Difference between revisions of "Oven" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Jean-François Millet (II) 005.jpg|thumb|Oven depicted in a painting by Millet]]
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[[Image:Jean-François Millet (II) 005.jpg|thumb|Oven depicted in a painting by Millet.]]
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An '''oven''' is an enclosed chamber designed for [[heating]], [[baking]], or [[drying]]. It is most commonly used in [[cooking]] and [[pottery]]. Ovens used in pottery are also known as [[kiln]]s. An oven used for heating or for industrial processes is called a [[furnace]] or [[industrial oven]].
 
  
 +
An '''oven''' is an enclosed chamber designed for [[heating]], [[baking]], or [[drying]]. Over the course of history, various types of ovens have been used for [[cooking]]. Some high-temperature ovens, known as [[kiln]]s, are used to make [[ceramic]] products. [[Industrial oven]]s are used for a variety of applications, including [[chemical]] processing, [[food]] production, and [[electronics]].
 +
{{toc}}
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
[[Image:MuseAcrotiriItem160-6648-1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ancient Greek portable oven.]]
 
[[Image:MuseAcrotiriItem160-6648-1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ancient Greek portable oven.]]
  
−
Settlements across the [[Indus Valley Civilization]] were the first to have an oven within each mud-brick house by 3200 B.C.E..<ref> [http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab73 History of the Indus Civilization.] Retrieved June 30, 2008.</ref>
+
By 3200 B.C.E., settlements across the [[Indus Valley Civilization]] had an oven within each mud-brick house.<ref>[http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab73 History of the Indus Civilization] Retrieved June 30, 2008.</ref>
  
−
Culinary historians credit the [[Greek people|Greek]]s for developing [[bread]] baking into an art. Proper front-loaded bread ovens originated in [[Ancient Greece]]. The Greeks created a wide variety of [[dough]]s, loaf shapes and styles of serving bread with other foods. Baking developed as a trade and profession as bread increasingly was prepared outside of the family home by specially trained workers to be sold to the public. This is one of the oldest forms of professional [[food processing]].
+
Proper front-loaded bread ovens originated in [[ancient Greece]], and culinary historians credit the [[Greek people|Greek]]s for developing [[bread]]-baking into an art. The Greeks created a wide variety of [[dough]]s, loaf shapes, and styles of serving bread with other foods. Baking developed as a trade and profession, as bread was increasingly prepared outside of the family home by specially trained workers to be sold to the public. This is one of the oldest forms of professional [[food processing]].
  
−
The Greeks also pioneered [[sweetbread]]s, [[fritter]]s, [[pudding]]s, [[cheesecake]]s, [[pastry|pastries]], and even [[wedding cake]]s. Often prepared in symbolic shapes, these products were originally served during special occasions and ceremonies. By 300 C.E. the Greeks had developed over seventy different kinds of bread.
+
The Greeks also pioneered [[sweetbread]]s, [[fritter]]s, [[pudding]]s, [[cheesecake]]s, [[pastry|pastries]], and even [[wedding cake]]s. Often prepared in symbolic shapes, these products were originally served during special occasions and ceremonies. By 300 C.E., the Greeks had developed over 70 different types of bread.
  
−
== Types of ovens ==
+
== Types of ovens and their uses ==
 +
[[Image:PompeiiOven.JPG|thumb|right|A classical [[Pompeii]] oven.]]
  
 
There are various types of ovens, some of which are noted below.
 
There are various types of ovens, some of which are noted below.
  
−
* '''[[Convection oven]] (fan oven, turbo oven):''' In a convection oven, a traditional oven is augmented by circulating hot air using a [[Fan (mechanical)|fan]]. Food warms faster in a convection oven because the moving air strips away the thin layer of air that otherwise surrounds and insulates the food. Technically, all ovens have natural convection currents, so it would be more accurate to use the term "forced-convection oven."
+
* '''[[Convection oven]] (fan oven, turbo oven):''' In a convection oven, a traditional oven is augmented by circulating hot air using a [[fan]]. Food warms faster in a convection oven because the moving air strips away the thin layer of air that otherwise surrounds and insulates the food. Technically, all ovens have natural convection currents, so it would be more accurate to use the term "forced-convection oven."
  
