SEARS KENMORE 91131 (01) PDF Document

Read all instructions before using this appliance. When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should be followed, including the following:

Teach children not to play with range knobs or any other part of the range.

Never leave children alone or unattended where a range is in use.

Never store things children might want above a range.

Never let anyone climb, sit or stand on the open door or any other part of the range. Their weight may make the range tip over.

Never leave the oven door open when you are not watching the range.

Always keep the range area clear and free from things that will burn.

Never store things in an oven or near cooktop elements/burners. These things may catch fire and plastic items could melt.

Never use your range for warming or heating a room. You could be burned or seriously injured. Such misuse could also cause damage to the range.

Never wear loose clothing when using your range. Such clothing could catch fire.

Never use a towel or other bulky cloth as a potholder. Such cloths could catch fire on a hot element/burner.

Never let pot handles stick out over the front of the range. Turn handles in so that they cannot be bumped into. Keep the handles away from other hot surface elements/burners.

Never leave cooktop elements/burners unwatched at high heat settings. Boilovers cause smoking and greasy spillovers could catch fire.

Keep this book for later use.

Be sure your range is installed and grounded properly by a qualified technician.

Choose pots and pans with flat bottoms, large enough to cover the entire cooktop element. This will cut down the risk of setting potholders or clothing on fire with an uncovered element and waste less energy.

Always use care when touching cooktop elements, areas near cooktop elements, oven heating elements or inside the oven. Heating elements could be hot enough to burn you even if they are dark in color. The oven vent duct and oven door may also become hot during range use.

Always change oven rack positions while oven is cool.

After broiling, always take the broiler pan out of the range and clean it. Leftover grease in the broiler pan can catch on fire next time you use the pan.

Place oven shelves in desired position while oven is cool.

Always use dry potholders when removing pans from the oven or cooktop. Moist or damp potholders can cause steam burns.

Always use care when opening oven door. Let hot air and steam out before moving food.

Always follow cleaning instructions in this book.

Always remove the broiler pan and other utensils from the oven before a self-clean cycle.

Always keep the range and oven clean. Food and grease are easy to ignite. Clean the range, oven and vent hoods regularly.

Always keep combustible wall coverings, curtains or drapes a safe distance away from your range.

Always keep dish towels, dish cloths, potholders and other linens a safe distance away from your range.

Always keep canned food and wooden or plastic utensils a safe distance away from your range.

Always keep the appliance area clear and free from things that will burn, gasoline, and other flammable vapors and liquids.

Only some kinds of glass or ceramic pans can be used for cooktop cooking. Be sure that the pan you use will not break when heated on the cooktop elements.

Never try to repair or replace any part of the range unless instructions are given in this book. All other work should be done by a skilled technician.

Never heat unopened food containers. Pressure buildup may make container burst and cause injury.

Never leave jars or cans of fat or drippings on or near the range. Never let grease build up on your range. You can keep grease fires from starting if you clean up grease and spills after each range use.

Never use aluminum foil to line drip bowls or oven bottoms. Improper use of foil could start a fire or cause electrical shock.

Never block free airflow through the oven vent.

Never try to move a pan of hot fat, especially a deep fat fryer. Wait until the fat has cooled.

Never put removable heating elements in water.

Never use the cooktop without reflector pans or drip bowls being in place. If these pans or bowls are not there during cooking, wiring or other range parts may be damaged.

Never touch surface units, heating elements, or interior surfaces of the oven. They may be hot even though they appear dark in color.

Clean only parts listed in manual.

Never clean cooktop surface when it is hot. Some cleaners produce noxious fumes and wet cloths could cause steam burns if used on a hot surface.

Read and understand this information NOW! Be sure everyone in your home knows what to do in case of fire. Should you ever need it, you will not have time for reading.

Never use water on a grease fire – it will only spread the flames.

Cooktop Grease Fire on the SEARS KENMORE 91131:

Never pick up a flaming pan… Instead:

1. Turn off the element.

2. Smother the fire with a tightly fitting pan lid, baking soda, or a foam, halon, or dry chemical extinguisher.

Oven Fire on the SEARS KENMORE 91131:

1. Close oven door and turn controls off.

2. If fire continues, throw baking soda on the fire, or use a foam, halon, or dry chemical extinguisher.

The SEARS KENMORE 91131 is equipped with an anti-tip device (Bracket Kit No. 342473) to prevent tipping, which could result in injury.

Tools Needed: Phillips head screwdriver, 1-3/8″ open end or adjustable wrench.

If the bracket came with your range, it is shipped attached to the lower range back. Remove and discard the shipping screw that holds the bracket and then follow instructions below.

