Parkinson Cowan SIG 500 User guide

Owners handbook
and
Installation Instructions
SIG 500

Introduction
This gas cooker has been designed and manufactured to all the
necessary British Standards. It also carries the C.E. mark. The cooker
complies with European Council Directive 90/396/EEC.
It is important that you understand how to use and care for the
cooker properly before you use it for the first time.
We have written this booklet with your safety in mind. Read the
booklet thoroughly before you use the cooker. Keep the booklet in a
safe place so that anyone who uses the cooker can read it. Pass the
booklet on with the cooker if you give or sell it to someone else.
We have included several drawings to show the right and wrong way
of doing things.
The right way will have a smiling face by it.
A sad face shows something is wrong.
Do not remove the rating plate from the cooker as this may
invalidate the guarantee.
For your safety
This cooker is designed for domestic use to cook food. You
must not use it for any other purpose. It is not designed for
commercial use.
Keep children, babies and toddlers away from the cooker at all
times.
The installation instructions tell you how and where it can be
fitted. If the cooker is already installed you must make sure that
all instructions have been followed. If you are in any doubt ask a
registered person. More details on installation on page 27.
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Introduction

Lighting the cooker 4
The grill 6
The hotplate 9
The oven 12
Oven cooking chart 15
The electronic minute minder 18
Slow cooking 20
Care and cleaning 22
Installing the cooker 27
General information 29
What is wrong and why? 31
Servicing 33
Installation Instructions 34
Technical Data 35
Safety requirements/ventilation 36
Location of appliance 37
Installation 38
Testing 40
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Contents
Contents Page

Lighting the cooker
The system works by means of an electric spark system. Details about
the plug are given on page 29.
Hotplate & Grill
To light
1. Lift up the lid. You cannot use the hotplate when the lid is down.
2. Push in the control knob and turn it to the large flame symbol
(highest setting), and press the ignition button immediately. When
the burner has lit release the button
3. Leave the grill door open when you are using the grill.
Warning: If the ignition button is not pressed immediately a build up of
gas may cause the flame to spread.
Please note: If you have any trouble lighting a hotplate burner turn all
the hotplate control knobs off and make sure the hotplate burner parts
have been replaced correctly.
See page 23 for more information.
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Lighting the cooker
For your safety
If you close the lid of the cooker while any of the hotplate burners
are lit the gas will go out. This is because it would be dangerous if
the burners stayed on when the lid was closed.
Always use the control knob to turn off a burner. Do not use
the lid as a cut-off device. This will only cut off the gas when
the lid is closed. The gas will flow again when the lid is
opened.

The oven
To light:
1 Open the oven door.
2 Push in the control knob and turn it to gas mark 9. The oven will light
automatically and the light will illuminate.
3 Now turn the control knob back to the gas
mark you want.
4 Wait until the burner is showing large
flames.
5 Close the oven door.
To turn off any burner
1 Push in the control knob and turn it to the off position. This is shown
by a large dot.
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Lighting the cooker
For your safety
When you are lighting any burner check that it has lit before
you leave the cooker.
When you are turning off a burner, do not leave the cooker
until the flame has gone out.

The grill
The grill is a high-speed grill. The instructions below tell you how to vary
the heat setting and how to change the height of the grid to suit the food
you are cooking. You should remember to turn the food regularly.
You should not use the grill to keep food warm as it will continue to
cook the food.
Heat control
The grill control has two heat settings.
The control knob turns to the left
from 'OFF' to 'HIGH' and then to
'LOW'. Use the high setting for fast
cooking such as toast. Use the low
setting to cook thicker food such as
chicken after you have browned it on
the high setting.
Cooking positions
There is only one position for the
grill shelf.
Most food should be cooked on
the grid in the grill pan. You can turn
the grid over to suit different
thicknesses of food.
You can place some dishes
straight on to the grill shelf. This is
useful when you are browning the
top of food such as cauliflower
cheese.
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The grill
GRILL
For your safety
You must keep the grill door open when the grill burner is lit.
Accessible parts may be hot when the grill is used. Young
children should be kept away.
Never cover the grill pan or grid with foil as this can lead to
grill fires.

