You've been using your oven wrong for years and it may be spoiling your food

Brits do a lot of cooking, which means most people will have an oven at home, but not everyone knows how to work them properly. WhichUK has recently shared some advice to help people better their understanding of the essential daily appliance, and it's pretty important.

An explainer video was recently shared on TikTok to detail what people need to get to grips with. It turns out, many people don't know what vital symbols actually mean, but you need to know how to work your appliances properly to ensure you stay safe and get the most out of your cooking experiences.

In the clip, the presenter takes people through the different symbols and explains what they actually mean. When it comes to cooking appliances, it turns out you can learn something new every day.

The presenter explains: "Are you using your oven wrong? You probably know the classic fan oven symbol. Good for most types of cooking, especially when you use more than one shelf."

After showing an oven symbol featuring a simple line at the bottom, she added: "In this case, heat only comes from the bottom. Good for gently cooking stews and casseroles and crisping up the base of a pizza or pastry."

In contrast, when there is a thin line at the top and the bottom of the symbol, this means heat comes from both sections, which she said is good for single-shelf cooking of pastries or scones or something substantial like a large cake. It also works well for roasting meat.

After showing the grill symbol, she explained: "This is the grill. Some should be used with the door open, others closed, so always check your oven's manual. Place your food close to the grill, but with a little space in between, so it's not touching.

"The grill is great for anything that sizzles, like sausages and bacon. [It's] also handy for browning off meat or the top of a lasagne. You can also grill with the fan on, which spreads the grill's heat - good for cooking through thicker pieces of meat or fish without heating the whole oven or burning the top."

There's also a grill symbol that features a line at the bottom, and this is the grill with a lower heating element. This is considered a good setting to cook pies, tarts or pizzas that need a crispy base and a brown top.

Not to mention, there's also a half-grill setting, which is displayed in the video. When this is turned on, only one part of the grill gets hot, so it's vital to ensure you place food near this area to ensure it cooks properly and doesn't spoil.

The video has been viewed over 9,000 times since it was shared, so it's clear some people don't know what their oven symbols mean. The confusion was emphasised in the comment section too.

One wrote: "I'm watching this in the knowledge that I only ever use one setting and I will never change." Another added: "My dad's oven broke and he called an electrician around. Turns out he's only used his grill and never used his oven function. How he's survived this long is beyond me."

A third replied: "We just turn on the oven, press the go button and hope for the best." Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: "Thank you so much for this."

Someone else also chimed in with: "Handy and informative. I use three of the settings mentioned. There are others. I'll have to experiment."