Problems with my oven

If you had chicken quarters in the oven at 350 and they were still raw
after an hour, there is something seriously wrong with your oven. Get
an oven thermometer, one that sits inside so you can see the actual
temperature in there. Better yet, get it checked out by a professional.

well after getting mad, I did a little experiment. I cranked the oven
to 500 and waited for a little bit. Then I took a piece of paper towel
and tried touching the heating elements. The top one caused the paper
towel to start burning but the bottom one did not which leads me to
believe that the bottom heating element is broken. I don't know how
ovens work but shoudln't the bottom one be on for baking? I thought
the top only comes on if you have it set on broil? Or is the top one
coming on to make up for the bottom one being burnt out?

Assuming it's electric, the bottom coils are for baking, the top coils
are on only in the broil setting. Unless you have some unusual model.

Get a new oven.

Most oven thermostats become inaccurate as they age. Even the digital ones.
There is usually a way to adjust them using a separate thermometer. I
adjusted my Maytag digital thermostat a few weeks ago--the instructions were
on the Maytag's web page.

But in your case, it sounds like something is actually broken in your oven.
I would suggest calling a repair person, especially if the oven is still
under warranty. At the very least, call the manufacturer and get their
opinion.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

My oven is seriously making me angry. I was roasting some chicken
quarters today and the recipe called for me to cover the pan tighly
with foil and to bake it for an hour at 350 degrees. When I came back
to check it in an hour, I opened it up and the chicken was completely
raw and still pink on the outside. Is it that I had foil on the pan
that cause the problem or is it my oven? I've had problems baking
before... like if I had a pan on the top rack and a pan on the bottom
rack, the food on th bottom would not cook. It would not even get hot
which I found strange since I had it cranked up to 450.

Quoted message said:

Assuming it's electric, the bottom coils are for baking, the top coils
are on only in the broil setting. Unless you have some unusual model.

Get a new oven.

~30 years ago, a feature in new electric ranges was an oven
pre-heat cycle. Both the upper and lower elements went on to
bring the oven to baking temp quickly. It was a good idea,
but I suspect many people made the same error I did. I would
forget to turn the cycle knob to "Bake" when I put in the food
so that everything I baked burnt on the top when the both elements
continued to cycle on instead of just the bottom one when the thermostat
called for additional heat. I haven't seen the preheat function
available on an electric oven in many years.

gloria p

Quoted message said:

well after getting mad, I did a little experiment. I cranked the oven
to 500 and waited for a little bit. Then I took a piece of paper towel
and tried touching the heating elements. The top one caused the paper
towel to start burning but the bottom one did not which leads me to
believe that the bottom heating element is broken. I don't know how
ovens work but shoudln't the bottom one be on for baking? I thought
the top only comes on if you have it set on broil? Or is the top one
coming on to make up for the bottom one being burnt out?

At least now we know it's an electric stove, your original post didn't
say, in fact you gave no useful information whatsoever... like make n'
model, age, is it solid state, and of course is it gas or electric.

The bottom element is the main baking element, the top is for broil.
Sure sounds like your bottom element has burned out, kaput. The only
reason you had any heat is because during initial heating both elements
come on. No biggie to replace, just be absolutely certain to
de-energize the unit before working on it, and be just as certain that
no one has access to re-energize the circuit... before working on high
voltage circuits you must padlock the breaker box, even if no one is on
the premises but you... can't tell you how many times someone
re-energiged the circuit to test if it works and then continued futzing
around without de-energizing the circuit again... happens all the time
and people fry. At least with a padlock there's a good chance it will
remind you to be safe. If you have any doubt whatsoever of your
ability to do the job safely and correctly call a service professional.

Sheldon

Quoted message said:

well after getting mad, I did a little experiment. I cranked the oven
to 500 and waited for a little bit. Then I took a piece of paper towel
and tried touching the heating elements. The top one caused the paper
towel to start burning but the bottom one did not which leads me to
believe that the bottom heating element is broken. I don't know how
ovens work but shoudln't the bottom one be on for baking? I thought
the top only comes on if you have it set on broil? Or is the top one
coming on to make up for the bottom one being burnt out?

If the lower element is not working there are two probably causes, a blown
fuse or a blown element. Have a look at your fuses first. If they are
good, the problem is probably the element.

All you need is a screwdriver and a decent voltage meter with a resistance
test function. Unplug the oven and remove the element and unscrew the 4
screws that hold it in place. Hold the test pins to the two ends of the
element. If the burner is shot there will be no resistance measured. Go to
the a real hardware store or an appliance store and get a replacement
element. They run $20-30 most places.

If you don't have a voltmeter, it may be worth it to just go ahead and
change the element. If that turns out to be the problem you will save
yourself the cost of a service call.

Changing an element on an electric stove is a 5 minute job.

Quoted message said:

well after getting mad, I did a little experiment. I cranked the oven
to 500 and waited for a little bit. Then I took a piece of paper towel
and tried touching the heating elements. The top one caused the paper
towel to start burning but the bottom one did not which leads me to
believe that the bottom heating element is broken. I don't know how
ovens work but shoudln't the bottom one be on for baking? I thought
the top only comes on if you have it set on broil?

The top one comes on when the oven is preheating.

Quoted message said:

Or is the top one
coming on to make up for the bottom one being burnt out?

If your bottom coil is burned out, the top one thinks it's preheating.

It sounds like your bottom coil needs to be replaced pronto!

thanks all for the replies ... it's a 10 year old whirlpool oven that
came with the house.. not sure of the make or model ... anyway I think
it is the bottom element that is shot. I'll call a repairman in the
morning.