Electrical items

Location

Microwaves are included in the kitchen/kitchenette for all our accommodation on campus.

Guidance

•  Always check cooking instructions before cooking
•  Loosely cover food to avoid spills and splashes
• When the timer has finished, check that the food is piping hot and carefully remove it from the microwave
• Check the packaging, but generally, leave your food to stand for a minute or two before eating
• Never put any metal or foil in the microwave – it will break!  
  

Location

All self-catering kitchens include an oven/grill and hob. 

• Electric ovens: Darwin College and Houses, Keynes Flats and Houses, Turing College, Tyler Court A and Denstead/ Ellenden/ Farthings/ Grimshill/ Kemsdale/ Lypeatt/ Nickle/ Stock Courts in Park Wood
• Gas ovens: Tyler Court B&C* and Bossenden/ Clowes/ Homestall/ Purchas/ Marley/ Thornden/ Tudor/ Willows Courts in Park Wood.  
• Electric hobs: Darwin College and Houses, Keynes Flats and Houses, Turing College and Tyler Court A  
• Gas hobs: Park Wood Courts and Tyler Court B&C*

*Tyler Court B flat 3 and Tyler Court C flat 7 and 8 have induction cookers meaning you will need induction or heavy-bottomed pans.

Guidance

Cookware

• Never leave food cooking unattended
• Flames should be under the pan and not come up the sides 
• Keep the oven and hob clean – food particles and grease can catch fire
• Always turn the appliance off when it is not in use
• Never use water on a grease fire
• If you have a gas oven and smell gas, open a window and leave the room before reporting to Security.

Hobs

• Keep oven gloves, tea towels or other flammable items away from a hot ring
• Flames should be under the pan and not come up the sides 
• Ensure pot and pan handles are not hanging off the side of the bench as this makes it easier for the cookware to be knocked
• Do not leave an empty pan on a hot burner
• In comparison to a gas hob, electric hobs take longer to heat up and cool down and can stay hot for quite some time.

 Grills

• Turn on the grill by pushing in and twisting the ignitor knob (gas grill), open the door and wait for it to heat up
•  Lining the pan with silver foil will make cleaning a lot easier
• When the grill has come to temperature, place your food on the pan and put it under the heat
• Never close the grill door when cooking
• When you have finished cooking, remove the grill pan and only place it back once the grill has cooled down. Otherwise, the handle may melt.

Oven

• Position your oven racks before pre-heating to prevent scalding
• Make sure the oven is switched on at the wall 
• Turn on the oven by pushing in and twisting the ignitor knob, and then turn the temperature dial to the heat that you need
• The oven may take a little while to heat up to temperature. There may be a coloured light that will change once it reaches the correct temperature
• Follow the instructions on your food packaging and place the food in the oven, making sure the door is shut
• Use oven gloves to remove food once it is cooked.

Location

Fridge freezers are included in the kitchen/kitchenette for all our self-catered accommodation on campus. Part-catered accommodation on campus includes a fridge, located in the kitchen/kitchenette.

Please note that mini-fridges are not allowed in your room unless needed for a medical condition and you have notified the Safety and Food Compliance Officer in advance. 

Guidance

• Regularly clean the fridge shelves by using warm water and washing up liquid
• Keep meat on the bottom shelf
• Regularly check for out-of-date food. This can cause unpleasant smells and cross-contamination.

Radiators are included in all our accommodation on campus. 

Lots of the radiators at the University are part of a remote computer network, but sometimes switches still need to be switched and handles still need to be turned for everything to work correctly.  

The best way to check if you have a problem is to take a look at the self-help flowchart (PDF 89KB) which will tell you if you need to report a fault with your radiator.