Would you cook something in the oven while you are not home?

[sweetsue98]

DD2 is getting baptized on Sunday and we are having everyone over after church. Church service is 1 hour and will end at 10:30am so I thought I could serve brunch. Only issue is breakfast casseroles take about an hour or more to cook so I don't want to wait until after church to put it in the oven. Would you feel comfortable cooking something in the oven while you are not at home?

[momm]

Never.

Can you make it the previous night?

[123LuckyMom]

I have done it more than once. I've put dinner in the oven before leaving to pick DS up from school. It always makes me feel nervous. My oven does have a timer mechanism to turn it on and off, so if I were delayed, the house probably wouldn't burn down, but still, it makes me nervous.

[rin]

Yeah, if I was going to be home soon after it started. We have a timer on our oven, and I've left things in the oven with the timer set to start up to half an hour before we get home. I figure I put things in the oven while I'm out in the yard all the time, so it's basically the same thing. (It does make me a little nervous, but not nervous enough to stop doing it if I have to run errands right before dinner.)

[HannaAddict]

Never ever never. No way. Just not safe. Sorry.

[AngB]

If we didn't have 2 dogs who stay in their crates in our room when we aren't home, I would. (The worst that can happen? A fire. I'm sure that would suck, but eh. The odds are slim enough, and we have neighbors living very close by, I'd probably chance it, though not routinely.)

[KLD313]

I wouldn't. Can you cook it in a crock pot?

[DietCokeLover]

Never ever never. No way. Just not safe. Sorry.

:yeahthat:

[anonomom]

Nope, wouldn't risk it. I am totally paranoid about fire risk these days, after my dryer caught fire a few months ago.

[Green_Tea]

My mother does this all the time and has done it for 30+ years (she uses the "time bake" feature on her stove). In the summer she loved to throw dinner in the oven and then we'd hit the beach - I remember that we always came home to the smell of pot roast or a turkey breast that was almost ready for dinner.

I am generally too nervous to do it (my mother thinks I am crazy), but on Monday I did leave a mac and cheese baking in the oven while I ran to pick up DD from gymnastics. I left the house at 5:10, and knew that DH would walk through the door at 5:25 if I didn't beat him back before that. It definitely not something I make a habit of, though.

Is there something you could make in a slow cooker instead?

[nfowife]

There is an egg casserole for the crock pot, you can also do fruit salad, bagel platter, danish and coffee cake, a quiche (served room temp). I don't think you need to cook it while you are gone.

[cntrymoon2]

Never, ever. Not worth the risk IMO. I also won't run the dryer when I'm not at home.

[belovedgandp]

Not until reading posts on this board did it ever occur to me to NOT do it. I'd never feed my family if I didn't use the delay start feature on my oven.

[edurnemk]

No, I would never leave the oven on while I'm not home. Same reason I don't leave the dryer on when I'm not home.

[crl]

I do. The neighborhood hangs out in front of a house down the street, most days we are out there from 3:30 or 4:00 until 5:30 or 6:00. So depending on what I have planned for dinner, I leave toddler dd down there with the neighbors, run home and throw something in the oven, then go back and hang out until it needs to come out. I am about a half block away.

Catherine

[new_mommy25]

Can you make the casserole in a slow cooker? I wouldn't be comfortable with the oven on while I'm not home.

[citymama]

No way, never ever. Just not worth it.

[bigsis]

I've done it before. The house didn't burn down :)

[wellyes]

I would. I use the oven every day when I'm home and have never had any sort of problem, why would this be different?

[TwinFoxes]

No. And if I did, I'd be worried during the entire ceremony. Too many firefighters in my family.

[TwinFoxes]

Some stats, unattended cooking causes 44% of fires, although the range is usually the culprit not the oven. Still for me, no.

http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=952&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Major%20causes%20of%20fire&cookie%5Ftest=1

[KrisM]

I would. I use the oven every day when I'm home and have never had any sort of problem, why would this be different?

That's my thinking, too. Plus, if we are playing outside we continue to do so. I don't stay in my kitchen while the oven is on for a 'just in case' moment. Should I never be in another room? Or, worse yet, should I never go upstairs while the kids are in the room next to the kitchen when the oven is on?

[katerinasmom]

Why is a slow cooker different than the oven? The slow cooker is an electric appliance that you leave plugged in. I'd be more worried about an electrical fire than a gas fire in my oven with a timer function. So I'm curious as to why for some the answer was no to the oven but a suggestion to use a slow cooker instead.

[sweetsue98]

Nope, wouldn't risk it. I am totally paranoid about fire risk these days, after my dryer caught fire a few months ago.

OMG! Never thought about the dryer.

[sweetsue98]

There is an egg casserole for the crock pot, you can also do fruit salad, bagel platter, danish and coffee cake, a quiche (served room temp). I don't think you need to cook it while you are gone.

Do you mind sharing the recipe?

[TwinFoxes]

That's my thinking, too. Plus, if we are playing outside we continue to do so. I don't stay in my kitchen while the oven is on for a 'just in case' moment. Should I never be in another room? Or, worse yet, should I never go upstairs while the kids are in the room next to the kitchen when the oven is on?

Well, to me that's a lot different than a baptism where just the ceremony is an hour. If what you mentioned was OP's scenario I don't think it's a big deal. she'll probably be gone closer to two hours unless she lives very close to the church, and doesn't talk to the guests/parishioners after. People have fires in fireplaces and leave the room when they are at home, but I doubt most people would start a fire and then leave it while they left the house for over an hour.

