Maytag MER5551BAB Use and Care Manual - Page 3

Important Safety Instructions Child Safety Cooking Safety CAUTION NEVER store items of interest to children in cabinets above an appliance. Children climbing on the appliance or on the appliance door to reach items could be seriously injured. NEVER leave children alone or unsupervised near the appliance when it is in use or is still hot. Children should never be allowed to sit or stand on any part of the appliance as they could be injured or burned. Children must be taught that the appliance and utensils in it can be hot. Let hot utensils cool in a safe place, out of reach of small children. Children should be taught that an appliance is not a toy. Children should not be allowed to play with controls or other parts of the appliance. About Your Appliance CAUTION NEVER use an appliance as a step to reach cabinets above. Misuse of appliance door, such as stepping, leaning or sitting on the door, may result in possible tipping of the appliance, breakage of door, and serious injuries. To prevent potential hazard to the user and damage to the appliance, do not use appliance as a space heater to heat or warm a room. Also, do not use the oven as a storage area for food or cooking utensils. Never heat an unopened food container in the oven. Pressure build-up may cause container to burst resulting in serious personal injury or damage to the appliance. Use dry, sturdy potholders. Damp potholders may cause burns from steam. Dish towels or other substitutes should never be used as potholders because they can trail across hot elements and ignite or get caught on appliance parts. Wear proper apparel. Loose fitting or long hanging-sleeved apparel should not be worn while cooking. Clothing may ignite and cause burns if garment comes in contact with heating elements. Always place oven racks in the desired positions while oven is cool. Slide oven rack out to add or remove food, using dry, sturdy potholders. Always avoid reaching into the oven to add or remove food. If a rack must be moved while hot, use a dry potholder. Do not let potholder contact hot element in oven. Use racks only in the oven in which they were shipped/purchased. Use care when opening the oven door. Let hot air or steam escape before removing or replacing food. PREPARED FOOD WARNING: Follow food manufacturer's instructions. If a plastic frozen food container and/or its cover distorts, warps, or is otherwise damaged during cooking, immediately discard the food and its container. The food could be contaminated. Do not allow aluminum foil or meat probe to contact heating element. Always turn off all controls when cooking is completed. Do not obstruct the flow of air by blocking the oven vent. DO NOT TOUCH HEATING ELEMENTS OR INTERIOR SURFACES OF OVEN. Heating elements may be hot even though they are dark in color. Interior surfaces of any oven become hot enough to cause burns. During and after use, do not touch, or let clothing or other flammable materials contact heating elements or interior surfaces of oven until they have had sufficient time to cool. Other surfaces of the appliance may become hot enough to cause burns - among these surfaces are: oven vent opening, surface near this opening, oven door and window of oven door. Do not touch a hot oven light bulb with a damp cloth as the bulb could break. Should the bulb break, disconnect power to the appliance before removing bulb to avoid electrical shock. Utensil Safety Follow the manufacturer's directions when using oven cooking bags. This appliance has been tested for safe performance using conventional cookware. Do not use any devices or accessories that are not specifically recommended in this guide. Do not use element covers, stove top grills or add-on oven convection systems. The use of devices or accessories that are not expressly recommended in this guide can create serious safety hazards, result in performance problems, and reduce the life of the components of the appliance. If pan is smaller than element, a portion of the element will be exposed to direct contact and could ignite clothing or potholder. NEVER use aluminum foil to cover an oven rack or oven bottom. Misuse could result in risk of electric shock, fire, or damage to the appliance. Use foil only as directed in this guide. Only certain types of glass, glass/ceramic, ceramic, earthenware, or other glazed utensils are suitable for cooktop or oven service without breaking due to the sudden change in temperature. 2 Follow utensil manufacturer's instructions when using glass.