Wow, cancelling an oven. I think that this may be just a simple "Engrish transration" issue. Still, you'd think that people would chech these things.

Btw, FIRST! Hehe, sorry. =P

Posted by: mussorgsky112 at October 10, 2005 12:46 AM

umm, Amana is an American-made appliance. They are owned by Maytag.

Posted by: Alon at October 10, 2005 01:30 AM

I was going to point out that the 'light switch up = off / down = on' is only broken depending in your region (here in Australia, that setup is the norm)... but if it's an American-made appliance for an American customer base, then that's definitely broken.

Posted by: Chris Clark at October 10, 2005 02:33 AM

What is that icon over the "Hi" on the oven temperature control?

Posted by: Alden Bates at October 10, 2005 04:57 AM

A cyclops, he's saying "Hi"

Posted by: Joshua Wood at October 10, 2005 06:54 AM

Really, Mr. Clark? I didn't know they had different setups for that in other countries. Never really ocurred to me. But i like the subtitle- Insta-Broil Temp-Assure.

Posted by: Bob at October 10, 2005 07:21 AM

Yes, 'up' is 'off' for light switches here in the UK, too.

Posted by: NRT at October 10, 2005 08:37 AM

We have an Amana oven, with the same controls, but the switch works the "normal" way, up for on. Maybe this one is just, actually, broken.

What's worse about this oven, is the timer - the control is just time up and down, and until you pass 2 min, it goes in 5 sec. increments, then it goes in 10 sec increments really fast (if you're holding the button) until 10 mins, then 1 minute increments. Who needs to time cooking processes in 5 second increments, or anything less than a minute for that matter?

What's worse, the "Timer On/Off" button is in fact only "Timer On" - it doesn't turn the timer off until it reaches zero and starts beeping. The only way to turn the timer off is to hit "clock." I would expect "clock" to just switch display modes, and leave the timer running in the background. It should be labeled "clock/timer cancel"

I think the explanation of "Oven Cancel" is that it also applies in modes where the oven is programmed, but not on (i.e. delay timer)

Posted by: Misha at October 10, 2005 09:21 AM

I stand corrected - the "clock" button does not cancel the timer. There is, as far as I can tell, no way to turn the timer off until it finishes. I guess you can adjust the time remaining back down to zero.

Posted by: Misha at October 10, 2005 09:30 AM

I really like Amana's "Stop Time" feature - that could come in handy if you need to put out a fire or stop yourself from doing something stupid or save a child from being hit by a bus... or if you just wanted to take a moment to stop time

-- odd they chose to waste this amazing and remarkable capability on a oven...

Posted by: aynne at October 10, 2005 01:56 PM

Oh wow, a "clean" button! So you can put dirty stuff in it and the oven will clean it for you!

And the oven also includes a "Stop Time" button. How cool is that?

Posted by: [insert name here] at October 10, 2005 03:52 PM

Yes, the "stop time" button could come in handy by extending the day indefinitely. But what about the "cook time" button, I don't see the benefit in cooking time. It also brings up the difficult questions of: how long does time take to cook? and at what temperature?

Posted by: Matt Garber at October 10, 2005 04:23 PM

Nothing is broken. Every oven Light I have ever had flips down for "on" becuase it is below eye level. Cancel is also common for electronic industial ovens and fryers. You set a temperature and it maintains it, when you no longer need it you cancel the temperature request.

Posted by: Michael at October 10, 2005 04:26 PM

Not a question about the oven, but just about the UK & Australian light switch style:

Why would down-is-on be a good idea? I always thought US light switches are designed so that if you accidentally "bump" them, chances are it will switch into the off position instead of the on position (that whole gravity thing). This provides an extra level of safety, just in case someone is working with the electrical circuit (changing light bulb, etc.). Granted, I know you could bump a switch up, but it would be much more probable to bump it down.

Posted by: Chris B at October 10, 2005 05:21 PM

The practicality of the US light-switch system isn't really that important, i'm sure there are pros-and-cons of the UK/Aussie system we could quibble about here, but that's really beside the point.The point is that this is an American device, for sale in the American market, that can stop time. No wait, it's that it uses a foreign light-switch setup. Whhich makes no sense.

Posted by: Bob at October 10, 2005 08:32 PM

OMG, I didn't even realize that my oven could stop time. Thanks to everyone for pointing that out -- it has been right under my nose for 5 years. I attempted to stop time by pressing the "stop time" button, but time did not stop. Actually, maybe it did stop but I did not perceive it. Perhaps time stopped for an infinitessimal period, or perhaps the entire universe stopped for thousands of years. Did any of you feel it? Nonetheless, my oven is a mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a limerick.

Posted by: nootropic at October 11, 2005 09:59 AM

[insert name here],

FYI: "clean" turns the oven into an incenerator to burn off food splattered inside the oven. (Just in case you didn't know)

Posted by: Sean P at October 11, 2005 12:58 PM

Oh, I didn't know that. The button wasn't very informative as to it's function.

Posted by: [insert name here] at October 11, 2005 04:23 PM

My GE oven has a very similar interface, including the backwards switch. (I can't remember if I have the stop time button.)

What irks *me* about the interface is that the temperature shows up in very precise increments, but I still have to use a dial to set it. So many times I've spent a few extra minutes flipping between 375 and 415, trying to get to 400....

Posted by: Elaine at October 11, 2005 07:23 PM

Elaine: GE has been doing that on a lot of home appliances lately, I've noticed. My GE microwave has a similar setup, where you can only set the cook time in 15-second increments, with each notch being 15 seconds...

Posted by: codeman38 at October 11, 2005 08:19 PM

Now we now that you can cook as well as stop the fourth demension, but what about cooking stopped time (or stopping cooked time)? Also, how does time taste?

Posted by: Kevin at October 11, 2005 10:18 PM

Amana (Model AGM585WW) Gas Stove/Oven control knobs: 50% of the numerals washed off the first time cleaning them with Dawn soap & warm water.

I need to find replacement knobs that are cleanable. The stove top controls are a 'no brainer', as I can see the flame, but the oven control has the temperatures calibrated in a counter-clockwise direction; all replacement knobs I've found are in a clock-wise config.

Any recommendations?

Posted by: Al at November 22, 2005 08:50 AM