[SnuggleBuggles]

No way. Cook it right before you leave and you can stick it back in the oven for a few minutes if it needs to be warmed more.

[Liziz]

I probably wouldn't. I think about this all the time -- there's so many times it would be convenient! But I've never actually done it because I just get too nervous. I do use my slow cooker all the time when I'm not home....I guess I can't explain why that one seems okay, other than the slow cooker was "made" to leave.

[KrisM]

Well, to me that's a lot different than a baptism where just the ceremony is an hour. If what you mentioned was OP's scenario I don't think it's a big deal. she'll probably be gone closer to two hours unless she lives very close to the church, and doesn't talk to the guests/parishioners after. People have fires in fireplaces and leave the room when they are at home, but I doubt most people would start a fire and then leave it while they left the house for over an hour.

I guess. But, very often, I put something in, and then we go back outside for 1-1.5 hours. We don't come in. If it started a fire, we'd find out by the smoke and flames :) I like to watch them on their bikes, so we're out front.

[weech]

We roast vegetables in the oven and then take DS for a long walk around the neighborhood in his stroller. We're probably gone for 30 minutes or so. That's fine with me, but I don't think I would drive away from my house with the oven on. The dryer, however, has never concerned me. :shrug:

[trcy]

Never ever never. No way. Just not safe. Sorry.

:yeahthat:

[maestramommy]

I do it all the time now. My oven has a timer. It turns off and beeps you a reminder every 30 seconds when it's done.

[twowhat?]

We roast vegetables in the oven and then take DS for a long walk around the neighborhood in his stroller. We're probably gone for 30 minutes or so. That's fine with me, but I don't think I would drive away from my house with the oven on. The dryer, however, has never concerned me. :shrug:

We've done this, but it's been more like 20 min, and only when every living thing is out of the house (dogs included). And I've done it maybe 2 times. I also wouldn't drive away from the house with the oven on only because I'm afraid something would happen (car accident?) and we wouldn't get back in time. The dryer, however, I am paranoid about and don't leave on when we're out of the house even though we don't have to worry about a dryer vent (dryer vents directly outside through the exterior wall so no vent to clean out which I am sure really reduces fire risk).

[janine]

I would. I use the oven every day when I'm home and have never had any sort of problem, why would this be different?

:yeahthat:

Do it very rarely but I do not see it as any different than putting a roast in at a low temperature and doing errands in your house for 3hrs. I guess it's a judgement call too - our appliances are relatively new (under a year) have newest features,etc. There are lots of appliances in the home which get left on or plugged in when you think about it. Freak accidents are always a possibility - but of course you try to migitage by not doing anything overtly risky.

[elliput]

Why is a slow cooker different than the oven? The slow cooker is an electric appliance that you leave plugged in. I'd be more worried about an electrical fire than a gas fire in my oven with a timer function. So I'm curious as to why for some the answer was no to the oven but a suggestion to use a slow cooker instead.
:yeahthat: Except that my oven is electric. Furnaces, baseboard heaters, water heaters are left unattended all the time. Is this really any different?

To answer the OP's question. I have not used the delay cook feature on my oven but maybe once or twice. It is just not something I think about doing as we don't cook many thing which would be conducive to using the feature. I think in your case, I'd take a couple extra precautions like making sure there was nothing spilled in the oven and have a jelly roll pan underneath the casserole dish just in case it boiled over.

[waitingforgrace]

Yes I have no problem using my appliances while I'm out of the house. I've left lights on, used the dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, oven, slow cooker, HVAC unit, ceiling fans, computer, etc. My point being I don't see the oven as being any more risky than any other appliance.

[MissyAg94]

No way. My mom's oven caught on fire while she was home. If she hadn't been there and had a fire extinguisher, the house would have burned down.

[doberbrat]

I wouldnt in this case b/c you said it takes an hour to cook and service is an hour.

But in general, if I'm making something that takes a while and doesnt need intervention (basting etc) like a ham/turkey/roast I will put it in the oven and go do whatever. I've put a ham in the oven and taken dd1 to swimming. I make sure I'm back WELL in advance of it being ready and call it good.

[c&j04]

I would have no problem doing something like that. in fact I've done it lots.
An oven doesn't have the lint build up fire potential of a dryer.

[hellokitty]

Can you bake the casserole before you leave and then just leave it in the warm oven (off)? That's what I'd do, I'd make sure to cover it, so it doesn't dry out.

[arivecchi]

I would not leave an oven on while out and about. I am super paranoid about leaving things on in the kitchen without supervision (including a slow cooker). In any event, thought this might be of interest:

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/cooking.shtm

[gatorsmom]

I have never been comfortable with this. For our baptismal receptions, I've always had 2 or 3 dishes made ahead of time and ready to serve as soon as we came home. I would be fine with leaving a crockpot on, though.

[gatorsmom]

Never, ever. Not worth the risk IMO. I also won't run the dryer when I'm not at home.

:yeahthat: I also turn off the dryer before we go to bed at night. I won't let it run while we are sleeping.

[zukeypur]

I never ever leave with the dryer going, but I do leave with the oven on.

[sweetsue98]

Well, I saw two separate house fire instances on the news this morning....maybe it's a sign.