Whether it’s pizza, cake, or casserole: After baking, the oven remains hot for a long time. Many people therefore leave the oven door slightly open so that the appliance cools down faster and the residual heat enters the kitchen. What initially sounds practical, however, can have undesirable consequences.

As the women’s portal gofeminin reports, some oven manufacturers advise against leaving the door half open after use. There are several reasons for this. In addition to potential damage to kitchen furniture, safety and humidity also play a role.

When baking, temperatures of around 200 degrees Celsius often occur in the oven. If the door is then only opened a crack, the hot air can escape concentrated upwards.

This can be particularly problematic for kitchen furniture located directly above the oven. Sensitive surfaces can be damaged by repeated exposure to heat.

As the consumer magazine Öko-Test explains, kitchen fronts are generally designed to withstand the heat of an oven. However, with foil-coated furniture fronts, the heat can cause the coating to peel off over time.

Not only can kitchen furniture be affected. An open oven door also poses a risk of injury.

After removing the food, the interior of the oven remains hot. When opened, hot steam can also escape, which can cause burns upon direct contact.

A half or fully opened oven door also poses an obstacle. Anyone moving around in the kitchen and not paying attention to the door can bump into it or trip over it.

Another reason not to leave the oven door open unnecessarily after baking is the moisture.

When preparing food, water vapor is produced. If the oven door is opened, it enters the room air and can increase the humidity in the kitchen.

Permanently high humidity can promote mold growth. However, how much opening the oven door actually affects the room climate depends on the released moisture and the ventilation.

Food odors can also spread more quickly in the apartment with the door open. This can be unpleasant, especially after preparing fish, meat, or strongly seasoned dishes.

Opening the oven door is not necessary for every appliance to cool down.

Many modern ovens have a cooling fan that can continue to run after being turned off. This supports the cooling of the appliance and protects adjacent components from excessive heating.

Whether and how long such a fan operates depends on the specific model. Therefore, it cannot be generally stated that every oven cools down in the same way after being turned off.

The question of whether the door must remain closed during cooling also depends on the manufacturer’s specifications.

If you want the oven to cool down faster after use, you should first consult the device’s user manual.

Some manufacturers recommend keeping the door closed during cooling. Different instructions may apply to other devices.

Leaving a narrow door gap open for an extended period can be particularly problematic because the rising heat can stress adjacent surfaces.

If you want to fully open the oven door, you should first check whether this is permissible according to the manufacturer. It is important to ensure that no one comes into contact with the hot door.

Conclusion: Leaving the oven door slightly open after baking is not generally a good idea. The escaping heat can damage sensitive kitchen furniture. Additionally, there are potential risks of injury as well as moisture and odors in the kitchen. Therefore, the instructions in the user manual of the respective oven are crucial.

(VIENNA.AT)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article .