Having family for Christmas and the oven stopped working last night.

[Fla Dem]

This has been an ongoing problem. It's a Kenmore Elite, about 10 years old. Electronic control panel. I'll be cooking and all of a sudden it will just turns off and flashes a F90 error code. Sometimes if I just turn it off and on a couple of times it will reset and continue cooking. It's under an extended warranty that I purchased, so had a technician out 3 times to try and determine problem and hopefully repair or replace the control panel.

But the damn oven never goes into error mode when he's here, so he says there is nothing he can do. Last time he was here I showed him video of the control panel with the F90 error code flashing and the warning beeps blaring. But again, he said unless it does it while he's here, he doesn't know what the problem is.

So last night I just finished making spaghetti sauce for our Christmas eve dinner, when the damn thing went into error mode again. This time the oven door locked and all the burners shut down. Tried everything to get it working again, but no luck. So called the number on the warranty and spent 45 minutes on the phone with the guy walking me through steps to see what the problem is. Finally he gave up and scheduled a technician to come out to the house on TUESDAY, Christmas Eve Day. We unplugged it because if the oven is locked concerned it might go into cleaning mode.

So no baking, cooking or anything until at least Christmas Eve afternoon, and that's if he can repair the stove. I'm screwed. Family coming in from out of state arriving Sunday and I don't know what I'm going to do if the damn stove can't be fixed. Can you do a Christmas dinner in the microwave?

I'm stressing and trying not to panic.

UPDATE: Service Tech out today. Couldn't determine problem, but got the oven and stove top working. He thinks the problem is in the electronics board so has ordered a new one. So keeping my fingers crossed, everything goes well over the holidays. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and support.

[jberryhill]

1. Here you go...

[Historic NY]

4. Snort!!!

[guillaumeb]

29. Another thought.

If there is a Middle Eastern restaurant in the area, order some platters and appetizers.

[underpants]

33. 😁 part of my platform for a POTUS run would be standardization of Chinese menus

#42 in Boise should be the same as #42 in Tulsa.

[jberryhill]

35. Holy shit! Where do I donate?

That’s genius.

Appoint General Tso to the Joint Chiefs.

[blm]

40. Hahah

[A HERETIC I AM]

49. You can do that only if you standardize charging cords first.

Then same charger plug that I use on my beard trimmer should work on my phone and my GPS and my second hand, electric donkey bottom biter.

[underpants]

61. Uh oh.

We're on to something here.

[greatauntoftriplets]

44. My niece's oven crapped out on Thanksgiving 2018.

So she got carryouts from a local place that was actually open that night. It was a good meal.

[FM123]

2. Omg, such timing!

If I was near you, I would bring over my extra toaster oven to lend you but I am all the way down south in Broward County. Can you ask some friends/neighbors who are not hosting this year if you can borrow any toaster ovens from them - it is not as good as a big oven but you can probably plug in a few here and there....

[Fla Dem]

12. Thanks for the thought. Maybe I'll just go out and buy one. But not sure it'll take a 10lb turkey.

[Grasswire2]

30. there are electric roasters that can easily handle a turkey.

Look how cheap this is at Walmart -- $29.95. Target is just a bit more $

Handles a 24 pound turkey.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Oster-18-Quart-Silver-Roaster-with-High-Dome-Self-Basting-Lid/620114443?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2552&adid=22222222227241909564&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=289722419678&wl4=pla-492610945636&wl5=9032946&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=620114443&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI59GXsPLH5gIVyh6tBh187gluEAQYBSABEgIiGvD_BwE

[elleng]

3. VERY sorry,

and glad I've not had such hi-tech cooking stuff. I do recall one year problem @ folks house for Thanksgiving, so turkey went to Weber!

[CatMor]

5. So sorry ..

there are two burner electric cooktops for a reasonable price at about 25.00 to 35.00. It would heat the sauce and cook the pasta. I feel for you.

[Fla Dem]

9. It's just not Christmas eve dinner, but Christmas Day as well

I have a Turkey to cook with all the sides. I may go to Publix today and order the sides, but I still have to heat them up. It's breakfast and feeding them while they're all here. So really can't depend on neighbors and/or friends. They'll have their own cooking to do.

If it can be repaired then it's all good, but if not........driving off a cliff.

[CatMor]

13. The turkey without an oven is a real problem ....

sure hope the repair person can fix it. Wishing you much luck.

[LisaL]

27. Most sides can be microwaved to heat up.

[Fla Dem]

43. Yup, will do the sides in the microwave.

Just hoping the tech will finally find the problem and fix it on their 4th try.

[In_The_Wind]

6. Did you try resetting the circuit breaker?

[Fla Dem]

10. Just did, no change. Thanks for the idea.

[In_The_Wind]

15. Enjoy takeout.

Unless you have a neighbor nearby who who is willing to share the kitchen.

Do you have a BBQ Grill you can cook on?

[True Blue American]

16. My son

Always cooks the turkey on the charcoal grill.

Put the hot coals round the edge, Turkey in a pan, close lid. Delicious.

