kizbut1

Does anyone own one of these little darlings?

Everything I cook in it burns.

I have had 2 repair men come and look at the oven, tell me its a useless piece of kit and we could maybe try having the oven door seal changed (its perished). We have chased our rental agent again (because apparently they dont have to ring us about the report), we have been told that both repairmen have said there was 'nothing wrong' with the oven. I have just used it again to reassure myself that I'm not going mad and I've just burned another load of potato wedges. Oops, there goes the smoke alarm, the potato swirls I'm trialing are done (10 mins), dog's freaking out...

It looks very unlikely that H**cou*t* are going to have it fixed so I'm going to have to try and cook with it for the next 9 months.

Please, does anyone have any tips? I've tried using a lower temp, I've tried using a higher shelf

On a positive note you can cook some bloody good cheese scones in a Weber family bbq!

Slowly losing the will to live....
Kiz

TiddlyPom

Electric or gas?

kizbut1

Hi
Duh! Fancy forgetting to say... its an electric oven, its the only one I have ever seen where the element at the bottom of the oven is completely uncovered.

kiz

TiddlyPom

Ok, well for a start, don't change the temp, but cut down your cooking time by 10- 15 mins... And it might help to put an oven proof/ Pyrex bowl of water at the bottom of the oven so that the atmosphere is more moist, so it'll be a little more like cooking with gas... And try to cook in the centre of the oven rather than the top or bottom.
Sounds like the oven is rubbish.. Rentals, eh?

kizbut1

Thanks for the suggestion, I cant actually place anything on the bottom of the oven because of the exposed element, even ovenproof would shatter (maybe blowing up the oven...now theres an idea ) At the moment I'm cooking on the shelf above the middle of the oven and even on the shelf thats used for grilling when its really bad. I'm just shocked that the rentals people wont help. I used to be a landlord and I never had a problem with my tenants, if they needed something fixing they got it.

I'll have another go when the dogs calmed down!
Kiz

TiddlyPom

Ok, water on bottom shelf- whatever is lower.
Sounds rubbish.. I'd blow it up myself.

irishbloo

Just make sure that you arent at home when you do.

Sherlock Holmes

I'm afraid that my reply will be all negative so maybe I should't post it

We have a Simpson Nova. Gas top, electric oven.

First thing to note is Simpson are crap.

Ours has an exposed bottom heating element which my Aussie wife thinks is perfectly normal. (No hope really is there.)

But, our bloody thing is slow by about 20 degrees.

We do nearly all our cooking outside anyway.

I know in a rental you are a bit stuck (so partly I am replying out of empathy) but I'm not sure there is much you can do.

Try things that should be at 180 at 160. We have to use 200 so maybe it's just an inaccurate thermostat setting.

We also put tin foil UNDER the heating element so that we can clean it easily.

HelenTD

But then, they think that toploading washing machines are normal as well. We used to have an oven like this, I remember it well, messed up a load of recipes that worked well in a proper oven. You might want to look into a few benchtop devices, such as the good old Aussie electric frypan, or a convection microwave. I think that I would put the problem in writing to the property manager, and get the servicemen to write you a report on the oven, as back up.

eddie007

Getting used to a bottom heating oven is like getting used to an Aga, once you've managed it youre a friend for life

However

If the seal has gone put it in writing to your rental agent and request a response within 7 days... Then threaten (who is it? Reiwa???? Or summit)

Or you could Buy a decent barbie and go native.... Or head down to your local beach/park and learn to live off of the free public barbies....

kizbut1

Thanks everyone for the tips, I'll put the foil in and try the dish of water and the 20 degrees lower. In reply to a couple of things suggested

We've already put it in writing that the oven isn't working properly to the agents, the first guy came out and laughed at it and said 'it wont work properly, these are useless, it needs replacing', according to the agent HIS report said the oven was working. The 2nd guy (a Scouser, so I thought great, heres a bloke who will call a spade a spade), spent about 1/2 a hour here, scratching his head, was amazed that there was no oven bottom, said if it was his rental he would change it and then suggested that we could try changing the door seal because it was perished. The agents said that HIS report came back that the oven was fine too. I dont think we can ask for a copy of the reports cos we didn't pay to have them done. I'm seriously considering getting my own guy in to fix it and not telling them. This has been going on for 6 weeks now and when a report is sent in to the agents they dont even bother getting in touch with us. My OH told them he thought that was very unprofessional but all she said was 'I've done all I'm required to do' which obviously didn't involve telling us!

I really dont want to be a tenant from hell, all I'm asking for is a reliable oven so I can bake cakes for my kids.

We bought the barbie partly for His Nibs but partly so I could at least cook a roast. Luckily I do have a combi oven, but its not big enough to cook meals for 4 people in (its an old one with a turntable so all tins have to be small n square, or round)

Guess I'm just going to have to camp out by the oven when its on and hope I catch food before it burns, the house stank of scorched food this morning.

Thanks again , 9 months to go before we can move...

irishbloo

Invite the agent around for afternoon tea and serve him your burnt cakes.In the rental we had we complained about the oven and the owner put in a new one.Actually when I think about it the owner was lovely and tried to sort out lots of problems we had.He seemed genuienly upset that we had been broken into weeks after we moved in.The agent wasnt so pleasant.You would have thought we were asking for a palace.Hope you get your oven sorted.

kizbut1

Thank you irishbloo - funny enough OH did tell her to come round and we'd show her the door seal, bet she wont be round anytime soon though. I find it really hard to believe whats going on, they have spent loads on the house, by the sound of it the last tenants wrecked it, we've pointed out why they have damp, and proved it, we've done the garden for them (partly cos we like gardening)... I'm even wondering if they know whats going on. I get on very well with the gardener they've got coming in - he likes us cos he doesn't have to do much! It works well though cos he takes all our garden rubbish away for free. He's in touch with them by email...I wonder if it would be worth asking him if they would get in touch with us...?

irishbloo

It wont do any harm will it.

spartacus

The Simpson evolution 904 oven is an Australian oven built for Australian conditions and is therefore beyond reproach. I'd hate to see what one of those limp-wristed Miele's would do to your rock cakes.