... to ask if all oven controls work like this and, if so, who thinks it is a good idea

[5foot5]

OK, first world problem I know but I just wanted a mini rant.

My oven has an AUTO feature that lets you set a timer for the oven to turn on and off. I rarely use it but today it will be useful as we are out all afternoon and I am cooking an evening meal.

I know what time I want the oven to come on, but can I set that? Can I flip. To quote from the instruction manual:

"Before you set the clock for automatic operation you must have two numbers clearly in mind - the 'cook period' and the 'stop time'.

You cannot set a start time directly - this is set automatically by setting the cook period and the stop time."

I mean, just why? Do the manufacturers think we are not bright enough to take one number from the other to arrive at the start time? Surely it is easier to just have to enter one piece of information than two.

I have had this oven about 8 years but the previous oven, different make but same control.

Rant over.

Surely it is two piece of information either way, whether you use a start time and cook time or end time and cook time.

It's perfectly sensible to set a timer for when you want the food to be ready for - 'Dinner's at 7pm, this needs 37 minutes at x temperature'.

Not everybody finds shifting to and from different times easy and this removes the need to perform an additional mental calculation.

Since this thing must have some kind of computer chip inside it, you'd think it would be entirely possible for it to accept any two of three inputs (start time, finish time, cooking time), then calculate the other one itself and display it for you along with the ones you specified to check it's okay.

Perhaps it's been programmed for the extreme edge case of wanting to have something in the oven while the clocks change.

Dammit, so all you want is a plate of wedges ready at ten past two in the morning on the last Sunday in October, programmed in advance, and your oven goes and incinerates the bastards? I see your point.

Not necessarily. I will be in well before the end time so ideally I would just put in one piece of information, what time I want it to switch on

Nah its not clever enough to know about the clock changing. I have to change that myself.

😆😆

Presumably in order to work out when it needs to go on you've already considered cooking time and when it needs to be ready - so just give it that info and let it 'do the math'

does it not have a separate function of start time?

I have a Neff oven with a Ready At function so I just enter the cooking duration and when I'd like it to be cooked by, even if I am going to be home by then. I might be missing the point but I'm not sure I understand the issue.

I imagine it wouldn't want it on indefinitely in case you didn't make it home when you were expecting to.

mine have always had 2 different options.
One is a delayed start option, which sounds like the one you want really.
The other is a different auto function where you set the end time and the duration

That sounds like a reasonable request of an oven which has timer functionality.

I'd like "programmed cook session" (requires any two pieces of information of your choosing out of start time, cooking time, and finish time, plus the temperature required), a simpler "timed start" setting which just switches it on to the specified temperature at the specified time (with maybe a fail-safe to switch it off again after, say, 6 hours, or when it detects smoke, or something) and a "programmed cook session/timed start plus keep warm" (as above, but when finished, switches to very low temp afterwards for a preset number of hours before switching off).

It might also be nice to be able to programme x amount of time at this temp, then y amount of time at another temp, but that could get complicated, especially without some kind of external interface through an app or something. I loathe appliances which have complex, sophisticated functionality, all of which is accessed purely using three cryptically-labelled, intermittently-responsive buttons, a mysterious dial that changes behaviour without telling you, and a flickery 7-segment LCD display that can only be viewed from the far corner of the kitchen while squatting, with your head on one side.

It also gets a bit tricky because a timed start means you can't preheat the oven, or any baking trays, but that's just the price you pay, I guess.

I think it's that computer programming and chefing are really different skills and so the programme end of the design goes..
They've got an appliance with a clock on it. They know the customer might want to programme a cook, so the computer programming brain says, ok tell the device the stop and duration and this will talk to the clock software.

Whereas a chef would think like you.

Timers I've used on neff or belling ovens have been the same. Maybe the high end appliances consult their customers and get it right. 🤣

You want an oven that will turn itself on at a set time, then rather than enter a finish time (or have it calculate one) you want it to just remain on indefinitely until you turn it off?

Call me risk averse but I’d take the minor inconvenience of entering more than one piece of information over the risk that my oven stays on and causes a fire if I’m not home when I think I’m going to be. Car breakdowns, medical emergencies etc happen.

It's safer to have it set to turn off, what if you're delayed ?

A huge and important part of software development and software engineering is should be talking to the client about the spec, and working out what they actually need (as opposed to what they tell you they want).

The delayed start function is exactly what I would like

To be fair, these things can also happen when you turned the oven on yourself. As well as emergencies in the home, like falls or other medical events, that could stop you turning off the oven.

Plenty of programmers also cook.

End time and cooking time makes sense to me. The oven will work out when it needs to start warming up. Mine is definitely not at cooking heat when it first turns on.

Why don’t you just “do the math” and use your desired ‘on’ time and cooking time to work out the ‘off’ time to set?

My washing machine timer is the same. I have to set it for when I want the clothes finished for.

My washing machine lets me set a start in X hours time, my tumble dryer only lets me set a be finished in X hours time. This is silly because the tumble dryer has a dampness sensor and instead of taking the 2h40 it tells me a load will take, it takes anything from 90 mins onwards. So I just have to guess how long it will actually take, subtract 2h40 from that, set the timer from there and there we go. Luckily it doesn't really need precision.

Yes!

Ironically I spent 40 years in software engineering. Never worked on anything to do with ovens though