5 Signs It May Be Time to Replace Your Oven

As we approach the holiday season, our ovens are about to get their biggest workouts of the year. And the only thing worse than an overcooked turkey is an undercooked turkey. Nothing will put a damper on a holiday feast quite like the death of an old oven.

Oftentimes, our appliances give us warning signs about their impending deaths. Here are five of those signs. Whether you heed the warnings or not is totally up to you.

5 Signs It May Be Time to Replace Your Range

It takes longer than usual to preheat the oven: Your oven used to preheat in a matter of minutes. And now it seems to take as long to preheat as it does to actually bake something. Don’t miss the warning sign: this is your oven telling you that something’s amiss.

Your oven isn’t reliable: Your favorite frozen pizza takes twelve minutes to bake to perfection. After years of quick weeknight dinners you know this to be true. And then suddenly that twelve minutes stretches to fifteen. And then to eighteen. This lagging performance could mean that your oven’s days are numbered.

Your oven isn’t cooking evenly: It’s not your imagination. Half the cookie tray was perfect and the other half was burnt to a crisp. If your oven isn’t cooking evenly, it could be a sign that it’s on the fritz.

There are small cracks in the ceramic cooktop: Those small cracks could result in a shattered cooktop when it becomes hot.

The electric panel begins malfunctioning: If you have a range with an electric panel that controls the oven or cooktop, look for signs that it’s beginning to malfunction. An inconsistent timer, for instance, or needing to press the buttons harder than usual could mean that it’s nearing the end of its usefulness.

Of course it would be great if, like in the video above, we all got a voiceover and big timer on our appliances to let us know when they’re about to bite the dust. We’ll have to settle with keeping our eyes peeled for warning signs. And in the meantime we can make ourselves acquainted with the latest Kenmore Appliances just in case we miss the signs.