Latest news with #oven
Fast Company
5 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Frigidaire's new oven lets you bake pizza at a sizzling 750°F
More than 100 years ago, Frigidaire invented the first self-contained electric refrigerator. Now, the American brand is introducing a hotter innovation. Frigidaire's new oven lets you bake pizza at home, in an oven that can reach never before achieved temperatures for a home oven. Typically, residential ovens in the U.S. are capped at 600°F, though most top out at between 500°F and 550°F. Frigidaire's Stone-Baked Pizza Oven, which retails between $2,299 and $2,500 (depending on the fuel type), comes with a specially designed stone tray that slots into the upper cavity, where temperatures can soar to 750°F, enough to get that crispy crust we all crave when ordering takeout pizza. An ode to pizza By some estimates, Americans consume three billion pizzas a year; 350 pizza slices are sold every second. Naturally, our obsession with 'zatranslates into big money. In 2024, the market size of the U.S. pizza restaurant industry was just over $50 billion, while the frozen pizza market was worth $9.6 billion. 'Everyone loves pizza,' says Natalie Walsh, senior brand manager at Electrolux (Frigidaire's parent company). On any given day, 11% of the American population is eating pizza, and the majority of them are consuming it at restaurants or from grocery stores. So when Frigidaire first entertained the idea of a stone-baked pizza oven, they kept going back to the 'what if.' 'What if we could give consumers the ability to do that at home and make it a better and more fun experience?' says Walsh. Frigidaire's innovation pipeline stretches across 3–5 years, so that conversation first arose sometime in 2021, when the team spotted the rise of specialty pizza ovens. These came in all shapes and forms—dome pizza ovens, countertop electric ovens—but all of them required an additional appliance or access to outdoor space. Frigidaire wanted to find a way to integrate the capabilities of a stone baked oven inside a typical oven, so they took a page from their own book. Two years earlier, in 2019, Frigidaire had become the first brand to integrate an air-fry feature into an oven, mimicking the effects of a traditional air fryer, minus the appliance. Jacob Stork, who leads the North American food preparation product line for Electrolux, says that the feature has since percolated across the industry, and today, almost every new oven comes with an integrated air-fry. Getting to 750°F The Stone-Baked Pizza Oven relies on a specially designed, stainless steel tray that doubles as a heat shield and traps the heat in the upper portion of the cavity. The heat shield comes with a recessed slot in the middle, where the stone tray fits, while an edge on the tray prevents your pizza from falling through the back of the oven. Stone is so good at absorbing and evenly distributing heat evenly that some home cooks already use stone trays you simply slide inside a regular oven. 'The stone does a lot of the cooking,' says Stork, but high temperature is an equally important factor to achieving that 'leopard char' you would see on a restaurant-quality pizza. advertisement From the very beginning, the team at Frigidaire knew they wanted to achieve higher temperatures. 'When you cook a pizza at the high heat of 750°F, the dough reacts so quickly to that hot stone that it immediately pops up, and that's what gives you that really light and airy crust,' says Walsh. 'It absolutely does make a difference.' Residential ovens in the U.S. are typically capped at 600°F for good reason—safety regulators don't want home cooks accidentally turning their kitchens into fire hazards. The rules, enforced by groups like Underwriters Laboratories (UL), exist because most home kitchens aren't built like restaurant kitchens. They have less ventilation, tighter spaces, and a lot more flammable stuff nearby (think dish towels, wooden cabinets, that stack of takeout menus on your kitchen counter). The team worked closely with regulatory experts at UL and other agencies to get approval for a 750°F oven, which required extensive testing to demonstrate that the oven could maintain safe exterior temperatures, proper ventilation, and reliable safety shutoffs even at such elevated heat temperature. In order to bake your pizza at 750°F, Frigidaire recommends you preheat the oven for 30 minutes. The team has designed a clever user interface to guide you through the process: the screen tells you where to put the heat shield and when the oven is hot enough for you to insert your pizza. It gives you a 30-second warning before your pizza is ready, and if you want it more caramelized, you can easily add 15 seconds. At such high heat, it usually takes about two minutes for a pizza to cook, and about three minutes for the oven to reheat in between pizzas. Changing perceptions A restaurant-quality pizza at home may sound hard to believe, so for the team, tasting is believing. 'From a marketing perspective, what I've had to focus on is how do you bring this to life for consumers that can't taste it,' says Walsh. In August, the team will start driving around a mobile kitchen decked out with a stone baked pizza oven at sporting events and pizza festivals around the country. 