Okay, so the other day, I had this whole debate with myself. I was running super late for a get-together with friends, but I also had this awesome roast chicken cooking in the oven. My brain was like, “Can I just leave this thing on and go? Will my apartment burn down?” So, I did what any reasonable person would do – I went down a research rabbit hole.
My Mini-Investigation
First, I grabbed my phone and started furiously searching. I typed in stuff like “oven safety,” “leaving oven on unattended,” and “fire hazards oven.” I found a mix of stuff.
- Some websites were all like, “OMG, NEVER EVER LEAVE YOUR OVEN ON!” They painted these pictures of instant infernos.
- Others were more chill, saying it’s probably fine if your oven is modern and in good shape, and if you’re only gone for a short time.
I dug a little deeper. I checked out my own oven’s manual (who even does that, right?). It basically said to be cautious, but it didn’t outright forbid leaving it on.
My (Probably Not Super Scientific) Test
Here’s what I did (don’t judge me). I decided to do a little test run. The chicken was already mostly cooked, so I lowered the temperature to like 200°F (that’s pretty low, right?). I set a timer on my phone for 30 minutes, and I left the apartment. Just for a quick errand, not the whole party!
I figured 30 minutes would be enough to see if anything went haywire. I also made sure there was nothing flammable near the oven – no towels, no paper, nothing.
The Result (Phew!)
I raced back, heart pounding a little. I opened the door, and… everything was fine. The apartment wasn’t on fire. The chicken was just, you know, extra-well-done. Maybe a little dry. Oops.
My Takeaway?
I don’t make this my habit.
Honestly, after all that, I’m still not 100% comfortable leaving the oven on when I’m out. My little experiment worked, but it was a short time, and my oven is pretty new. If I had an older oven, or if I was going to be gone for hours, I definitely wouldn’t risk it. It’s just not worth potentially burning down my place for a roast chicken!
So, my advice? Play it safe. Turn that oven off before you leave. Better to have a slightly cold dinner than no dinner (and no apartment) at all.