 
* '''[[Dutch oven]]:''' A Dutch oven is a thick-walled, iron (usually [[cast iron]]) [[cooking pot]] with a tight-fitting lid. A [[camping]] (or [[cowboy]] or [[chuckwagon]]) Dutch oven is typically made of bare [[cast iron cookware|cast iron]] and has three legs, a wire bale handle, and a slightly convex, rimmed lid so that coals from the [[cooking]] [[fire]] can be placed on top as well as below the pot. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an [[oven]]. Modern Dutch ovens designed for use on the [[cooktop]] or in a regular oven are typically smooth-bottomed and may be made of [[aluminum]] or [[ceramic]].
 
* '''[[Dutch oven]]:''' A Dutch oven is a thick-walled, iron (usually [[cast iron]]) [[cooking pot]] with a tight-fitting lid. A [[camping]] (or [[cowboy]] or [[chuckwagon]]) Dutch oven is typically made of bare [[cast iron cookware|cast iron]] and has three legs, a wire bale handle, and a slightly convex, rimmed lid so that coals from the [[cooking]] [[fire]] can be placed on top as well as below the pot. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an [[oven]]. Modern Dutch ovens designed for use on the [[cooktop]] or in a regular oven are typically smooth-bottomed and may be made of [[aluminum]] or [[ceramic]].
Line 22: Line 24:
 
* '''[[Earth oven]] (cooking pit):''' An earth oven is a simple, long-used [[cooking]] structure. At its simplest, it is a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake or steam food. Earth ovens have been used in many places and cultures in the past, and the presence of such cooking pits is a key sign of human settlement often sought by [[archaeology|archaeologist]]s. They remain a common tool for cooking large quantities of food in places where no equipment is available.
 
* '''[[Earth oven]] (cooking pit):''' An earth oven is a simple, long-used [[cooking]] structure. At its simplest, it is a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake or steam food. Earth ovens have been used in many places and cultures in the past, and the presence of such cooking pits is a key sign of human settlement often sought by [[archaeology|archaeologist]]s. They remain a common tool for cooking large quantities of food in places where no equipment is available.
  
−
* '''Kiln:''' A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber in which controlled, high-temperature regimes are produced. They are used to harden, burn, or dry materials, including [[wood]] (to produce firewood or [[charcoal]]), [[glass]] (for annealing or fusing glass, or fusing metallic oxide paints on its surface), [[clay]] (to produce [[ceramic]]s), and [[ore]]s (to extract [[metal]]s). Some kilns are used for [[cremation]].
+
* '''Industrial oven:''' Industrial ovens are heated chambers used for a variety of industrial applications, including [[drying]], [[curing]], or [[baking]] components or products. They are available in various sizes and configurations and can be used at different [[temperature]] ranges, but usually not at the extremely high temperatures of a kiln or furnace. They are used by many industries, including those involved in chemical processing, [[food industry|food production]], and [[electronics]].
  
−
* '''Industrial oven:''' Industrial ovens are heated chambers used for a variety of industrial applications, including [[drying]], [[curing]], or [[baking]] components or products. They are available in various sizes and configurations and can be used at different [[temperature]] ranges. They are used by many industries, including those involved in chemical processing, [[food industry|food production]], and [[electronics]].
+
* '''Kiln:''' A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber in which controlled, high-temperature regimes are produced. They are used to harden, burn, or dry materials, including [[wood]] (to produce firewood or [[charcoal]]), [[glass]] (for annealing or fusing glass, or fusing metallic oxide paints on its surface), [[clay]] (to produce [[ceramic]]s), and [[ore]]s (to extract [[metal]]s). In the case of ceramic kilns, a shaped object is the final result, while cement kilns produce a material called [[clinker (cement)|clinker]] that is crushed to make the final cement product. Certain types of drying ovens used in food manufacture, especially those used in [[malting]], are also called kilns.
  
 
* '''Masonry oven (brick oven):''' This type of oven consists of a baking chamber made of fireproof [[brick]], [[concrete]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], or [[clay]]. Though traditionally [[wood-fired oven|wood-fired]], [[coal]]-fired ovens were common in the nineteenth century, and modern masonry ovens are often fired with [[natural gas]] or [[electricity]]. Modern masonry ovens are closely associated with artisanal [[bread]] and [[pizza]], but in the past they were used for most types of baking.
 
* '''Masonry oven (brick oven):''' This type of oven consists of a baking chamber made of fireproof [[brick]], [[concrete]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], or [[clay]]. Though traditionally [[wood-fired oven|wood-fired]], [[coal]]-fired ovens were common in the nineteenth century, and modern masonry ovens are often fired with [[natural gas]] or [[electricity]]. Modern masonry ovens are closely associated with artisanal [[bread]] and [[pizza]], but in the past they were used for most types of baking.
  