'The more slices we can get into the hands of people, the better,' says Walsh. There's another challenge, which is that people still largely associate Frigidaire with fridges. (Refrigeration makes up for a larger portion of the company's revenue, as well.) Like the Kleenex, or the Hoover, the brand name has become a shorthand for the object itself. 'People still call [fridges] frigidaires,' says Walsh, which is not ideal for a brand that's hoping to revolutionize the oven industry. Walsh recognizes the awareness problem. She knows that the company's legacy is synonymous with reliability, durability, 'and it evokes a really good emotion with our consumer.' But she believes there is room for innovation, too. 'We definitely want to entertain folks,' she says. 'We want to educate them, and we also want to have them walking away with a positive experience of the brand, and maybe change their perception a little bit.' The early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
CNET
22-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Pizza Lovers Need This Chefman Oven Now That It's Back Down to a Record Low $200
You don't have to fly to Rome to get authentic oven-baked pizza. With this Chefman indoor pizza oven, you can easily whip up perfectly crispy, gooey pies right at home, and it's back down to a record-low price at Amazon. The online retailer is offering 50% off the usual price right now, which means you can pick it up for just $200. Though keep in mind this discount could expire at any time, so you'll want to take advantage of these savings sooner rather than later. With a sleek stainless black color design, this pizza oven has six pizza presets -- including Neapolitan, New York, thin-crust, pan and frozen -- that can all be customized from its touchscreen. Once heated up, the electric pizza oven can dish out pizzas in no time with settings of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. It's also designed to retain heat so you can cook multiple pizzas back to back. Plus, it's fairly compact at around 17 inches, so it won't crowd your countertops either. You'll also get some handy accessories like a pizza stone, pizza peel and digital cookbook to help get started. Why this deal matters That 50% discount is huge, taking a massive chunk of cash off from the original asking cost. As mentioned above, this $200 price point is the cheapest we have on record for this particular model, making it great value for the money. It can reach temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, has six different pizza presets and even comes with a pizza stone and peel. For more great discounts and details, make sure to read up on the best pizza ovens for 2025.
CNET
20-07-2025
- General
- CNET
Can't Get the Grease and Grime Out of Your Oven? Here's the Best Way to Do So
If you find yourself wondering how often you should be cleaning your oven, you probably aren't doing it often enough -- but don't worry, you aren't the only one. Unlike our clothing and sheets, it isn't always obvious how often certain appliances should be cleaned, or how exactly to do it. Not all ovens are the same, and some are designed to be cleaned more regularly than others based on how often you use them. But it's always good to have a guideline to work to, and that's why we asked an expert how often a typical oven needs a deep clean. Plus, we turned to an appliance expert to learn how to get the job done as quickly and effectively as possible. So if you're in a cleaning mood, here's everything you need to know about making a large kitchen appliance gleam like new. Read more: Think That Bottom Oven Drawer Is for Pans? Think Again How often should you clean your oven? On average, deep cleaning your oven every two to three months should be enough for regular maintenance, but this can vary. "Users should clean their ovens as often as needed, especially with heavy spills or when there is noticeable debris at the bottom," says Tetiana Tarandushko, senior category manager of cooking at Miele USA. "This should be done every couple of months at the minimum." If you use your oven every day, you may need to double or even triple the number of times you clean your oven every year. Although this might not be the most desirable chore, it will help your oven function better in the end. "A clean oven certainly performs better, as the residue at the bottom doesn't build up and cause smoking," Tarandushko says. Read more: How to Buy a Range or Oven What is the best way to clean your oven? One of the most simple options is to use the self-cleaning function on your oven if it has one. This function turns the oven to an extremely high temperature, which causes any food build-up or splatters to turn to ash. Once the cleaning cycle is done and the oven has fully cooled, you can wipe the ash from the bottom of the oven with a microfiber cloth or sponge and the appliance should look good as new. "This makes arduous scrubbing unnecessary," Tarandushko says. "Miele ovens are properly insulated and use superior materials so that the pyrolytic process can be truly used without any damage to surfaces or the electronics over time." Numerous oven brands offer the self-cleaning function, and it's a great alternative to manually scrubbing off the build-up for hours on end. Just keep in mind that if you use this function, it often takes at least a couple of hours for the cycle to run its course, so be prepared to be home for the entire time. Read more: Try This Easy Hack to Safely Clean Oven Grease From Hard-to-Reach Places If your oven doesn't have a self-cleaning function, there are other ways to get your oven to shine. "We would advise against using aggressive cleaners when cleaning ovens," Tarandushko says. "These can damage surfaces and feature chemicals that aren't food safe, which requires extra steps to remove before using [the oven] to cook." Because of this, one great cleaning method is to use three natural ingredients that you probably already have on hand: baking soda, vinegar and dish soap. When combined, these three ingredients create a paste that can be used to safely clean the inside of your oven. