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My gas stove manual warns not leave food in the oven while it's off either:

  • More than an hour before cooking, or
  • More than an hour after cooking

I can't seem to find the reason why, or to tell if my food has been ruined.

What exactly happens in this situation?

Cascabel
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ashes999
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    This sounds like an even-more-conservative-than-usual food safety guideline. I don't think it's related to the gas oven; leaving food out in the hazardous temperature range (41F-140f) for an extended period increases the risk of foodborne illness due to bacteria growth rates. – JasonTrue Jun 09 '15 at 04:26
  • Food safety was my thought too - though it's a bit odd that the after time is the same as the before time; presumably if the oven was hot when it turned off, it'll keep the food above 140F for quite a while afterwards... – Cascabel Jun 09 '15 at 04:40
  • Does your oven have a pilot light? – briantist Jun 09 '15 at 06:22
  • @briantist I don't know. If a pilot light is something that is always on, then no. I will check the manual. – ashes999 Jun 09 '15 at 13:44
  • @JasonTrue if that's the reason, do other manuals (gas or electric) contain similar warnings? – ashes999 Jun 09 '15 at 13:46
  • How do they suggest that you make prefect meringues then? – Sam Holder Jun 10 '15 at 22:11
  • This has to be the result of a lawsuit against the appliance maker from someone who didn't understand the concept of the danger zone. – Tritium21 Jun 11 '15 at 04:06

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