−
* '''Microwave oven:''' A microwave oven (or ''microwave'') is a [[kitchen]] [[home appliance|appliance]] that employs [[microwave|microwave radiation]] primarily to [[cooking|cook]] or heat [[food]]. The microwaves, which are almost always emitted from a [[magnetron]], (excite [[water]] (primarily) and other [[dipole|polarized molecules]] within the food to be heated. This excitation is fairly uniform, leading to food being heated everywhere all at once, a feature not seen in any heating technique.
+
* '''Microwave oven:''' A microwave oven (or ''microwave'') is a [[kitchen]] [[home appliance|appliance]] that employs [[microwave|microwave radiation]] primarily to [[cooking|cook]] or heat [[food]]. The microwaves, which are almost always emitted from a [[magnetron]], (excite [[water]] (primarily)) and other [[dipole|polarized molecules]] within the food to be heated. This excitation is fairly uniform, leading to food being heated everywhere all at once, a feature not seen in any heating technique.
 +
 
 +
== Ovens for cooking ==
 +
[[Image:Oven.agr.jpg|thumb|The inside of a modern kitchen oven.]]
 +
 
 +
In cooking, the conventional oven is a [[kitchen]] [[appliance]]. Food normally cooked in this manner includes [[meat]], [[casserole]]s, [[bread]], [[cake]], and various [[dessert]]s.
 +
 
 +
In the past, cooking ovens were fueled by [[wood]] or [[coal]]. Modern ovens are fueled by [[Fuel gas|gas]] or [[electricity]]. When an oven is contained in a complete [[stove]], the burners on the top of the stove may use fuel that is the same as or different from the fuel used by the oven.
 +
 
 +
Ovens have been designed for a variety of methods for cooking. A common method is to heat the oven from below, as when using the appliance for baking and roasting. The oven may also be able to heat from the top, to provide [[broiling]]. To provide faster cooking with evenly distributed heat, [[convection oven]]s use a small fan to blow hot air around the cooking chamber. An oven may also provide an integrated [[rotisserie]].
  
−
==Cooking==
+
Steam ovens introduce water (in the form of [[steam]]) into the cooking chamber. This can aid the formation of a crisp crust on baked goods and prevent the drying-out of fish and casseroles. The degree of humidity is usually selectable among at least several steps. Some steam ovens use water carried to the oven by the user in a container; others are permanently connected to the [[plumbing]] pipes.
−
[[Image:Oven.agr.jpg|thumb|left|Modern oven]]
 
  
−
In cooking, the conventional oven is a [[kitchen]] [[appliance]] and is used for [[roasting]] and heating. Food normally cooked in this manner includes [[meat]], [[casserole]]s and baked goods such as [[bread]], [[cake]] and other [[dessert]]s.
+
Some modern ovens can combine thermal and [[Microwave oven|microwave]] cooking. This feature can greatly speed the cooking of certain types of food while maintaining the traditional characteristics of oven cooking such as [[Maillard reaction|browning]].
  
−
In the past, cooking ovens were fueled by [[wood]] or [[coal]]. Modern ovens are fueled by [[Fuel gas|gas]] or [[electricity]]. When an oven is contained in a complete [[stove]], the burners on the top of the stove may use the same or different fuel than the oven.
+
== Oven controls ==
  
−
Ovens usually can use a variety of methods to cook. The most common may be to heat the oven from below. This is commonly used for baking and roasting. The oven may also be able to heat from the top to provide [[broiling]]. In order to provide faster, more-even cooking, [[convection oven]]s use a small fan to blow hot air around the cooking chamber. An oven may also provide an integrated [[rotisserie]].
+
Ovens vary in the way they are controlled. The simplest ovens may not have any controls at all; several ovens simply run continuously at various [[temperature]]s. More conventional ovens have a simple [[thermostat]] that turns the oven on and off to maintain a pre-selected temperature. At the highest setting, the thermostat may also enable the broiler element. In addition, a [[timer]] may allow the oven to be turned on and off automatically, at pre-set times. More sophisticated ovens may have complex, [[computer]]-based controls, allowing a wide variety of operating modes and special features, including the use of a [[Thermistor|temperature probe]] to automatically shut the oven off when the food is completely cooked to the desired degree. [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] may purchase ovens whose controls include a [[sabbath mode]] automation feature.
  