Preheating
You don't usually need to preheat the grill. You may wish to preheat it for
a couple of minutes when you are cooking steak or browning food.
Positioning food on
the grid
Place food such as toast, tea-cakes and
muffins towards the centre of the grid.
Place food which needs a gentle heat,
such as tomatoes and mushrooms towards
the edge of the grid.
Arrange meat, meat products and fish to
suit their thickness and how you like them
cooked.
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The grill

The grill pan and handle
The grill pan is supplied with a removable handle.
To attach the handle, place the wirework under the cut out in the pan so
that the metal plate hooks over the top of the grill pan.
Slide the handle to the left and over the central bump on the grill pan.
Ensure the handle is correctly located. It is not necessary to
remove the grill pan handle during grilling.
Place the grill pan on the shelf so that the pan is positioned centrally
beneath the grill.
To remove the handle, slide the handle to the right and lift the handle
away from the cut out on the grill pan.
Note
If you require an additional handle for your grill pan, this can be ordered
from Parkinson Cowan by quoting part number 311479800\6.
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The grill

The hotplate
You can only use the hotplate when the lid is open. If you have any
trouble lighting a hotplate burner turn all hotplate control knobs off and
make sure the hotplate burner parts have been replaced correctly. See
page 23 for more information.
Heat control
The hotplate control knobs turn to
the left from 'OFF' to 'HIGH' and
then to 'LOW'. You can adjust the
heat by turning the control between
the highest and lowest settings.
These are shown as a large and a
small flame symbol.
Burner sizes
The hotplate has three burner sizes
to suit different types of cooking:
Largest burner (Rapid) - use a large
pan for food such as chips.
Medium burners (Normal) - use for
everyday cooking.
Small burner (Simmer) - use for
simmering food such as soups and
stews.
The largest pan which you should use on any burner is 230mm (9"). The
base of the smallest pan should not measure less than 100mm (4").
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The hotplate

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For your safety
Take care to avoid burns and scalds when you
are reaching across the hotplate.
Use pans with flat bases. They are more stable
than pans which are warped.
Do not use pans with very heavy handles which
cause the pan to tip.
Put pans on the centre of the burners.
Position pan handles so they cannot be
accidentally knocked.
Take extra care when you are deep fat frying. Do
not cover the pan with a lid.
Do not leave a pan unattended. If the pan catches
fire, leave it where it is and turn off all controls.
Place a damp cloth or a fitting lid over the pan to
smother the flames.
Never put water on the fire.
Leave the pan to cool for 30 minutes.
If you are using a Wok we recommend it has a flat
base as it will stand stable on the pan supports. If
you use a round based Wok with a collar support,
the collar must be of the open wire work type. A
closed collar will affect the performance of the
burner. Before you use the Wok make sure that
the collar is stable on the pan supports. Always
follow the instructions that come with the Wok.
Do not use the lid as a work surface or chopping
board. This could damage the glass and reduce
its strength.
Th
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1
8

Helpful hints
1 Keep flames under the base of pans. If
the flames lick round the sides of the
pans you are wasting gas.
2 Only heat the amount of liquid you
need. Do not overfill pans.
3 Cover pans with a lid whenever
possible. The food will heat up more
quickly and there will be less steam in
the kitchen.
4 Try cooking more than one vegetable in
the same pan, for example potatoes
and carrots.
5 Cut vegetables into smaller pieces.
This way they will cook more quickly.
6 A pressure cooker will save time and
energy.
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The hotplate

The oven
Before you use the oven you should wipe it out with a damp cloth to
remove any dust.
Heat zones
There are zones of heat within the oven. The
temperature in the middle is the gas mark you
have chosen. The top of the oven is slightly
hotter and the lower shelf slightly cooler. The
base of the oven is quite a lot cooler. You can
make use of these heat zones when you are
cooking foods that need different temperatures
all at the same time.
If you are cooking more than one tray of similar items, for example
cakes or biscuits, swap the trays around during cooking. Or you can
remove the top tray when the food is cooked and move the lower tray to
the higher shelf to finish cooking.
Preheating
You do not need to preheat the oven for casseroling and so on.
Preheat the oven for baking or when you are cooking sensitive food
such as Yorkshire puddings, soufflés and yeast mixtures.
When you are cooking or reheating frozen or chilled food read the
instructions on the packaging. When you need to preheat the oven, we
recommend you do so for 20 minutes.
Oven shelves
You can slot the oven shelves into any of five
positions in the oven. Positions are counted
from the top downwards.
For safety the shelves will only pull out so far.
If you want to remove a shelf completely, pull
it forward as far as it will go, raise the front
edge and lift it out.
To put the shelf into a different position, keep the front edge raised, slot
the shelf on to the runner, lower the front edge and slide the shelf in.
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The oven