1. Decide whether the bracket will be installed on the right or left side of range location.

2. If the bracket side of the range is adjacent to a cabinet, place the bracket against back wall and cabinet as shown in Figure 1. If there is no adjacent cabinet, determine where the location of the range side (painted outside panel) will be. Place the bracket with its outside edge at this location and against back wall. See Figure 1.

3. Determine whether you will anchor the bracket to the floor or wall. Fasten the bracket securely with the screws provided. Screws are self-drilling in wood, plywood, particle and chip board, and most metal framing. If attaching to masonry you can buy suitable screws and anchors at hardware stores. Use a masonry drill to drill the required holes.

4. Using the wrench, back out the four leg levelers at least two turns. See your installation guide for more leveling information before positioning range.

5. Slide the range into place. Be sure rear leg leveler fully engages slot in bracket. If range cannot be moved back far enough for rear leg leveler to enter bracket, move bracket forward as required and attach to floor in new location.

To operate cooktop controls:

1. Push to turn.

2. Set on or between marks for desired heat.

An indicator light will glow when any cooktop element is on.

To use bake or broil on the SEARS KENMORE 91131:

1. Set the OVEN CONTROL to desired temperature or to BROIL. When broiling, be sure to turn the knob all the way to the stop in the BROIL section of the knob.

2. When finished, turn OVEN CONTROL to OFF.

For best cooking results and energy efficient operation, you should use pans that:

A. Have flat bottoms and straight sides.

B. Have light handles that do not tilt pans.

C. Are about the same size as the element.

Never line the bowls below cooktop elements with aluminum foil on the SEARS KENMORE 91131. Foil can block normal heat flow, and damage the range. This is especially true if foil blocks the oven vent tube under the right rear cooktop element.

In surface cooking of foods other than canning, the use of large-diameter pots (extending more than 1″ beyond edge of drip pan) is not recommended on the SEARS KENMORE 91131. However, when canning with water-bath or pressure canner, large-diameter pots may be used. This is because boiling water temperatures (even under pressure) are not harmful to cooktop surfaces surrounding heating unit.

HOWEVER, DO NOT USE LARGE DIAMETER CANNERS OR OTHER LARGE DIAMETER POTS FOR FRYING OR BOILING FOODS OTHER THAN WATER.

Most syrup or sauce mixtures – and all types of frying cook at temperatures much higher than boiling water. Such temperatures could eventually harm cooktop surfaces surrounding heating units.

Observe the following points in canning:

1. Bring water to boil on HIGH heat, then after boiling has begun, adjust heat to lowest setting to maintain boil (saves energy and best uses surface unit).

2. Be sure canner fits over center of surface unit. If your range does not allow canner to be centered on surface unit, use smaller-diameter pots for good canning results.

3. Flat-bottomed canners give best canning results. Be sure bottom of canner is flat or slight indentation fits snugly over surface unit. Canners with flanged or rippled bottoms (often found in enamelware) are not recommended.

4. When canning, use recipes from reputable sources. Reliable recipes are available from the manufacturer of your canner; manufacturers of glass jars for canning, such as Ball and Kerr; and the United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service.

5. Remember, in following the recipes, that canning is a process that generates large amounts of steam. Be careful while canning to prevent burns from steam or heat.

NOTE: If your range is being operated on low power (voltage), canning may take longer than expected, even though directions have been carefully followed. The process may be improved by:

(1) using a pressure canner, and

(2) beginning with hot tap water when heating larger quantities of water.

When cooking a food for the first time in your new oven on the SEARS KENMORE 91131, use time given on recipes as a guide.

Your new oven has been set correctly at the factory and is more apt to be accurate than the oven it replaced.

After you have used your oven for awhile, if you feel your oven should be hotter or cooler, you can adjust it yourself. See THERMOSTAT ADJUSTMENTS in this manual.

Use proper pan placement.

Place pans on the oven racks with 1″ – 1 1/2″ of air space on all sides of each pan. Avoid overcrowding the oven.

Pans too close to each other, to oven walls or to the oven bottom, block the free movement of air. Improper air movement causes uneven browning and cooking.

When baking several items, stagger pans so that no pan is directly above another.

Cakes, cookies, muffins, and quick breads should be baked in shiny pans to reflect the heat because they should have a light golden crust.

Yeast breads and pie crusts should be baked in glass or dull (non-shiny) pans – to absorb the heat because they should have a brown, crisp crust.

Be sure the underside of the pan is shiny too. Darkened undersides will absorb the heat and may cause over browning on the bottom of your food.

Oven temperatures should be reduced 25 degrees below recommended temperatures if exterior of pan is predarkened, darkened by age or oven proof glass.

Avoid opening the door too often to check the food during baking as heat will be lost. This may cause poor baking results.

During baking, avoid frequent door openings. Keep oven door open as short a time as possible.

When recipes require preheating, have food nearby before you open the oven door. If the oven door is allowed to remain open for more than a brief time, the preheat temperature will be lost.