−
Steam ovens introduce water (in the form of [[steam]]) into the cooking chamber. This can aid the formation of a crisp crust on baked goods and prevent the drying-out of fish and casseroles. The degree of humidity is usually selectable among at least several steps. Some steam ovens use water carried to the oven by the user in a container; others are permanently connected to the building [[plumbing]].
+
== Oven cleaning ==
  
−
More modern ovens, such as [[General Electric]]'s [[Trivection oven]], may also provide combined thermal and [[Microwave oven|microwave]] cooking. This can greatly speed the cooking of certain types of food while maintaining the traditional characteristics of oven cooking such as [[Maillard reaction|browning]].
+
Some ovens are built with various aids to cleaning. ''Continuous cleaning'' ovens have the oven chamber coated with a [[Catalysis|catalytic]] surface that helps break down (oxidize) food splatters and spills over time. ''Self cleaning'' ovens use [[Pyrolysis|pyrolytic decomposition]] (extreme heat) to oxidize dirt. Steam ovens may provide a wet-soak cycle to loosen dirt, allowing easier manual removal. In the absence of any special methods, chemical ''oven cleaners'' are sometimes used or just old-fashioned [[Elbow grease|scrubbing]].
  
−
Ovens also vary in the way that they are controlled. The simplest ovens (for example, the [[AGA cooker]]) may not have any controls at all; the several ovens simply run continuously at various temperatures. More conventional ovens have a simple [[thermostat]] which turns the oven on and off and selects the temperature at which it will operate. Set to the highest setting, this may also enable the broiler element. A [[timer]] may allow the oven to be turned on and off automatically at pre-set times. More-sophisticated ovens may have complex, [[computer]]-based controls allowing a wide variety of operating modes and special features including the use of a [[Thermistor|temperature probe]] to automatically shut the oven off when the food is completely cooked to the desired degree. [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] may purchase ovens whose controls include a [[sabbath mode]] automation feature.
+
== Oven-like devices ==
  
−
Some ovens provide various aids to cleaning. ''Continuous cleaning'' ovens have the oven chamber coated with a [[Catalysis|catalytic]] surface that helps break down (oxidize) food splatters and spills over time. ''Self cleaning'' ovens use [[Pyrolysis|pyrolytic decomposition]] (extreme heat) to oxidize dirt. Steam ovens may provide a wet-soak cycle to loosen dirt, allowing easier manual removal. In the absence of any special methods, chemical ''oven cleaners'' are sometimes used or just old-fashioned [[Elbow grease|scrubbing]].
+
* '''[[Autoclave]]:''' An autoclave is an oven-like apparatus with features similar to a [[pressure cooker]]. It can heat aqueous solutions to temperatures above the [[boiling point]] of [[water]], to sterilize the contents of the autoclave.
  
−
==Industrial, scientific, and artisanal use==
+
* '''[[Furnace]]:''' A furnace is used to heat a building or melt materials such as glass or metal for further processing. A [[blast furnace]] is a particular type of furnace generally associated with metal [[smelting]] (especially [[steel]] manufacture). It uses refined [[coke]] or similar hot-burning fuel, with [[pressure|pressurized]] air pumped in to increase the temperature of the fire.
−
Outside the culinary world, ovens are used for a number of purposes.
 
−
* A [[furnace]] is used either to provide heat to a building or used to melt substances such as glass or metal for further processing. A [[blast furnace]] is a particular type of furnace generally associated with metal [[smelting]] (particularly [[steel]] manufacture) using refined [[coke]] or similar hot-burning substance as a fuel, with air pumped in under pressure to increase the temperature of the fire.
 
−
* A [[kiln]] is a high-temperature oven used in [[ceramic]]s and [[cement]] manufacture to [[metamorphic rock|convert]] mineral feedstock (in the form of clay or calcium or aluminum rocks) into a [[vitrification|glassier]], more solid form. In the case of ceramic kilns, a shaped clay object is the final result, while cement kilns produce a substance called [[clinker (cement)|clinker]] that is crushed to make the final cement product. (Certain types of drying ovens used in food manufacture, especially those used in [[malting]], are also referred to as kilns.)
 
−
* An [[autoclave]] is an oven-like device with features similar to a [[pressure cooker]] that allows the heating of aqueous solutions to higher temperatures than water's boiling point in order to sterilize the contents of the autoclave.
 
