To know if it is safe to use your oven despite it being cracked or broken, you need to consider the following –<\/p>\n
- \n
- Type of damage (what is damaged?)<\/li>\n
- Level or extent of damage (how much is it damaged?)<\/li>\n
- The health of other components of your oven (will other elements be affected?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Glass panes – inner glass and outer glass
![\"broken-oven\"](\"https:\/\/kitchendodo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/broken-oven.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h2>\nOvens use tempered glass instead of standard glass. Tempered glass is much stronger and can withstand high heat without allowing it to escape. While the older ovens come with two glass panes, the newer models have up to four. So, when breakage occurs, all layers of your oven are not impacted.<\/p>\n
However, we are concerned with two glass layers – the inner glass and the outer glass of your oven. Both these glasses can shatter independently.<\/p>\n
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The outer glass<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The outer glass is for looking at your food while it is being cooked. So, if your outer glass is broken independently, you can still use your oven temporarily, provided the damage is not severe and the glass shards do not pose a risk of hurting you.<\/p>\n
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The inner glass <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The inner glass plays a more vital role in your oven\u2019s functioning by creating a thermal barrier. So, if it is the inner glass that is broken, do not use your oven<\/strong> to avoid these things –<\/p>\n
- \n
- Glass shards ending up in your food<\/li>\n
- Injuring yourself while using the oven<\/li>\n
- Damaging the other elements of the oven<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
The heat test<\/strong><\/h3>\n
To test the extent of damage, do a heat test. <\/strong>Heat your oven to a temperature of 350\u00b0F.<\/p>\n
Irrespective of which glass is cracked, feel the outer glass; if the outer glass is unbearably hot, you need to replace the glass before you use your oven. However, if the outer glass is tolerably warm, you can use your oven temporarily before replacing the glass.<\/p>\n
Author\u2019s note – <\/strong>in the latter case, do the heat test every time before use.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What causes the oven glass to break?
![\"glass-crack\"](\"https:\/\/kitchendodo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/glass-crack.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h2>\nThere can be numerous reasons behind your oven\u2019s glass breaking (trust us, it happens more than you\u2019d think). That said, all reasons revolve around the same thing – compromised glass integrity that worsens due to the stress caused by heat exposure.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Wear and tear<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Since your oven\u2019s glass is constantly subjected to heating and cooling, the glass weakens over time and eventually might crack or break.<\/p>\n
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Something hitting the glass. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tiny cracks develop when something inside the oven (such as a pan) hits the glass.<\/p>\n
These cracks eventually give out (because of the weakening caused by the continual heating and cooling process) and cause the glass to crack. This process can take a while, perhaps, even years.<\/p>\n
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Abrasive cleaners
![\"Abrasive-cleaners\"](\"https:\/\/kitchendodo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Abrasive-cleaners.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you use abrasive cleaners, stop. Even though they are portrayed as a miracle, the paste in these abrasive cleaners has small abrasions that cause small cracks in your oven\u2019s glass. These cracks eventually expand and weaken and cause the glass to break due to extreme heat and cold exposure.<\/p>\n
Author\u2019s note – <\/strong>instead of using abrasive cleaners or oven cleaning accessories in general, use a hot, wet cloth to wipe any spillage after the oven cools off.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reasons to avoid using your oven if the glass is broken <\/strong><\/h2>\n
As we said before, we do not recommend the usage of your oven if the glass is broken. But don\u2019t worry; we come bearing reason (multiple reasons, in fact).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Heat exposure
![\"heat-exposure\"](\"https:\/\/kitchendodo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/heat-exposure.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\nUnwanted heat exposure due to your oven\u2019s broken glass is perhaps the most important reason. This phenomenon has the power to start a chain reaction, wherein a spark can lead to a fire if the heat reaches flammable items.<\/p>\n
In this case, things will spiral out of control, and the fire can spread throughout the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Damaging the outer glass <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Since the inner glass acts as the thermal barrier, when that heat barrier is damaged, there is no protection for the outer glass (which is more of a looking glass than a thermal barrier).<\/p>\n
![\"prevention\"](\"https:\/\/kitchendodo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/prevention.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"safety\"](\"https:\/\/kitchendodo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/safety-1.jpg\")
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