Baking trays and dishes
Leave a gap of 13mm (½") betweenall
dishes and the sides of the oven so the
heat can circulate properly.
Do not push dishes too far back as food
will burn if it overhangs the burner flames.
For the best results from the oven we recommend that you use a baking
tray which is 310mm (12") square. If you use a tray or tin which is larger
than this, you may need to turn it around during cooking.
Place single dishes on the centre of the shelf. You may need to turn
large items around during cooking.
Roasting
For best results we recommend open roasting using minimal fat or oil to
prevent splashing.
It is not necessary to cover meat or poultry or wrap food in foil when
roasting as this restricts the circulation of heat and will lead to extended
cooktimes.
If you are using a roasting bag or cover chicken breast with foil, be
prepared to allow an extra 10 - 15 minutes for each 1/2kg (1lb).
When cooking large items such as turkeys, the use of foil may be
required to prevent the breast becoming dry before the rest of the bird is
fully cooked.
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The oven
For your safety
Never place cooking dishes, trays and so
on over the oven burner. This will damage
the cooker as well as the cookware and
possibly the floor covering underneath the
cooker.

Condensation
Condensation may form on the cooker. This is quite normal and nothing
to worry about. The condensation forms when heat and moisture are
present, for example during cooking. Whenever possible try to make
sure that food which contains a lot of moisture, for example casseroles,
are covered. If you do notice any condensation, wipe it up straight away.
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The oven

Oven cooking chart
These instructions are for cooking in the oven after it has been pre-heated for 20 minutes.
If you are cooking more than one tray of similar items, for example cakes or biscuits, swap the trays around during cooking or you
can take the top tray out of the oven when the food is cooked and move the lower tray to the higher shelf to finish cooking.
Always leave at least one shelf position between shelves to allow heat to circulate.
The recommended shelf positions give the best results.
Put the dishes in the centre of the shelf.
You can change the gas marks and cooking times to suit your own tastes.
It is important to check that food is piping hot before serving.
Food Gas mark Shelf position Approximate cooking time
Roasting meat: Beef 5 4 Rare:
Medium:
Well Done:
20 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 30 mins.
25 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 25 mins.
30 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 30 mins.
Lamb 5 4 Medium:
Well Done: 25 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 25 mins. 30 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 30 mins.
Pork and Veal 5 4 Medium:
Well Done: 30 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 30 mins. 35 mins. per ½ kg (1lb) and 35 mins.
Thaw frozen joints thoroughly before cooking them.
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Oven cooking chart

