How Do I Know When My Hotpoint Oven Is Preheated?

With every new oven comes a short learning curve.

What do all of the dials do? How accurate is its’ temperature? How fast does it come to temperature?

While some of these questions require a degree of trial and error, knowing when the oven is preheated isn’t one of them. Your Hotpoint oven has a clear indicator of when it has reached temperature.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Most ovens, including Hotpoint models, include an indicator light next to the temperature settings for the oven. This indicator light shows that the oven is preheated when it changes states and becomes static.

Depending on the model, the light will show preheating is finished by:

Turning on and staying lit.
Turning off and staying off.
Ceasing the flashing it was doing during preheating.

You can find out which system your oven uses through either observation or the manual.

In this article, I will go over what an indicator light is, how to find the one on your appliance, and the types of indications that manufacturers program.

Indicator Lights on Hotpoint Ovens

All Hotpoint ovens currently on the market have an indicator light. This light is meant to show you what is happening inside the oven.

It does this by turning off and on in preprogrammed patterns. The indicator light is commonly used during preheating or cleaning cycles.

Locating the Indicator Light

The indicator light is most often located next to the temperature controls. On some models, this is just above the oven door, while others have the controls located on the back panel behind the burners.

It is about the size of the head of a nail and red when lit. You should see it change states during the cooking process when it is working properly.

3 Ways the Light Shows Your Oven Is Preheated

Once you’ve located the light on your Hotpoint oven, you can observe it. It will use one of the following common programs to signify it is preheated.

1. On-Then-Off

The most common way an oven shows when it is preheated is by using the on-then-off pattern. In this pattern, the light comes on when the temperature is set and then turns off when the oven reaches the temperature.

2. Off-Then-On

In some ovens, the indicator light stays off when you first set the temperature. Then, when the oven is preheated, the indicator light will light up. These utilize the off-then-on pattern.

This pattern is less common than the on-then-off pattern because the oven usually spends more time at temperature than preheating, making it more energy efficient for the light to be off during this time.

3. Blinking

This is the least common program used for preheating because blinking is often reserved for cleaning cycles or warnings. However, some ovens have an indicator light that blinks while it preheats.

These ovens are preheated when the blinking stops (either in the on or the off state).

Indicator Light Changes While Oven Is In Use

You may also notice that the light starts behaving as if the oven is preheating when you open the oven and then returns to the finished state. This is because the internal temperature of the oven drops when you open the door, causing the oven to do another mini-preheat.

This isn’t a cause for concern, nor does it mean that you’ve misinterpreted the oven’s temperature.

Takeaway

Your oven tells you that it is preheated using an indicator light. This indicator light is located next to the temperature controls.

Once the oven has reached temperature, the light will change states. Examples of possible “ready” positions include the light coming on or the light turning off.

Typically the ready position is the opposite of whatever state the light was in immediately after you started preheating the oven.