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to do it. How often should you clean your stovetop? Your stovetop needs more upkeep than your oven and should at least be wiped down after each use since food from pots and pans often splatter and sizzle onto the surface. This can be achieved with a paper towel and an all-purpose cleaner or a microfiber cloth with soap and water. Most of the removable parts of your stovetop, including burner caps and grates, can typically be run through the dishwasher. Don't forget to clean your stove knobs and sides on occasion, too.
CNET
20-07-2025
- General
- CNET
Surprise: Your Oven Drawer Might Actually Be a Broiler
That mysterious drawer under your oven might seem like the perfect place to store baking sheets or those oddly shaped pans you rarely use, but it actually serves a more functional purpose. Depending on the model, that drawer could be a warming compartment designed to keep cooked food hot until it's ready to serve. It's a built-in feature meant to help with timing your meals, especially when you're juggling multiple dishes and trying to get everything on the table at once. Depending on your oven model, that drawer could be doing more than collecting clutter. In some units, it's a warming drawer meant to keep cooked food hot until you're ready to serve it. In others, it's a broiler drawer -- perfect for charring veggies or crisping up casseroles. And yes, in some cases, it really is just storage. If you've never checked your oven manual (or long since lost it), now's the time to find out what that drawer was actually designed to do. Now, if you're scratching your head thinking, "Wait, what?" don't worry -- you're not alone. Most of us have never opened the oven manual unless it was to fan a smoke alarm. But fear not! We're not about to assign homework. No dense instruction manuals here. We're breaking it down for you in plain, delicious terms. Here's how to decode your oven drawer's secret identity and how to use it without accidentally slow-roasting your muffin tins. Read more: Clever Cleaning Hacks for the Hardest-to-Reach Crevices in Your Kitchen How to clean your oven with baking soda and vinegar How to clean your oven with baking soda and vinegar Click to unmute Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Skip Backward Skip Forward Next playlist item Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 1:29 Loaded : 6.62% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 1:29 Share Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. How to clean your oven with baking soda and vinegar Oven Drawer FAQ What is the drawer under an oven called? Depending on the type of oven you have, the drawer under the oven has different names. If there is a button on your oven labeled "warming drawer", that's what it's called, and can be used to keep food warm once it's done cooking. For Electric ovens, it may just be an actual storage drawer. In many older ovens, that bottom drawer is called a broiler, and can be used to cook or brown food like casseroles. If you aren't sure which of the three options you're dealing with, the easiest way to check is by looking at the manual for your oven, or looking it up online. Once you know what kind of bottom drawer your oven has, you'll know whether it has a cooking function, or it's just extra storage space. Does an oven storage drawer get hot? Broiler drawers are typically found on gas ovens and are very shallow. Chris Monroe/CNET The oven storage drawer is located at the bottom of your oven, and if it has a cooking function it can get hot. Is it a little complicated? Yes, but we've got you covered. Since the drawer is located under the main oven, it can easily get quite warm while your oven is in use. However, both broiling functions and warming functions require you to turn them on before anything gets hot. Even if your oven is currently being used, unless you turn on the broiler, your bottom oven drawer should never get hot. However, you may notice any pans stored down there are a bit warm to the touch, simply because they were close to the heating element when the oven was being used. What is the bottom drawer of an electric stove for? A storage drawer is usually much deeper than a warming drawer or broiler. Chris Monroe/CNET If there isn't a warming button and the area looks like a deep, empty drawer, then you probably have a storage drawer. As per a recent Reddit discussion, many people are unsure about what to keep in this space. This is a good place to store cast iron pots and pans, because the warmth from your oven will help keep them rust free. Just be sure not to store plastic items in this drawer, because they may become warped due to residual heat. Likewise, some older ovens have little insulation and may heat your metal cookware when the oven is on. As a precaution, always use oven mitts to remove cookware during or after your oven has been in use.