Food Gas mark Shelf position Approximate cooking time
Poultry: Chicken
Turkey below 4.5kg (10lbs)
over 4.5kg (10lbs)
Duck and duckling
Stuffed poultry
5 4 20 mins. per ½kg (1lb) and 20 mins.
4 4 25 mins. per ½kg (1lb) and 25 mins.
4 4 or 5 15 mins. per ½kg (1lb) and 15 mins.
5 4 25 mins. per ½kg (1lb)
Cook as above but calculate weight including stuffing.
Thoroughly thaw frozen joints before cooking them.
The times given above are for open roasting in a preheated oven. If you cover the food with foil or a lid allow an extra 10 - 15 minutes for
each ½kg (1lb).
Yorkshire pudding - large
- individual 7 72 225 - 30 mins. 15 - 25 mins.
Cakes: Christmas Cake (8") 2 4 4 - 5 hours.
Rich fruit, 180mm (7")
205 mm (8")
Madeira, 180 mm (7")
Small cakes
Scones
Victoria Sandwich
180mm (7")
205 mm (8")
2
2
4
5
7
4
4
4
4
4
2 & 4
2 & 4
2 & 4
2 & 4
2¼ - 2¾ hours.
2½ - 2¾ hours.
1 hour.
15 - 25 mins.
10 - 20 mins.
20 - 30 mins.
20 - 35 mins.
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Oven cooking chart
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Food Gas mark Shelf position Approximate cooking time
Pastries: Plate tart (shortcrust)
Fruit pie (shortcrust)
Mince pies (flan pastry)
6
6
5
2
2
2 & 4
25 - 35 mins.
25 - 35 mins.
15 - 25 mins.
To help pastry brown on the underside cook on a metal plate,or if plates are flat and have no rim underneath,place on baking tray.
Puddings: Milk pudding
Baked sponge pudding
Baked custard
2
4
3
3
4
4
2 hrs. approx.
45 - 60 mins.
50 - 60 mins.
Yeast mixtures: Bread 0.45 kg (1lb loaves)
0.90 kg (2 lb loaves)
Rolls and buns
8*
8*
8*
3
3
2
30 - 40 mins.
30 - 40 mins.
10 - 20 mins.
* Note: When baking bread, cook for 10 minutes at Gas mark 8 then reduce to mark 6 for the remaining cook time.
Note: You must soak dried beans then boil them in an open pan for 15 minutes before you add them to any dish.
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Oven cooking chart
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The electronic minute minder
The electronic minute minder can also be used to show the time of day.
Please note that this is a 24 hour clock, for example 2pm is shown as
1400.
In the following pages we explain how to
use the minute minder and set the time of
day. Read through them until you're familiar
with the procedure. We have supplied a
plastic card as a quick reference when using
the minute minder.
If the oven is switched off on the wall or there is a loss of power, the
clock will stop. When you first switch the electricity supply on, the timer
display will flash.
Minute minder
Button 1 = (-) decrease control and minute minder setting button
Button 2 = (+) increase control
( ) cooking symbol
To set the time of day
1. Press both timer buttons together.
2. Release the buttons and within 5 seconds
press button 2. 12.00 will show in the
display.
3. Within 5 seconds set the correct time by
pressing and holding either button.
To use the minute minder
Press and release button 1 then press and
hold button 2 until the display shows the
interval you want to time. The cooking
symbol will show in the display. Our diagram
shows the timer set to 5 minutes.
At the end of the timed period an alarm will sound and the cooking
symbol will flash. Switch off the alarm by pressing button 1.
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The electronic minute minder
button 1 button 2

To cancel the minute minder
If you change your mind and want to cancel the minute minder.
1. Press and release button 1.
2. Press and hold button 1 until 0. 00 shows
in the display.
After a few seconds the cooking symbol will
flash and the time of day will show in the
display.
3. To reset press both buttons together.
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The electronic minute minder

Slow cooking
The slow cook setting gives a very low heat in the oven. It is particularly
useful when you are cooking soups, stews and casseroles because the
long slow cooking will make cheaper, tougher cuts of meat more tender.
You need to cook food at gas mark 6 for 30 minutes before you turn
the oven down to the slow cook setting. This makes sure that the
temperature of the food gets hot enough to start the food cooking.
Some foods such as pastry and biscuits are not suitable for slow
cooking because the temperature is too low.
Cover all food during cooking to prevent it from drying out. You can
uncover food for the last half hour if it is normally served golden brown.
Food preparation - slow cooking
Joints of meat and poultry
l Do not cook meat joints over 2.7kg (6lb).
l Do not cook poultry over 2kg (4lb 8oz).
l Cook in the middle of the oven or above.
l Cook stuffing separately.
l Cook for a minimum of 6 hours.
l Joints of pork must only be cooked if you can ensure, by using a
meat thermometer, that an internal temperature of at least 88oC has
been reached.
l For good air circulation always stand joints on a rack in the roasting
tin or casserole.
l Thaw all frozen meat and poultry before cooking.
l Prime cuts of meat do not benefit from slow cooking.
l Remove excess fat and skin unless browned first.
l Cook for 30 minutes at gas mark 6, then reduce to the slow cook
setting.
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Slow cooking