Fan oven
This symbol represents an oven fan with its own heating element. Heat comes from a circular element surrounding the fan at the back of the oven and is circulated by the fan.
Upper and lower heating elements
Heat will be generated by elements in the top and bottom of the oven and is spread by natural convection. The fan doesn't come on.
Lower heat element only
This means heat will come solely from the heating element at the bottom of the oven. The fan won’t be used to circulate the heat.
Fan with lower heat
Heat will be produced at the base but will be wafted around by the fan - great for keeping the top of a dish moist while the bottom gets nicely cooked.
Full grill
Heat is being produced by the whole grill element. Some grills are designed to be used with the door closed, some need it to be open, so check what your oven's manual recommends.
Grill and fan
This shows the grill and fan are on at the same time. The fan spreads the grill’s heat, making it less fierce.It's good for cooking through thicker pieces of meat or fish without heating the whole oven or burning the top.
Grill and lower heat
This shows the grill is being used in combination with the lower heating element and is a good option for pies, tarts or pizzas that need a crispy base and a browned surface.
Part grill
For half-grill settings, only one section of the grill element gets hot, so make sure your food is directly under this part.Having the option to use half the grill is handy if you only want to cook a couple of sausages or brown a slice of cheese on toast.
Pyrolytic cleaning
Lots of ovens now offer high-temperature pyrolytic cleaning.
This program heats the oven to around 500°C, which incinerates burnt-on cooking grime. You can then just wipe off the ash left behind.
Defrost
Some ovens have a defrost setting, represented by a snowflake with a water droplet emerging from it.
This means the fan is on but no heat is produced, so no cooking takes place.
Oven light
Your oven may have a separate light setting, meaning you can turn it on when the oven isn't in use - this makes it easier to spot grime when giving it a clean. With some ovens, the light comes on only when the oven is in use.
Plate warming
This represents the plate-warming function, which gently warms plates or other dishes to prevent food cooling too quickly when served.
Alarm
Set the alarm for your chosen time and you'll be alerted by buzzing or beeping when it’s time to check if your food is cooked.
Minute minder
Turn on the oven, put your food in and set the time you want it to cook for. The minute minder will switch the oven off once the time is up and give an audible beep or buzz.
Child lock
These are more commonly found on hobs, but some ovens also have a child-lock option. They generally work by pressing and holding a touch control for a few seconds to activate or deactivate the child lock. When the child lock is on, the oven will not respond to buttons being pressed or dials being turned.