−
* [[Industrial oven]]s are similar to their culinary equivalents, and are used for a number of different applications that do not require the high temperatures of a kiln or furnace.
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
−
[[Image:PompeiiOven.JPG|thumb|right|Classical [[Pompeii]] oven]]
 
  
−
* [[Convection oven]]
+
* [[Ceramic]]
−
* [[Dutch oven]]
 
−
* [[Earth oven]]
 
−
** [[Tandoor]]
 
 
* [[Furnace]]
 
* [[Furnace]]
−
* [[Masonry oven]]
+
* [[Kiln]]
−
** [[Clome oven]]
+
* [[Magnetron]]
−
** [[Horno]]
+
* [[Microwave]]
 
* [[Microwave oven]]
 
* [[Microwave oven]]
−
* [[Reflector oven]]
+
* [[Ore]]
−
* [[Solar oven]]
+
* [[Thermostat]]
−
* [[Stove]]
 
−
* [[Toaster oven]]
 
−
* [[Wood-fired oven]]
 
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
Line 77: Line 75:
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
  
−
* Renfrew, Jane. 2005. ''Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes and History.'' English Heritage.
+
* Denzer, Kiko, and Hannah Field. 2007. ''Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost, Wood-Fired Mud Oven, Simple Sourdough Bread, Perfect Loaves'', 3rd ed. Blodgett, OR: Hand Print Press. ISBN 978-0967984674
−
 
+
* Hamer, Frank, and Janet Hamer. 1991. ''The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques'', 3rd ed. London: A & C Black. ISBN 0812231120
−
* Hamer, Frank and Janet. ''The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques.'' A & C Black Publishers, Limited, London, England, Third Edition 1991. ISBN 0-8122-3112-0.
+
* Renfrew, Jane M. 2005. ''Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes & History.'' London: English Heritage. ISBN 978-1850749349
−
* Smith, Ed. ''Dry Kiln Design Manual.'' J.E. Smith Engineering and Consulting, Blooming Grove, Texas.
+
* Skinner, Tina, and Melissa Cardona. 2006. ''Fire Outdoors: Fireplaces, Fire Pits, Wood Fired Ovens, and Cook Centers.'' Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub. Ltd. ISBN 978-0764323973
−
 
+
* Wing, Daniel, and Alan Scott. 1999. ''The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens.'' White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub. Co. ISBN 1890132055
−
*Wing, Daniel, and Alan Scott, ''The Bread Builders''. Chelsea Green, 1999, ISBN 1890132055.
 
−
 
 
−
* Denzer, Kiko, & Hannah Field, Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost, Wood-fired, mud oven; Simple sourdough bread, Perfect loaves, 3d edition, 2006. Hand Print Press, ISBN 9780967984674
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
 
+
All links retrieved November 18, 2022.
−
* [http://home.howstuffworks.com/question559.htm How Self Cleaning Ovens Work] HowStuffWorks.com.
+
* [http://home.howstuffworks.com/question559.htm How do self-cleaning ovens work?] HowStuffWorks.  
−
* [http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/pompeii_photos/ventarch.html Ancient Roman Ovens] Photos of ovens in Pompeii.
+
* [http://www.traditionaloven.com Wood burning pizza oven plans.] traditionaloven.com. (Information related to masonry ovens, building and cooking.)
−
 
 
−
* [http://www.wolfrange.com/PDFS/Convection/Convection%20Series%20Spread.PDF Description of convection ovens from Wolf Range, Inc.] (see page 5)
 
−
 
 
−
*[http://www.arkdos.org/ Arkansas Dutch Oven Society]
 
−
*[http://www.dutchovenuniversity.com/ Dutch Oven University] Dutch Oven How-to's & Dutch Oven Recipes
 
−
 
 
−
*[http://titicaca.ucsb.edu/chamak_pacha/ethnographic/watia/ Recreating an Andean Earth Oven]
 
−
*[http://secwepemc.sd73.bc.ca/sec_village/sec_cook.html The Earth Oven or Cooking Pit]
 
−
 
 
−
* [http://www.yiwa.org Young International Woodfirer Association, an international association of people building and using woodfired kilns]
 
−
* [http://www.cfquesnel.com/nhi/Content/Section5/5_5.htm Northern Hardwood Initiative: Drying Hardwoods]
 
−
 
 
−
* [http://www.traditionaloven.com Traditional pizza ovens] Information related to masonry ovens building and cooking.
 