Do not cover an entire oven rack with foil. The foil can block normal heat flow and cause poor baking results.

Do not place any foil directly above the bake element.

Foil used on the oven bottom under the element may damage the oven surface; therefore, it should not be used.

Let the oven preheat thoroughly before cooking baked products. Watch the indicator light and put the food in the oven promptly after the light goes out.

Always turn oven to OFF before removing food.

Use residual heat in oven whenever possible to finish cooking casseroles, oven meals, etc. Use residual heat when baking rolls or precooked desserts.

Broiling on the SEARS KENMORE 91131 is cooking by direct heat from the broil burner. Tender cuts of meat or marinated meat should be selected for broiling. For best results steaks and chops should be at least 3/4″ thick.

After placing food on the broiler pan, put the pan on the rack in the oven. The recommended rack position and cooking time can be found in the chart below.

The closer the food is to the broil burner, the faster the meat browns on the outside, yet stays red to pink in the center. Moving the meat farther away from the burner lets the meat cook to the center while browning outside. Side one should be cooked 1-2 minutes longer than side two.

Your oven door should be open to the broil stop position while broiling. If the door is closed the food will roast and not broil.

Use only the broiler pan and grid that came with your range for broiling. They are designed for proper drainage of fat and liquids and help prevent spatter, smoke or fire.

Do not preheat when broiling. Preheating may cause the thermostat to cycle the broil burner off and on. For even broiling on both sides, start the food on a cold pan.

Trim the outer layer of fat from steaks and chops. Slit the fatty edges to keep the meat from curling.

For maximum juiciness, salt the first side just before turning the meat. Salt the second side just before serving.

Brush chicken and fish with butter several times as they broil. When broiling fish, grease the grid to prevent sticking and broil with skin side down. It is not necessary to turn fish.

Never leave a soiled broiler pan in the range. Grease in the pan may smoke or burn the next time the oven is used.

Be sure you know the correct procedure for putting out a grease fire. See the section on safety.

Do not cover the entire broiler grid with foil. Poor drainage of hot fat may cause a broiler fire.

If a fire starts, close the oven door and turn controls off. If fire continues, open door carefully and throw baking soda on the fire. Do not put water on the fire.

This chart is a general guide. The size, weight, thickness, and starting temperature of the food, as well as your own personal preference, will affect the cooking time. Times in the chart are based on the food being at refrigerator temperature.

Cleaning Tips for SEARS KENMORE 91131:

To install removable oven racks on the SEARS KENMORE 91131:

1. Set the raised back edge of the rack on a pair of rack guides.

2. Push the rack in until you reach the bump in the rack guide, then lift the front of the rack and push the rack all the way in.

To remove:

1. Pull the oven rack out, then up.

For best performance remove oven racks during a clean cycle. If oven racks are left in the range during a self-cleaning cycle, they will darken, lose their luster and become hard to slide.

If you choose to leave the racks in the oven, you can polish the edges of the racks with steel wool and apply a small amount of vegetable oil to the rack edges after the self-clean cycle.

To remove the removable oven door on the SEARS KENMORE 91131:

1. Open the door to the stop position (see Illustration).

2. Grasp the door at each side and lift up and off the hinges.

NOTE: When the door is removed and hinge arms are at stop position, do not bump or try to move the hinge arms. The hinges could snap back causing an injury to the hands or damage to the porcelain on the front of the range. Cover the hinges with toweling or empty towel rolls while working in the oven area.

To replace:

1. Hold the door over the hinges with the slots at the bottom edge of the door lined up with the hinges. The hinge arms must still be in the stop position.

2. Slide the door down onto the hinges as far as it will go and close the door.

The removable storage drawer on the SEARS KENMORE 91131 gives you space for keeping cookware and bakeware. Plastics and flammable material should not be kept in this drawer.

Do not overload the storage drawer. If the drawer is too heavy, it may slip off the track when opened.

To open the drawer, grasp the center of the handle and pull straight out.

To remove: Pull drawer straight out and lift over the guide stops.

To replace: Lift over the guide stops and slide drawer into place.

The control knobs on the SEARS KENMORE 91131 may be removed for easy cleaning by pulling the knob straight off stem. Be sure that the knob is in the OFF position before removal.

Hint: Slip a thin cloth (such as a handkerchief) or a piece of string under and around the knob edge and pull up.

Caution: Read these instructions carefully before replacing the knobs. Replacing the knobs improperly will damage the knobs and the spring clip on the stems. If this happens, the knobs will fit loosely.

To replace the knob:

1. The knob stem has a groove in each side. The groove on one side has a spring clip. The other groove is clear (see illustration).

2. Check the inside of the knob and find the molded rib.

3. Replace the knob by fitting the molded rib inside the knob into the clear groove on the stem.

The cooktop elements on the SEARS KENMORE 91131 can be unplugged and the bowls removed for cleaning.

