Smeg Oven settings for baking - flummoxed

[showtunesgirl]

I've just moved house and I have a Smeg oven. I have been here to have a look at the Glossary of the TEN oven settings it has but I am confused still as to what is the best setting for baking cakes. So far I am overcooking things on the top.

Also, how many degree settings lower (if any) do I need to put the oven on temperature wise?

I have a big party to bake for next week and I really need to crack this now! Help!

Anyone?

Is it a fan oven?

The best normal oven setting on mines is the first one. It's the picture of a fan with a bit of circle above and below it but not the one with the full circle round it.

I'd go for 10-20 degrees lower than usual.

Tbh there are settings on mines I have never used and I've lived here 6 years. I do bake though,it's a brilliant oven.

That's the one I used the other day for roasting a chicken and it was great but I found that this setting burnt the cake on the top!

There is a bake setting which turns off the top element, I think it looks the same but ?ith no line on the top.

Yes, on the glossary it says that that function is good for quiches and crisping underneath. I don't want a crispy cake though.

I use the fan forced setting on mine, its a fsn with a circle round it. On about 200 if your worried about the top burning place the cake in the middle of the oven and pit grease proof paper over it, and keep watching it.

I have made lots if cakes in mine and not had a problem.

Thanks for the tips.

Mmm, I wonder if the thermostat is ok in it. I might need to check.

The best thing is to obtain an instruction book from Smeg. I use the conventional oven setting (2 lines) but on the fan temp given in the recipe. Cooking times are shorter and an 8 inch fruit Christmas cake cooks in just under 2 hours on 130 C. The next setting along (2 lines and a fan) is good for chips and the snowflake sign (no temp) will defrost small meat items in an hour. I never use the other settings and I've had the stove 17 years!

Buy an oven thermometer. They are inexpensive (under a tenner) and will show the true heat in your oven.

Our Bertazonni oven (same designer as Smeg) heats much, much hotter than the dial shows and I had some real disasters until I worked out what was wrong. Now I know that if I set the dial to 220, the true heat is more like 260. The thermometer allows me to ignore the dial and be very precise. And on the plus side my ridiculously super hot ovens are great for baking bread.

I have an oven thermometer and make sure the oven has stabilised. It then stays very steady at the right temperature.
Also, I forgot to mention previously, that the symbol of three triangles is the grill to be used (door closed) on a high temp. Then you can have it with fan but it is fierce.
The small oven also has a little spit roaster for small pieces of meat. The instruction book gives guides on cooking times and temperature for various foods . Generally, cooking times are shorter and a lower temperature due to the type of oven.