Kelvinator Model SF845 with Fan-King oven

You're actually referring to the "broiler" elements. Most electric ovens have these at the top of the main oven space. (Some gas ovens are set up the same way, but many put the broiler elements in a bottom drawer.)

As their name implies, broiler elements are active only when you're broiling. They will not go on for baking.

Broiling is the process of cooking food by exposing it directly to a high heat source at close range. To broil a steak, for example, you would place the pan holding the steak on an oven rack raised to the top or next to top position in the oven (consult the manual) and set the oven to broil. The top elements will then turn on and cook the meat by direct radiation.

Most people, however, use ovens for baking far more often than for broiling. Baking is the process of cooking food (cakes, casseroles, roasts etc) by indirect heat. In other words you raise the oven to a certain temperature, put the food on a rack more in the middle of the oven, and let the surrounding heat cook it over time. When you bake the top broiler elements usually don't come on at all.

I hope this helps.

helllo dis.... There are many things that can cause cakes to fall in the middle.... Jumping, etc., around the baking area is unlikely to be a problem except with very delicate sponge or angel food cakes. More likely, cakes fall when the crust appears to be done, but the batter is not baked through the middle. An uneven baking temperature is a frequent culprit; check the temperature of your oven with a separate baking thermometer, and be certain that your oven holds a steady heat through the entire baking period. Some older ovens preheat properly, then cycle off and drop the temperature after 15 or 20 minutes, which causes the uncooked portion of the cake to fall.

Less likely but possible problems could be inaccurate proportions of baking powder or baking soda if the cake is made from scratch. This could occur with cake mixes if sour milk or buttermilk is used instead of regular milk; the additional acid in sour milk requires additional baking soda to rise properly. Eggs that are not beaten properly, or perhaps beaten too much for the type of cake being made, might also cause problems. Joe

Have you tried 300* and the fans off? Each oven has their own "likes", "quirks", and personalities.. as you know..

Hi,
The baking element is probably the problem...

Check out this tip that I wrote about this problem...

http://www.fixya.com/support/r4511800-oven_problems_electric_oven_heating

heatman101

I have a 2yo Kitchenaid oven, and my advice is first, don't use convection for cakes or pizza. Use the thermal oven. For pizza preheat to 500 degrees, then put the pizza on the lowest rack, and bake for 7-8 minutes.This way the bottom browns, and the top doesn't get broiled from the top element coming on during the bake cycle.

As for cakes, again place them on the low rack so that they get bottom heat. I keep my eye on the oven and when the broil element comes on I stick a piece of foil over the cake until it goes off. Otherwise it will set the top and the cake won't rise as much. Even doing that cakes don't rise as much as they did in my old oven, and they brown too much on top.

The convection oven does a good job of cookies, and the broil mode is okay.

I wish I hadn't bought this oven, but I didn't know about the upper (broil) element coming on during the bake cycle until I'd had it for awhile, and it was too late to return it.

If anyone's shopping for an oven, ask questions, and don't get one that maintains the oven temperature by activating the broil element when baking.

put dynamite in container. if it blows up, too bad

Sounds like the igniter is not operating at full capacity. What happens is that the oven does not light when it should. Instead, the oven is cooling down much too far so when the oven does light it has too heat more rapidly. This causes the outside to brown/burn long before it should.