The Oven Mistakes You Should Never Make, According to an Appliance Expert

Your oven is one of the hardest-working appliances in the home, but small daily habits could be shortening its lifespan, driving up your energy bills, and even creating fire hazards without you realising.

To help homeowners avoid costly mistakes, appliance expert Andrew Wright from Cookology shares the most common — and surprisingly dangerous — things people do with their ovens.

From overlooked spills to risky storage habits, these practical warnings could save you money, improve cooking performance, and keep your kitchen safer year-round.

Fail to clean spills immediately 

When cooking, things can drip or fall to the floor of your oven, for example, cheese from a pizza. Baked on foods is one of the major sources of smoke in an oven, and it can also affect heat distribution.  

Neglect door seals 

To protect the longevity of your oven, you need to make sure that your oven door seal is kept in good condition as old, or worn, seals can overwork your appliance leading to more expensive bills and longer cooking times. 

Don’t use your oven for storage 

It can be easy to leave pots and pans in your oven for storage, but not only does it add clutter but there’s also a potential fire risk. On the occasion that you forget to take these out and turn the oven on then it can lead to melted plastics and warped pans. Not only can this damage your utensils, but it can also damage your oven. 

Don’t block the fan 

Airflow is how your oven works and cooks food through, you need this for even cooking so when you put baking trays in the oven, be careful not to push them to the back of the oven as this can block the fan and disrupt the circulation potentially leaving you with an inefficient oven. 

Be careful with foil 

There are certain foods that need to be foil-wrapped to cook efficiently, but you must always use a baking tray because things can still drip out which could interfere with elements. It’s also useful to know that foil can interfere with some temperature sensors.  

Andrew also adds, “An oven is often one of the most used household appliances aside from a kettle. Ovens are designed for a relatively long life, but they also need to be looked after properly. There are a few things that seem like everyday throwaway issues to many people, such as baked on food, but they can lead to bigger problems down the line. Using common sense can help improve the longevity of your oven alongside your cooking results, bringing your bills down and ultimately keeping you safe.” 

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