What Does The Clicking Sound In Your Oven Mean?

Problems with major home appliances can be a hassle, but few are more inconvenient than a broken oven. Like other appliances, it often requires a specialist to work on, or sometimes even examine, and unlike some other problems, it directly disrupts your daily ability to eat. But not everything that seems like an issue is one, and in one case it may actually mean everything is working as it should. If you've ever noticed your oven making a clicking sound as it heats or cools, this is no cause for concern. 

Modern ovens make a clicking sound (which may also sound like creaking) as they cycle between heating elements, itself a normal part of how ovens increase, maintain, and decrease temperatures. Most older ovens do the same thing as well, only quieter. On some ovens, you may also hear a click when turning it on. This is the oven's electric igniter kicking in, much like a stovetop gas burner clicks before actually igniting. If it continuously clicks however, you may have a problem. If any of the oven's usual noises are getting louder, that too may indicate a greater issue.

One sign that clicking may be an oven concern is if food comes out undercooked, which is often one of the telltale signs that an oven needs to be recalibrated. Excessively loud clicking indicates that one or more heating elements is wearing out, a gradual part failure that will show in undercooked food. An oven thermometer should read no more than 15 degrees above or below the set oven temperature after 30 minutes. Excessive clicking may also indicate signs you really need to clean your oven, such as a poorly working fan clogged by food debris or heating elements burning out under years of grime. But even if your oven isn't making any mysterious noises, it should be regularly cleaned to help keep things that way.

Although clicking is generally a good sign and not a bad one for this appliance, if you're ever concerned about your oven's performance, just bake some cornbread. Cornbread mixes like Jiffy are engineered to cook the exact same every time. Several batches made exactly to the instructions should all come out identical — and, assuming the oven is good, you'll have a mountain of delicious cornbread to work through.