| An enclosed compartment, which may be a simple baking container such as a Dutch oven, or a self-contained unit with heating elements that are used for baking, roasting, broiling and heating. In the larger ovens with heating elements there are several different types of heat sources available for the oven, such as gas, electricity and infrared attachments for electrical ovens. The conventional oven utilizing radiant heat will typically contain a heating element on the top of the oven that is used for broiling foods and a heating element in the bottom of the oven that is used for baking.
In addition to the larger self-contained units, there are also smaller ovens that are considered countertop units, such as microwave ovens and toaster ovens. The microwave oven uses microwaves to cook the food and is available as a countertop model or microwave/hood combination. The toaster oven is a small countertop unit that works in the same manner as the larger self-contained oven with radiant heat but on a much smaller scale. |
