To leave the oven on low when I leave the house

[meepmoop]

I'm cooking roast lamb for tea today but need to pick DH up from work at 4. The food will be mostly cooked so I was going to leave the oven on the lowest setting when I leave.

I will be gone 30mins at the most.

Would you do this?

We have left things in the oven (such as hot pot or casserole) on the timer and gone out. I personally wouldn’t do it unless I had a timer which turned the oven off as you never know why you may got waylaid

Yes I would.

I've done it with baked potatoes as those take ages and went to a 30 minute gym class. It wouldn't spontaneously combust when I'm in the house so why would it happen when I'm out is my logic. I just dont do it very often to test fate ha.

Often do this

OP, I put the lamb in on a low setting and drove my whole family 40 minutes away through the hills to some daffodil fields and bluebell woods, had an hour’s walk with them, then drove 40 minutes back, turned up the oven and added the potatoes to roast! The oven has a thermostat, it’s not going to explode or anything. Stop worrying. I leave mine for hours every Xmas with a turkey in it too.

I regularly leave the oven on slow cook when I walk the dog - up to 2hrs

I wouldn't personally, what would you do it you had a flat tyre end route or something? Low risk yes, but high consequences. Your call.

No, not after experiencing a house fire. The fire service said ovens often went up in flames, particularly if not cleaned thoroughly regularly. (our fire was a li-ion battery)

Why not turn oven off and don’t open the door - there should be some residual heat.

I would do this.

I use the timer that switches off the oven if I need to go out for a short while, so I get caught in a delay the oven wouldn't be on for hours

I do it all the time, dp made us slow cooked beef brisket yesterday and we went out for 3 or so hours.

I have gone out and left a casserole slowly cooking for a couple of hours. I once went to visit DGM 50 miles away and put a roast chicken in the oven on low, that was a bit daft tbh but only because it was over cooked by the time we got back.

Depends on the oven. Our aga is left on for several months of the year.

I have an Aga. It is left on every time I leave the house.

Thanks everyone, I think I'll risk it.

DH will just have to run home if I get a flat or something