Residence hall units with kitchens have either electric or gas cooking appliances.  Some electric stoves are counter-top cook tops. 

Definitions:

 Stove: The top burner area of the appliance.

 Oven: The interior of the appliance.

 Broiler: Located either within the oven or in a separate drawer    
 compartment under the oven.

General Oven Cleaning Instructions:

Both gas and electric stove ovens need to be cleaned regularly by the student resident only. (Housekeeping will maintain stoves and ovens located in common area kitchens.) Wipe down the stove top after each use with detergent and a moist dish cloth or sponge to remove the buildup of grease and food particles. For ovens that are self cleaning, be sure not to use cleaning agents in them, and be present in your room when the self-cleaning function is in use to help ensure safety. For ovens without the self-cleaning feature, use a detergent with a degreaser and wipe off the residue with a sponge. Housekeeping cleans the units before each move in, so that grime does not accumulate.

Stove Cleaning:

• Turn ALL the knobs to off and wait for stove top to cool.
• For electric stoves, pull out the burner coil – most plug in and out like appliances but some cannot be detached.
  Remove the drip pans and wash.
• Lift the cover up - it has a latch on either the left or right side that automatically holds it open.
• Clean interior and replace all items in reverse order.

Important Safety Tips:

• Keep an eye on your cooking.
• DO NOT LEAVE the kitchen when you are cooking or broiling food. 
• Wear short or close fitting sleeves. Loose clothing can catch fire.
• Clean cooking surfaces after each use to prevent food and grease build-up.
• Keep towels and potholders away from hot surfaces.
• Turn pan handles to the rear to prevent food spills by accidentally knocking a pot off the stove.
• DO NOT LEAVE pizza boxes or other items in the ovens.

Electric Stoves and Cooking Tops:

IMPORTANT!! Remove all items from oven prior to turning them on.

Electric stoves and ovens use heating coils to produce heat to cook.  In the oven they are located in the bottom for baking/roasting and above the rack either within the oven or in the separate broiler drawer. 

• Keep the cooking top clean with any non-abrasive cleaner; as the porcelain top will be scratched if abrasives are used.
• Pay special attention to the drip pans under each burner and clean after each use, as the buildup of food particles and grease can create a fire hazard.
• On the bottom of most electric ovens, there is a drawer that may be used for storage of pots and pans. However, in some units, the lower drawer contains the broiler.

Be aware of Know which type of  unit is in your residence. If you are unsure, contact the RPM office at (202) 994-2430 for assistance.

To operate an electric stove burner:

Push the control knob in and turn it to the desired temperature setting. If the settings on the knobs are not visible, submit a FIXit request for the knobs to be replaced.

Do not place or store items on top of the heating coil that can catch fire. The heating coil will heat up and turn red within a short time of being turned on.

Electric Ovens:

IMPORTANT!! Remove all items from oven prior to turning them on.

To use the electric oven:

• To operate the oven area, turn the OVEN knob on the stove to the desired cooking method - BAKE, BROIL.
• Then turn the TEMP knob to the desired cooking temperature for the food being prepared.
• After the oven reaches the selected temperature, the stove may beep, and the oven will cycle on and off to maintain the selected temperature.
• The oven door should be closed during use.
• To turn the oven off, turn the OVEN knob to OFF.

To use the electric oven's broiler:

• First move the oven rack to the appropriate height to keep food from touching the heating element by at least two inches.  Note: the broiler heating element is above the rack on the roof of the broiler.
• To operate the broiler, turn the OVEN knob on the stove to the BROIL setting.
• Then turn the TEMP knob to broil.
• After the broiler reaches the selected temperature, the stove may beep, and the broiler will cycle on and off to maintain the selected temperature.

If the broiler is located in a separate drawer, the drawer should always be closed during use. If the broiler is located within the oven, the oven door should be slightly open when using the broiler. To turn the broiler off, turn the OVEN knob to OFF.

When broiling, keep the exhaust fans running in the stove (where applicable).  Do not store anything in this compartment.

To use the electric oven's self cleaning:

• Do not use the self-cleaning function unless you will be in the room during the entire three hours cleaning cycle.
• Instructions are different for each type of stove and are printed on the stove temperature control panel (where applicable).

Gas Stoves:

There are two types of gas stoves:

1. Electric Ignition Stove Type:

An electric ignition stove top has a distinct “clicking” sound when a burner is first turned on to light.

To operate a gas ignition stove burner: push the control knob in and turn it to LITE. You will hear a clicking noise, which is the sound of the electric spark igniting the burner. Watch for the flame to appear then turn the knob to adjust the flame size.

2. Piloted Stove Type:

A piloted stovetop does not have the “clicking” noise. Rather it is fueled by a constant burning pilot light within the appliance.

To operate a piloted stove burner, push the control knob in and turn it to HI. Watch for the flame to appear and then turn the knob to adjust the flame size.

To select a flame size, watch the flame, not the knob, as you reduce heat. The flame size on a gas burner should match the cookware you are using. Do not let the flame extend beyond the bottom edge of the pot or fry pan.

If a gas smell is present, you smell gas or if the burners or the broiler will not ignite, do not attempt to light it yourself.  Immediately contact the RPM Call Center, at (202) 994-0381. A maintenance worker will come and assist to remedy the situation.

Gas is constantly present in these stoves and ovens therefore do not use any aerosol cleaner directly onto a gas stove. Instead, spray onto a rag and then wipe clean the stove top. Never place or store any flammable materials near the stove.

Gas Ovens:

IMPORTANT!! Remove all items from oven prior to turning them on.

To use the oven:

• Turn the OVEN TEMP knob on the stove to the desired temperature for the food you are cooking. The burner will light within 30 - 90 seconds.
• After the oven reaches the selected temperature, the oven burner cycles on and off to maintain the selected temperature. The oven door should be closed during use. To turn the oven off, turn the OVEN TEMP knob to OFF.

To use the gas oven's broiler:

Broiling is cooking food by direct heat from above the food. The broiler compartment is located in a drawer under the oven. Do not store anything in the broiler drawer.

• To set your oven for broiling, turn the OVEN TEMP knob to BROIL. Food cooks much faster under the broiler and can easily burn. There is no specific temperature setting because broiler cooking uses the full source of heat available in the appliance. The oven and broiler doors should be closed during use.
• To turn the broiler off, turn the OVEN TEMP knob to OFF.