Be sure all cooktop unit control knobs are turned off and elements are cool before you remove or replace a cooktop unit.

To remove:

1. Grasp element, tilt it upward slightly to clear the bowl, then pull away from the receptacle. The element will not sit level when replaced if it is forced too far upward when removed.

2. Lift out the bowl.

Do not put the element into water. It cleans itself when heated during normal use.

Do not lift plug-in unit more than 1″. If you do, it may not lie flat on the drip pan when you plug it back in.

Repeated lifting of the plug-in unit more than 1″ above the drip pan can permanently damage the receptacle.

To replace:

1. Replace the bowl. Be sure the receptacle is showing in the bowl opening.

2. Slide the plug of the element firmly into the receptacle and lower the element into place.

IMPORTANT: Never operate a cooktop element without the bowl in place. This can cause scorching of the cooktop, burning of wiring insulation and loss of energy.

To raise the cooktop on the SEARS KENMORE 91131 so the area underneath can be cleaned, grasp the cooktop at the front and lift up.

The range has a support rod to hold the cooktop while cleaning. Lower the support rod as shown in the illustration.

When finished cleaning, lower the cooktop. Be sure that the strikes fit the catches on each side of the cooktop.

Porcelain enamel can chip. Handle porcelain enameled cooktops carefully.

Before calling for service on the SEARS KENMORE 91131, check this list of common problems and possible solutions:

To remove adhesive residue from packaging tape on the SEARS KENMORE 91131, use an application of household liquid dishwashing detergent, mineral oil, or cooking oil. Apply with a soft cloth. DO NOT use a plastic pad or equivalent. Wipe dry and then apply an appliance polish to thoroughly clean and protect the surface. This procedure is also safe for the face of microwave doors and other plastics and Lexan parts.

NOTE: The plastic tape that is not removed from chrome trim on range parts CANNOT be removed if baked on.

If you think the oven on the SEARS KENMORE 91131 should be hotter or cooler, you can adjust it yourself. To decide how much to change the temperature, set the oven temperature 25°F higher or lower than the temperature in your recipe, then bake. The results of this “test” should give you an idea of how much the temperature should be changed.

To adjust knob:

1. Turn OVEN CONTROL knob to OFF and remove the knob by pulling straight off.

2. Look at the back of the knob. The arrow pointing to the center of the bottom screw indicates the original factory setting.

3. Use a screwdriver to loosen the two screws about 2 turns each.

4. Hold the knob handle (A on Illustration) while turning the disk (B on Illustration) in the desired direction to increase or decrease the temperature (see illustration). As you turn, you should be able to hear clicks and feel notches or teeth. Each click or notch is 15°F. You can turn up to 2 clicks or notches in either direction.

5. When you reach the desired adjustment, retighten both screws.

It is not recommended to use inexpensive thermometers, such as those found in grocery stores, to readjust the temperature of your new oven. These thermometers can vary 20-40°F. Your new oven has been preset to maximize cooking efficiency.

Q. May I can foods and preserves on my surface units on the SEARS KENMORE 91131?

A. Yes, but only use cookware designed for canning purposes. Check the manufacturer’s instructions and recipes for preserving foods. Be sure canner is flat-bottomed and fits over the center of your surface unit. Since canning generates large amounts of steam, be careful to avoid burns from steam or heat. Canning should only be done on surface units.

Q. Can I cover my drip pans with foil on the SEARS KENMORE 91131?

A. No. Clean as recommended in Cleaning Tips. Do not use aluminum foil to line drip pans or anywhere in the oven except as described in this book. Misuse could result in a shock, fire hazard, or damage to the range.

Q. Can I use special cooking equipment, like an oriental wok, on any surface units of the SEARS KENMORE 91131?

A. We recommend flat bottomed woks. Cookware without flat surfaces is not recommended. The life of your surface unit can be shortened and the range top can be damaged from the high heat needed for this type of cooking.

Q. Why am I not getting the heat I need from my units even though I have the knobs on the right setting on the SEARS KENMORE 91131?

A. After turning surface unit off and making sure it is cool, check to make sure that your plug-in units are securely fastened into the surface connection.

Q. Why does my cookware tilt when I place them on the surface unit of the SEARS KENMORE 91131?

A. Because the surface unit or the cookware is not flat. Make sure that the “feet” on your surface units are sitting tightly in the range top indentation and the outer edge of the drip pan is flat on the range surface.

Q. Why is the porcelain finish on my cookware coming off when used on the SEARS KENMORE 91131?

A. If you set your surface unit higher than required for the cookware material and leave it, the finish may smoke, crack, pop or burn, depending on the pot or pan. Also, a too high heat for long periods, and small amounts of dry food, may damage the finish.