[In_The_Wind]

18. Sounds wonderful!

It's too cold in upstate NY to play with the grill outside. When I was younger the snow didn't keep me inside.

[True Blue American]

19. It was cold here at Thanksgiving

Sets it up on his porch. colder then than now. Around 50 Christmas Day.

Brines it is apple juice and salt.

[wryter2000]

28. What Was said upthread

You can cook a turkey just fine on a Webber grill

[In_The_Wind]

47. I use a George Foreman Rotisserie.

Excellent for birds of any kind.

My favorite Christmas Dinner for two is Roast Duck.

[mnhtnbb]

50. I was just going to suggest that.

I had Bosch double ovens that would flash an error code and the mfg. said to reset the circuit breaker when that happened. Of course, the ovens were on an outside breaker, so that was lots of fun, especially at night!

Maybe try resetting your master breaker?

Good luck!

[empedocles]

7. Happened to us one Thanksgiving Morning. Gracious neighbor helped coordinate

over-sharing turkey times. Fortunately, it helped that we had one of those scrawny organic turkeys.

[billcantdeal]

8. I found some good info using Google

I searched for F90 error code and got what looked to me like decent info. You might need a handyman for some of the steps and you might need to find out if any of the suggestions will void your warranty.

[Fla Dem]

11. Yes, thanks. We've been there several times.

The steps have worked in the past, but not this time.

[NotASurfer]

14. Maybe a big electric roaster would work

Probably $60-80 at local purveyors of fine kitchen appliances?

Parents used one to roast the bird often enough, set it up on a card table in the garage to free up kitchen space.

When the turkey was done, it got covered and rested while sides were loaded up and got their 30-45 minutes.

Reminds me of an old Cathy comic where she had modern appliances, gadgets, and cookware at her disposal and it was a train wreck. Cut to her mom, who pulled off the big meal flawlessly with a bowl, a saucepan, and a big wooden spoon. I think that's what it feels like, versus what selective memory tells us

[fierywoman]

17. Best turkey I ever ate was spatchcocked, brined in (among other things) bourbon and

roasted on a BBQ grill.

[True Blue American]

20. Spatchcocked?:)

Now I know!

[fierywoman]

25. Try it! #&%$&-ing brilliant !!!

[True Blue American]

45. I know how to do it

Just not the name!:

[Ohiogal]

21. I guess it will make a humorous story to tell

A few years down the road.... can someone else take over hosting the meal, or is everyone coming from out of town?

Reminds me of The Christmas Story family who ended up in a Chinese restaurant!

[sdfernando]

22. How well do you know your neighbors?

Perhaps one will let you borrow their oven/kitchen?

Growing up in Army Posts the neighbors were always helping each other out.

[csziggy]

23. According to internet appliance repair sites it's the door lock system

The F90 error code indicates that the door unlock time exceeded. This will happen if the lock is in the locked position with the oven door open or if the lock motor fails. Have someone hold in the oven door light switch while you set the control up for the self-cleaning cycle. Let the self-cleaning cycle run for only 4-5 minutes then press stop/cancel. This should allow the lock assembly to reset & retract the door lock back into the unlocked position.

You can also try resetting the appliance by disconnecting it from the outlet or switch off the circuit breaker for 20-30 minutes. Once power is restored run a test cycle. If this does not work I suspect a door lock assembly failure. This type of diagnosing will require accessing the lock assembly & using a volt/ohm meter for testing.
https://www.shopyourway.com/questions/1071856

Also see the graphics at https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/106810/I+keep+getting+F30+or+F90+error+code+on+my+Kenmore+Elite+Gas+Range

[underpants]

31. csziggy is the BOMB 💣

That's excellent. Thanks in general bit bookmarking if I need it.

[csziggy]

36. !

[True Blue American]

46. I have a Sears

So far so good. No knobs, completely flat. The reason I bought it. Knew the minute I saw it that was my stove.

[csziggy]

48. Searss (or Kenmore) appliances were just rebranded and made by other companies

You can do research to find out who actually made your appliance.

Right now, my refrigerator/freezer set are Kenmore, sold by Frigidaire as "Sidekicks" but actually made by the Woods Company in Canada.

I used to have a washer/dryer set that was labeled Kenmore but made by Whirlpool.

[dawg day]

51. I had exactly this problem!

I fixed it from Internet help like this. I don't remember what I did, but it required about as much strategy as D-Day.

[Niagara]

24. JIC plans (Just in case)

If you or the technician can't figure out the issue, is it possible to:

1. Order a catered Christmas dinner from a deli or grocery store? If you put in an order now, you should be guaranteed the order.

2. Is all your family coming in from out of town? If another family member lives close by, they could host or at least help out with the baking and cooking if the oven can't be fixed by then.

3. Look into a single or multi-burner camping stove. You could create a very non-traditional Christmas meal such as tacos.

4. Ask your neighbor's if you could borrow their oven and explain why. It's the season of goodwill after all.

Good luck , I hope it all works out. We once had to get a new stove because I turned on the oven and cooked a mouse that had somehow gotten into a compartment of the oven. My other half took the stove apart and never found the body. The smell of it was awful.

