and it’s generally used for big meaty dishes or for baking purposes.

Bottom Heating

If you excuse the pun-worthy name this symbol is also very easy to remember. It’s a square with just one line at the bottom and it means only the lower heating element will be in use. This can help you bake certain dishes like casseroles for example or get that much desired crispy base on things like pizza. This is one of the simpler symbols but it does have a lot of important functions.

Bottom Element and Grill

Take the symbol for bottom heating and add a zigzag line at the top and you have this symbol. It does the same thing basically but adds an extra source of heating from the grill for when you need more even heating at the top and the bottom. It’s once again great for pizzas but also commonly used for cooking pies as well.

Grill and Fan

This symbol includes the zigzag line for grill and the three-pronged plug-like shape for the fan. So, you’ll be heating with the grill while the fan distributes heat around the oven, the grill will actually turn itself on and off when this setting is activated to maintain a balanced temperature and it’s one of the best settings to use for meat dishes including poultry. It might sound a little complicated but it’s actually a very simple setting and great for those big Sunday roasts.

The Grill

Simply marked with the now familiar zigzag line at the top of a box this symbol means the grill alone will do the cooking. The grill is one of the most versatile areas of your cooker and can practically cook any meal or food.

Just ensure food is placed in the centre to ensure the most even and effective cooking, you can also use the grill to add some crisping or browning to dishes and it can even make toast as well. This is probably going to be one of the most commonly used settings on your cooker so make sure you familiarise yourself with it.

Oven Light

The lightbulb image in a box makes this one easy to remember and it’s pretty self-explanatory as well. It simply turns on the oven light so you can more easily inspect food and monitor its cooking progress.

Oven Defrosting

A more uncommon symbol that is marked with a snowflake above a raindrop. This symbol activates the oven fan but doesn’t generate any heat but the air that circulates will defrost food more quickly. It’s the perfect way to quickly defrost food if you forget to take something out of the freezer earlier.

The Warming Oven

This symbol is marked with a dish with steam lines over it and in my opinion, it’s one of the best functions to have. It simply keeps your food warm but without cooking it! It’s a great way to store food because it will ensure it stays moist and doesn’t dry out.

Plate Warming

This is another very useful function that many people don’t know about, the symbol is marked with three dishes or horizontal lines above one another in a box. It’s a simple function but also one that is very useful especially when it comes to dinner parties, it simply gently warms the plates so any food served will be put onto a hot surface.