... 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.

I enjoy the recipe format (and emphasis on images for comparison) at https://www.cookingforengineers.com/ e.g. recipe pictured:

True but you can't sue the manufacturer for failing to build in a safety feature under those conditions.

Well you might not be in well before the end, your car might breakdown or your train be cancelled, in which case you would return to a smoking if not on fire oven. I think the oven manufacturers have thought it through better.

When my children were younger and had after school activities I used this function on my oven a lot and remember being able to set it in no time, can I work it out now, no I can not 😀

Not the most intuitive of function

I live with an ex-software engineer so I get to hear the rant about spec development processes every so often, and, like you, they're frequently frustrated by things which they feel haven't been programmed as well as they should have been. I mean, the rest of us get annoyed too, but you lot get annoyed in an informed way

I suspect it's done that way so the oven calculates the 'getting up to temperature' bit rather than you.

My new washing machine is similar.
The old one, you could do a delayed start so set up up, and then say 'don't start for 2hrs'.
The new one you do as delayed finish, but that is in hourly increments, so a wash of 2hrs 45 you can set to finish in 3rhs time, or 4hrs, or 10hrs.
It has taken a bit of time to get my head around.

I have already "done the math" to know I want it to come on at 5:30pm. But instead of telling the oven to come on at 5:30 (one piece of info) I have to tell it to go off at 6:30 but cook for 60 minutes before then(two pieces of info)

Like I said, no biggie but just seems counter intuitive to me.

I think in both cases (setting ‘on’ time or ‘off’ time) the cooking duration is definitely something you’d want to specify, so I can see the logic.