−
*[http://www.ovencrafters.net/ Alan Scott's Ovencrafters site]
 
−
 
 
−
* [http://www.microwavedisplay.com/blog.htm "Ask Mr. Microwave"] Microwave Questions and Answers.
 
−
* [http://howthingswork.virginia.edu/microwave_ovens.html Microwave Ovens] — Questions and answers
 
−
 
 
  
 
[[Category:Physical sciences]]
 
[[Category:Physical sciences]]
−
[[Category:Cooking appliances]]
 
−
[[Category:Heating technology]]
 
  
 
{{credits|Oven|220513437|Convection_oven|215916298|Dutch_oven|222461050|Earth_oven|221316187|Kiln|220287987|Industrial_oven|184017076|Microwave_oven|222528307|Masonry_oven|220720114}}
 
{{credits|Oven|220513437|Convection_oven|215916298|Dutch_oven|222461050|Earth_oven|221316187|Kiln|220287987|Industrial_oven|184017076|Microwave_oven|222528307|Masonry_oven|220720114}}

Latest revision as of 05:59, 18 November 2022

Oven depicted in a painting by Millet.

An oven is an enclosed chamber designed for heating, baking, or drying. Over the course of history, various types of ovens have been used for cooking. Some high-temperature ovens, known as kilns, are used to make ceramic products. Industrial ovens are used for a variety of applications, including chemical processing, food production, and electronics.

History

Ancient Greek portable oven.

By 3200 B.C.E., settlements across the Indus Valley Civilization had an oven within each mud-brick house.[1]

Proper front-loaded bread ovens originated in ancient Greece, and culinary historians credit the Greeks for developing bread-baking into an art. The Greeks created a wide variety of doughs, loaf shapes, and styles of serving bread with other foods. Baking developed as a trade and profession, as bread was increasingly prepared outside of the family home by specially trained workers to be sold to the public. This is one of the oldest forms of professional food processing.

The Greeks also pioneered sweetbreads, fritters, puddings, cheesecakes, pastries, and even wedding cakes. Often prepared in symbolic shapes, these products were originally served during special occasions and ceremonies. By 300 C.E., the Greeks had developed over 70 different types of bread.

Types of ovens and their uses

A classical Pompeii oven.

There are various types of ovens, some of which are noted below.

  • Convection oven (fan oven, turbo oven): In a convection oven, a traditional oven is augmented by circulating hot air using a fan. Food warms faster in a convection oven because the moving air strips away the thin layer of air that otherwise surrounds and insulates the food. Technically, all ovens have natural convection currents, so it would be more accurate to use the term "forced-convection oven."
  • Dutch oven: A Dutch oven is a thick-walled, iron (usually cast iron) cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. A camping (or cowboy or chuckwagon) Dutch oven is typically made of bare cast iron and has three legs, a wire bale handle, and a slightly convex, rimmed lid so that coals from the cooking fire can be placed on top as well as below the pot. This provides more uniform internal heat and lets the inside act as an oven. Modern Dutch ovens designed for use on the cooktop or in a regular oven are typically smooth-bottomed and may be made of aluminum or ceramic.
  • Earth oven (cooking pit): An earth oven is a simple, long-used cooking structure. At its simplest, it is a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake or steam food. Earth ovens have been used in many places and cultures in the past, and the presence of such cooking pits is a key sign of human settlement often sought by archaeologists. They remain a common tool for cooking large quantities of food in places where no equipment is available.
  • Industrial oven: Industrial ovens are heated chambers used for a variety of industrial applications, including drying, curing, or baking components or products. They are available in various sizes and configurations and can be used at different temperature ranges, but usually not at the extremely high temperatures of a kiln or furnace. They are used by many industries, including those involved in chemical processing, food production, and electronics.
  • Kiln: A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber in which controlled, high-temperature regimes are produced. They are used to harden, burn, or dry materials, including wood (to produce firewood or charcoal), glass (for annealing or fusing glass, or fusing metallic oxide paints on its surface), clay (to produce ceramics), and ores (to extract metals). In the case of ceramic kilns, a shaped object is the final result, while cement kilns produce a material called clinker that is crushed to make the final cement product. Certain types of drying ovens used in food manufacture, especially those used in malting, are also called kilns.
  • Masonry oven (brick oven): This type of oven consists of a baking chamber made of fireproof brick, concrete, stone, or clay. Though traditionally wood-fired, coal-fired ovens were common in the nineteenth century, and modern masonry ovens are often fired with natural gas or electricity. Modern masonry ovens are closely associated with artisanal bread and pizza, but in the past they were used for most types of baking.
  • Microwave oven: A microwave oven (or microwave) is a kitchen appliance that employs microwave radiation primarily to cook or heat food. The microwaves, which are almost always emitted from a magnetron, (excite water (primarily)) and other polarized molecules within the food to be heated. This excitation is fairly uniform, leading to food being heated everywhere all at once, a feature not seen in any heating technique.

