I’m going to be honest . . . . I haven’t cooked a lot since I got my new Maytag oven.
Things have been more-than-a-little busy around here.
I use the stove all the time, but now that Christmas is here . . . I’m so excited to have a BIG, HUGE oven for baking!
While I’d love to show pictures of fancy-schmancy stuff like leg of lamb or some-sort-of souffle (not that I’ve EVER made those things) . . . I’m going to share how this oven works in real life.
When I was with my family for our Christmas celebration last weekend, my brother asked the real question that real families everywhere want to know, “Can it cook two pizzas at the same time?”
As my brother obviously knows, many ovens can’t handle two pizzas cooking on two different racks.
My old one couldn’t. The top pizza browned/blackened on top, but the cheese on the bottom pizza barely even melted.
And the crust on the bottom pizza burned.
I could manage, but it was a dance of switching the pizzas half-way through.
When the Kitchen Lady at the Maytag labs gave us a demo, she pointed out some mistakes that many people make with ovens in general.
Be sure your cookie sheets/pizza pans don’t touch the sides of the oven. This blocks air from circulating, and food can’t cook evenly.
Hmmmm. I never would have thought of that.
So it makes sense that my two pizzas tonight cooked ever-so-much more evenly in my new oven. There was plenty of space on the sides and plenty of space between the racks.
The left pizza was on top, and the right pizza was on bottom. I took the top pizza out three minutes before the bottom one.
And now I get to share a lovely piece cleaning-nerd information that I learned when I visited the Maytag labs. Do you know why this oven is so big, even though it doesn’t take up any more kitchen space than a typical oven?
The inside of the oven is bigger because it doesn’t need as much insulation space between the inside of the oven and the cabinets around the oven.
The oven doesn’t need as much insulation space . . . because its cleaning system ISN’T the typical kind that requires the oven to heat up to 800 degrees. Y’know, so it can incinerate everything inside. It uses the AquaLift cleaning system.
Now, I wasn’t so sure about a new cleaning method since I just finally got up the nerve to use the self-cleaning feature on my old oven about a year ago.
BUT, when I realized that it’s because of the AquaLift cleaning system that the oven is so big, I realized I’d prefer a bigger oven over a familiar cleaning system. Make sense?
I also love that there’s a QR code permanently on the inside of my oven. If I scan it with my phone, it will take me straight to instructions on how to use the system. Or, if I just push the “clean” button on the oven, the display screen goes through the instructions step-by-step.
It’s almost as if “they” know that I won’t be able to find the instruction book . . .
The AquaLift system also allows you to clean the oven without using chemicals or needing to open windows because of the smoke. Yay for that!
Do you have trouble cooking two pizzas at a time?
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I wrote this post participating in a Maytag Moms Dependable Kitchen Ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with a Maytag kitchen appliances set, including a refrigerator, dishwasher, range and vent to facilitate my post
I dont have any problems cooking 2 pizza’s at once, the way I do it, in my ANCIENT oven… the pizza on the bottom, I use my pampered cheif pizza stone to bake it on, and the upper pizza, I put onto a cookie sheet… they come out perfect everytime… but warning, if your husband breaks the baking stone, you are screwed, and you will burn the crap out of the bottom of the pizza using two regular pans.
The pampered chef stoneware has a guarantee. Contact the consultant that you got it from for replacement information.
Doesn’t a convection oven cook everything right no matter how it’s stacked in there?
This one has a convection setting that I haven’t used yet. But I think (don’t really know) that a convection oven circulates the air right? So it would need to not be blocked from circulating, right? Again . . . I really don’t know for sure.
Oh, promise me you’ll use your convection setting on some tater tots or oven fries or breaded meat of some sort (anything that likes to be crispy). It’s so fantastic, you will love it. I forgot to use my convection setting a few weeks back, and I was so sad (not that I ever make tater tots or anything non-organic and super healthy for my family). I’m glad you’re enjoying your new oven.
I love the idea of a QR code on the door – it’s little things like that that make things so much easier 🙂 I don’t have a fancy new oven with convection settings, but I’m excited about getting a new one someday (but hoping that my current oven lasts… lol).
Convection ovens have a fan it the back that blows when the door is closed. It circulates the air to cook more evenly but it would be pretty hard to block it even if you have stuff on several of the racks. With mine, things can get a bit overcooked if placed on the very bottom rack, but I try not to put it there. They cook faster than conventional ovens. When I use the convection mode, it automatically drops them temp 25 degrees below what I set it at. I love this oven. Wish I had one when my kids were young.
I’ll definitely try the convection feature with our cookie-baking tomorrow!
Seriously? A QR code? That’s brilliant.
You’ve never cooked a lamb roast? Like NEVER??? Oh, wow…they are totally my go to meal for when I can’t be bothered cooking and they are totally decadent. (maybe you cooked a lamb roast since writing this post?) Next time I cook a lamb roast I’m going to blog about it.