Westinghouse WLE620WC

This document serves as a comprehensive user manual for the Westinghouse 60CM Upright Cooker, covering models WLE620WC, WLE624WC, WLE622WC, WLE625WC, WLE642WC, and WLE645WC. It provides essential information for installation, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting, ensuring safe and efficient use of the appliance.

Function Description

The Westinghouse 60CM Upright Cooker is a versatile kitchen appliance designed for a range of cooking tasks, including baking, grilling, and hotplate cooking. It integrates multiple heating elements and control options to cater to diverse culinary needs.

The cooker features hotplates for stovetop cooking, with models offering either radiant coil hotplates or ceramic hotplates. Radiant coil hotplates heat rapidly from a cold start, providing economic use of power, and include removable elements and spillage bowls for easy cleaning. Ceramic hotplates, made from ceramic glass, are durable and withstand heating and cooling, though they require careful handling as they are still glass.

The oven section offers various cooking functions:

Base Heat: Utilizes the element below the food, controlled by a thermostat, ideal for single trays of biscuits, cakes, slices, pies, pizzas, and quiches, or anything requiring more cooking on the bottom.
Bake: Employs two elements (one above, one below) controlled by a thermostat, suitable for single trays of biscuits, scones, muffins, cakes, slices, casseroles, baked puddings, roasts, and delicate egg dishes.
Fan Bake: Uses an element surrounding a fan to circulate hot air, allowing for multi-shelf cooking, reheating cooked foods, pastries, and complete oven meals. This function may cook at a lower temperature and faster than the "bake" or "base heat" options.
Rapid Heat: Quickly preheats the oven using the fan, fan element, and top bake elements, also suitable for quick convenience meals and browning.
Defrost: Circulates ambient temperature air using the fan to thaw food, raise yeast dough, or dry fruit, vegetables, and herbs.
Grilling (Separate/In Oven): Directs radiant heat from the powerful upper element onto food. This function is ideal for tender cuts of meat, steak, chops, sausages, fish, and cheese toasties. Separate grill models require the door to be open during grilling, while grill-in-oven models operate with the door closed.
Fan Grilling: Combines the benefits of "Bake" and traditional "Grill" functions, with the grill element and fan circulating heated air. Recommended for large cuts of meat, providing a result similar to rotisserie-cooked meat, with the oven door closed.
Maxi Grill (In Oven): Directs radiant heat from both the powerful upper grill element and the upper bake element onto food, suitable for tender cuts of meat, steak, chops, sausages, fish, and cheese toasties. Operates with the door open to the first stop position.

Some models are equipped with a warming drawer, which can be used to warm crockery prior to use. A general-purpose socket outlet may also be present on some models for additional convenience.

Usage Features

The cooker is designed for ease of use with clearly labeled control knobs for hotplates, oven temperature, and function selection. Hotplate control knobs adjust the temperature and can be rotated in either direction. An indicator lamp illuminates when a hotplate is active. The oven temperature control knob sets the desired baking temperature, and an oven indicator lamp cycles on and off to show when the oven element is heating to maintain the set temperature.

Function switches allow users to select specific cooking modes, often including an oven light for visibility. Models with separate grills have a dedicated grill temperature control knob and an indicator lamp.

Advanced models feature programmable clocks, which allow users to set the time of day, baking/grilling reminder times, and automatic cooking duration and stop times. The clock must be set before the oven can operate. Mechanical ringer timers are also available on some models for setting reminder times up to 120 minutes.

For oven use, preheating is recommended for best baking results, typically for 30 minutes. Oven shelves are designed for easy insertion and removal, with specific orientation to ensure stability. The manual provides guidance on shelf positions for optimal cooking results.

Safety is paramount, with warnings against operating hotplates without utensils, using oversized pans, or allowing pots to boil dry. For grilling, it's crucial to turn off the grill immediately after use to prevent fat fires and to keep the grill dish clean. The manual also advises against covering the grill rack with foil.

Maintenance Features

Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential for the longevity and safe operation of the Westinghouse cooker. The manual provides detailed instructions for cleaning various parts of the appliance:

Enamel and Glass Door Panels: Should be wiped regularly with a soft cloth dipped in warm soapy water. Persistent stains can be rubbed with a creamed powder cleanser. Harsh abrasive cleaners, nylon scourers, powder cleaners, steel wool, steam cleaners, or wax polishes should be avoided, especially on glass door panels, to prevent scratching or shattering.
Control Panel: Cleaned with a soft damp cloth, ensuring control knobs are in the OFF position and avoiding excess water.
Radiant Hotplates: These are self-cleaning, as boil-over material burns to ash. The elements are removable, allowing for the spillage bowls to be removed and washed in warm soapy water. Care must be taken not to bend terminal ends when replacing hotplates.
Ceramic Hotplates: Spilt food and fat should be removed with a razor blade scraper while the glass is still warm but not hot, then wiped clean with dishwashing detergent on a damp cloth. Aluminium foil, plastic, or high sugar content liquids/foods that melt on the surface should be removed immediately with the scraper to prevent pitting. Abrasive sponges, scourers, oven sprays, or stain removers should not be used.
Oven Shelves: Can be washed in hot soapy water. Soaking may be required for heavy baked-on stains.
Grill Element: Rotating latch models allow the grill element to drop down for cleaning and then be secured back in place.
Oven Light: The light globe can be replaced by turning the oven light glass anti-clockwise. A special high-temperature resistant globe must be used.
Grill Tray and Grill Pan: Should be washed in hot soapy water.
Grill Compartment: Cleaned with hot soapy water, or a non-abrasive oven cleaner applied with a nylon scourer for stronger action.
Warming Drawer: Cleaned with hot soapy water.

The manual also details how to remove and re-assemble the inner oven door glass for thorough cleaning. This involves opening the door fully, rotating stirrups, pressing release clips on the top trim, and gently sliding out the inner glass. When re-assembling, ensure the inner glass is correctly positioned and the clips snap back into place.

For safety, users are reminded to always turn off the appliance at the power supply before cleaning or replacing parts. The anti-tilt bracket is a mandatory safety restraint that must be securely anchored to the floor to prevent accidental tipping of the appliance. The product should be inspected every five years by an authorized service person to maintain safe operation.