CNET
17-07-2025
- General
- CNET
Can You Remember the Last Time You Cleaned Your Oven? Here's How to Do It for the Best Results
If you find yourself wondering how often you should be cleaning your oven, you probably aren't doing it often enough -- and don't worry, you aren't the only one. Unlike our clothing and sheets, it isn't always obvious how often they should be cleaned. Nor is it always clear how exactly to do it, which is another problem entirely. Not all ovens are the same, and some are designed to be cleaned more regularly than others based on how often you use them. But it's always good to have a guideline to work to, and that's why we asked an expert how often a typical oven needs a deep clean. Plus, we turned to an appliance expert to learn how to get the job done as quickly and effectively as possible. So if you're in a cleaning mood, here's everything you need to know about making a large kitchen appliance gleam like new. Read More: Think That Bottom Oven Drawer Is for Pans? Think Again How often should you clean your oven? On average, deep cleaning your oven every two to three months should be enough for regular maintenance, but this can vary. "Users should clean their ovens as often as needed, especially with heavy spills or when there is noticeable debris at the bottom," says Tetiana Tarandushko, senior category manager of cooking at Miele USA. "This should be done every couple of months at the minimum." If you use your oven every day, you may need to double or even triple the number of times you clean your oven every year. Although this might not be the most desirable chore, it will help your oven function better in the end. "A clean oven certainly performs better, as the residue at the bottom doesn't build up and cause smoking," Tarandushko says. Read more: How to Buy a Range or Oven What is the best way to clean your oven? One of the most simple options is to use the self-cleaning function on your oven if it has one. This function turns the oven to an extremely high temperature, which causes any food build-up or splatters to turn to ash. Once the cleaning cycle is done and the oven has fully cooled, you can wipe the ash from the bottom of the oven with a microfiber cloth or sponge and the appliance should look good as new. "This makes arduous scrubbing unnecessary," Tarandushko says. "Miele ovens are properly insulated and use superior materials so that the pyrolytic process can be truly used without any damage to surfaces or the electronics over time." Numerous oven brands offer the self-cleaning function, and it's a great alternative to manually scrubbing off the build-up for hours on end. Just keep in mind that if you use this function, it often takes at least a couple of hours for the cycle to run its course, so be prepared to be home for the entire time. Read more: Try This Easy Hack to Safely Clean Oven Grease From Hard-to-Reach Places If your oven doesn't have a self-cleaning function, there are other ways to get your oven to shine. "We would advise against using aggressive cleaners when cleaning ovens," Tarandushko says. "These can damage surfaces and feature chemicals that aren't food safe, which requires extra steps to remove before using [the oven] to cook." Because of this, one great cleaning method is to use three natural ingredients that you probably already have on hand: baking soda, vinegar and dish soap. When combined, these three ingredients create a paste that can be used to safely clean the inside of your oven. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to do it. How often should you clean your stovetop? Your stovetop needs more upkeep than your oven and should at least be wiped down after each use since food from pots and pans often splatter and sizzle onto the surface. This can be achieved with a paper towel and an all-purpose cleaner or a microfiber cloth with soap and water. Most of the removable parts of your stovetop, including burner caps and grates, can typically be run through the dishwasher. Don't forget to clean your stove knobs and sides on occasion, too.
