18 OVEN SETTINGS & SYMBOLS GUIDE

The preheat setting will heat the oven to a specific temperature range to help ensure that your dishes will begin cooking at the correct temp. The oven temp will be slightly higher than your set temperature to offset the heat lost when your oven door is opened.

Select KitchenAid^® ovens feature Even-Heat™ Preheat to help remove cold spots and help ensure even baking. The entire oven, including the walls and racks, heats to the correct temperature.

The bake setting is one of the most commonly used oven controls. Baking uses dry heat at lower temperatures from the oven’s top and bottom elements to slowly cook unstructured foods such as batter or dough, gently browning the surface while solidifying the interior. Learn how a combination of baking and your oven temperature can help to create a flavorful, tender cake.

Convection bake settings use a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity for even cooking across multiple racks. These settings are great for batch baking, like these Chocolate Chip Cookies, where multiple racks are being used simultaneously. You can also use convection bake settings to cook through layered pasta dishes or to provide the dry environment needed to experiment with recipes involving toasted or dehydrated foods.

Select KitchenAid^® wall ovens and ranges feature Even-Heat™ True Convection. This unique bow-tie design with a heating element and fan circulates hot air throughout the entire oven, providing optimal temperatures for crisp, flaky baked goods, juicy, well-browned roasts and caramelized vegetables.

The broil setting cooks food quickly with direct heat from the top element, typically at 550℉ (289℃) and produces a seared finish that’s similar to grilling. The closer your food is to the top heating element, the more quickly the top will sear. Dishes that need to be cooked through shouldn’t be placed too close to the element, as this could result in a dish that’s burned on top and undercooked on the inside.

Your range may or may not offer a convection broil setting, but if it does, you can use it for broiling thicker cuts of meat or poultry that are more challenging to cook through. During this cycle, the broil element will intermittently turn on and off, but the fan will continuously circulate the hot air. Remember: Using a broil setting like this one will sear your food at a high temperature—think 550 degrees—so take caution not to burn your dish.

Like the bake oven setting, roast uses dry heat from the top and bottom elements to heat food; the difference is that roasting uses higher temperatures to brown the surface and create flavor in foods with more structure, like proteins and veggies. Learn more about the differences between bake vs. roast vs. broil settings.

If you’re tackling a heavier dish that requires even cooking and a crispy finish, consider convection roast. This type of convection cooking uses a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity. Try this setting on thicker dishes like lasagnas or casseroles to get that crispy, brown cheese on top.

This setting takes the mystery out of figuring out how to set your convection temperatures on your range by adjusting them for you. Since convection cooking uses a lower temperature compared to regular baking, broiling or roasting, an EasyConvect^™ setting can make the adjustment for you.

When outdoor grilling season comes to an end, you still have options for searing flavorful burgers and steak over direct heat. That’s right—with the proper pan and temperature, you can now grill in your oven. Set your oven to a high temperature (400-500 degrees) and preheat it with your grill pan inside to make sure your cooking surface is as hot as the range. Once your grill pan is hot, place the meat directly on top. 

Grilling provides a flavorful and versatile way to cook year-round. There are countless foods you can grill, whether you’re looking to step up your meat game or even prefer cooking vegetarian and vegan recipes. Following a recipe can help determine flip and turn times for your dish.

In the last few years, air fryers have become increasingly popular. Air frying provides an alternative way to eat crispy, fried foods without the need for all the oil that is used in deep frying. And now it’s possible to air fry food in your oven instead of using a separate appliance.

If your oven has an Air Fry setting, you can create crispy, lightly fried foods ranging from chicken to french fries, but in a larger capacity than a countertop air fry appliance. This setting is similar to convection cooking, as they both use a fan to circulate hot air; however, your Air Fry setting won’t require you to preheat the oven. You will also want to make sure to use the designated air fry basket when cooking your dish.

Some ovens feature bottom heating which is designed to cook the base of the dish first. This setting can be ideal for cooking pizzas and pastries that require a crisp, crunchy base.

Baking stones can also help achieve similar results. The KitchenAid^® Smart Oven+ Baking Stone Attachment can help create restaurant style pizzas, tarts and more.

Some ovens, like select options from KitchenAid brand, offer a special Proof setting for bread bakers. The proof function prepares dough for baking by creating an ideal moist, warm environment in the oven, which helps activate the yeast in homemade bread and other pastries.

The keep warm setting helps maintain a dish’s temperature without overcooking it. Dishes like sides, breads, casseroles and desserts can be kept warm before serving with this function. Learn more about how to keep food warm in the oven before serving.

Warming drawers are another useful tool for keeping dishes warm if you’re not serving them right away. Select KitchenAid^® warming drawers can be used for proofing and slow cooking meats and poultry as well. This pizza dough recipe can be proofed in a KitchenAid^® warming drawer.

Ovens with a self-clean setting are ideal for deep cleanings. The setting uses very high temperatures to burn cooked-on food to an ashy consistency—without chemicals—making it easy to wipe off oven interiors. 

For lighter cleanings, select KitchenAid^® ovens feature a Steam Clean setting as well. This uses water to soften hard soiled particles and helps make cleaning easier.

Sabbath Mode is designed for those who follow kosher dietary guidelines.

This oven setting ensures food remains heated without the need to manually adjust the appliance on the Sabbath day. When the Sabbath Mode is set on select KitchenAid^® models—including the KitchenAid^® 27" Combination Microwave Wall Ovens with Air Fry Mode—only the Bake cycle will operate. All other cooking and cleaning cycles are disabled. No tones will sound, and the display(s) won’t indicate temperature changes. When the oven door is opened or closed, or the light switch activated, the oven light will not turn on or off, and the heating elements will not turn on or off immediately.

Many oven timers can be set in minutes and seconds or hours and minutes. They’re designed to count down the set time. Timers take the guesswork out of cooking and are especially helpful when the temperature needs to be adjusted or when a dish needs to be rotated halfway through.

It’s easy to confuse the clock with the timer. The clock displays the time of day when the oven timer isn’t in use.

Delay cooking allows the oven to be set to turn on at a certain time of day to a desired temperature. Simply input a time and temp before you leave the house in the morning—or before the party starts—and the oven will start preheating to your selected temp at your selected time. Before programming, make sure the clock is set to the correct time of day.

Bottom heat or pizza stones are ideal for creating crispy crusts. You can also use a baking stone to create different types of recipes, including desserts and breads.

Whole chicken is typically roasted, while chicken parts are commonly baked. Depending on your oven’s settings, you may also have the option to air fry chicken using Air Fry Mode.

Roasting is the tried and true way to cook this holiday classic. But turkey isn’t just for the holidays. You can also bake turkey meatloaf for a lean and elevated take on a family favorite.

Salmon can be broiled quickly and easily in a KitchenAid^® countertop oven. It’s also possible to air fry salmon if your oven has Air Fry Mode.

Most casseroles like lasagna and baked ziti can use the bake oven setting to help stabilize the interior of the dish and create an evenly browned surface.

Many baked goods use the bake oven setting with the rack placed in the middle of the oven to help create delicious treats. Whip up the dough for bread in your KitchenAid^® stand mixer before baking it in the oven. Then slather the warm bread with homemade butter.

Or, use the convection setting to bake up multiple trays of rich, yummy cookies or brownies for the next big party.