Ovens for cooking

The inside of a modern kitchen oven.

In cooking, the conventional oven is a kitchen appliance. Food normally cooked in this manner includes meat, casseroles, bread, cake, and various desserts.

In the past, cooking ovens were fueled by wood or coal. Modern ovens are fueled by gas or electricity. When an oven is contained in a complete stove, the burners on the top of the stove may use fuel that is the same as or different from the fuel used by the oven.

Ovens have been designed for a variety of methods for cooking. A common method is to heat the oven from below, as when using the appliance for baking and roasting. The oven may also be able to heat from the top, to provide broiling. To provide faster cooking with evenly distributed heat, convection ovens use a small fan to blow hot air around the cooking chamber. An oven may also provide an integrated rotisserie.

Steam ovens introduce water (in the form of steam) into the cooking chamber. This can aid the formation of a crisp crust on baked goods and prevent the drying-out of fish and casseroles. The degree of humidity is usually selectable among at least several steps. Some steam ovens use water carried to the oven by the user in a container; others are permanently connected to the plumbing pipes.

Some modern ovens can combine thermal and microwave cooking. This feature can greatly speed the cooking of certain types of food while maintaining the traditional characteristics of oven cooking such as browning.

Oven controls

Ovens vary in the way they are controlled. The simplest ovens may not have any controls at all; several ovens simply run continuously at various temperatures. More conventional ovens have a simple thermostat that turns the oven on and off to maintain a pre-selected temperature. At the highest setting, the thermostat may also enable the broiler element. In addition, a timer may allow the oven to be turned on and off automatically, at pre-set times. More sophisticated ovens may have complex, computer-based controls, allowing a wide variety of operating modes and special features, including the use of a temperature probe to automatically shut the oven off when the food is completely cooked to the desired degree. Orthodox Jews may purchase ovens whose controls include a sabbath mode automation feature.

Oven cleaning

Some ovens are built with various aids to cleaning. Continuous cleaning ovens have the oven chamber coated with a catalytic surface that helps break down (oxidize) food splatters and spills over time. Self cleaning ovens use pyrolytic decomposition (extreme heat) to oxidize dirt. Steam ovens may provide a wet-soak cycle to loosen dirt, allowing easier manual removal. In the absence of any special methods, chemical oven cleaners are sometimes used or just old-fashioned scrubbing.

Oven-like devices

  • Autoclave: An autoclave is an oven-like apparatus with features similar to a pressure cooker. It can heat aqueous solutions to temperatures above the boiling point of water, to sterilize the contents of the autoclave.
  • Furnace: A furnace is used to heat a building or melt materials such as glass or metal for further processing. A blast furnace is a particular type of furnace generally associated with metal smelting (especially steel manufacture). It uses refined coke or similar hot-burning fuel, with pressurized air pumped in to increase the temperature of the fire.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ History of the Indus Civilization Retrieved June 30, 2008.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Denzer, Kiko, and Hannah Field. 2007. Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost, Wood-Fired Mud Oven, Simple Sourdough Bread, Perfect Loaves, 3rd ed. Blodgett, OR: Hand Print Press. ISBN 978-0967984674
  • Hamer, Frank, and Janet Hamer. 1991. The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques, 3rd ed. London: A & C Black. ISBN 0812231120
  • Renfrew, Jane M. 2005. Prehistoric Cookery: Recipes & History. London: English Heritage. ISBN 978-1850749349
  • Skinner, Tina, and Melissa Cardona. 2006. Fire Outdoors: Fireplaces, Fire Pits, Wood Fired Ovens, and Cook Centers. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub. Ltd. ISBN 978-0764323973
  • Wing, Daniel, and Alan Scott. 1999. The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub. Co. ISBN 1890132055

External links

All links retrieved November 18, 2022.

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