[LisaL]

26. Yep, there are stores that would make the dinner if ordered. Hopefully it's not too late.

I doubt the neighbor would let somebody borrow their oven on Christmas, considering they will likely be in need of it themselves.

[Niagara]

38. My in-laws changed plans

Originally, we were going to do a pot luck. They changed it since they decided to order catering. I will be making desserts on Christmas Eve and I won't need to use my oven on Christmas Day, at least this year I won't.

[Grasswire2]

32. electric plug-in roaster handles 24 pound turkey

.....and is a VERY USEFUL appliance to own year-round to free up oven space.

$29.95 at Walmart. A bit more at Target.

Oster brand.

[Fla Dem]

55. May look into it even i the oven gets fixed. Thanks

[yellowdogintexas]

64. You can make a ton of things like beef stew,

soup, spaghetti sauce, chili, or pot roast in one of those roasters.

[Grasswire2]

65. ribs, too. Oven BBQ style. nt

[IADEMO2004]

34. Christmas morning NO HOT WATER 10 guests + our 4

Called plumber friend to leave message on his shop phone and he was THERE!! just returning from a furnace repair. Raced to shop grabbed parts repaired in under an hour. Christmas Miracle.


Hope your luck is as good.

[Fla Dem]

56. Wow, sometimes everything just falls into place. Glad all came out well.

[Rorey]

37. Same thing happened with my Kenmore Elite

Probably about the same age. My son, who was living with me at the time, is an electrician and also just pretty smart, and he determined that it was the circuit board and said it was about $200. I wavered about having him order one and put it in because of the age of the stove, and finally just decided that I'd buy a new one. I figured we could live without an oven for a bit because they had one of those Instant Pot things and I didn't use the oven much anyway. Of course this was this past summer, not holiday time. I guess my son and his wife thought I was taking too long because one night they disappeared for a bit and came back with a new stove. It doesn't have the bells and whistles that my Kenmore Elite has, but that's okay. I had already seen that the price of electric ranges had gone up quite a bit since I bought that Kenmore Elite.

Good luck. I hope the technician gets it fixed. I'm not a fan of extended warranties. I generally just hope for the best.

And I just remembered, not only would the entire thing shut itself off, everything was burning when it was going.

[emmaverybo]

39. Whole Foods offers cooked holiday meals with sides. Not bad. Can order online and then pick up.

Some Safeways also do and other specialty grocery stores. No, not as good as you would do yourself, but not terrible. Safeway has good catered food like appetizer and sandwich trays, better than what they sell in their deli. So you can pick and choose. Also, if you get a roaster, you can just order sides. I think a Boston Market also does prepared meals for a crowd.

I had a Kenmore dryer on the fritz. Technician was terrible. Electrical contractor partner discovered the problem.

Whatever you do, people can have a good time just being together.

[LisaL]

41. Yea, Whole Foods sure does.

Never tried their holidays meals but I imagine they will be pretty good.

[Karadeniz]

59. We did Whole Foods one year. Totally bland, everything.

[emmaverybo]

60. Agree. Cranberry sauce good. Gravy good. Beans undercooked. Potatoes bland mush. Stuffing bland.

Cooked my own turkey breast. However, have not tried some of our smaller, high-end stores. Was reasonable. Did like the convenience.

[mercuryblues]

42. If you have a waffle iron

do waffles and microwave bacon. If not Make Eggo's and bacon. It is also possible to make srambled eggs in the microwave.

Call friends and see if they have an electric roaster you can borrow for the turkey & gravy, and if they'll let you boil the potatoes the day before and warm them up in the microwave.

If you have a Costco they sell an awesome crème brulee, in the refrigerated section. It's about $8 for 8 of them.

[Fla Dem]

57. Thanks for all the great suggestions

[RazBerryBeret]

52. several Insta Pots??

I can roast a bone-in turkey breast in my insta pot in 40-50 minutes. Veggies are good too.... I haven't had luck with potatoes tho...

[catrose]

53. I don't know about a microwave, but I fixed Christmas dinner on a hot plate once.

We'd just moved into a house without a stove, no deliveries until the new year. Maybe we did microwave turkey slices. Fortunately, the memory has faded.

[Lefta Dissenter]

54. Re: asking the neighbors,

Perhaps you could roast your turkey in the neighbor’s oven on Christmas Eve day, dismantle it (the turkey, not the oven), and then heat in an electric roaster or crock or whatever on Christmas Day.

Don’t panic, don’t stress - one way or another everyone will pitch in and you’ll all have a wonderful time, regardless of the menu.

[defacto7]

58. I had one of those ovens about the same age.

I also work with electronics. There are some dangerous aspects to that model you should watch out for. The main one is sticking relays in the circuit board. Relays stick in the on position and if your lucky it posts an error. In my case the broiler stuck in the on position and cause extreme heat that threw a fire ball out when the oven door was opened. The oven couldn't be turned off so had to yank the stove away from the wall and pull the plug to make it stop. Since the components on the board were proprietary I couldn't replace them and I didn't want to replace the whole board for $3 worth of relays. So I had to disconnect the broiler completely. Then I could use the stovetop until I could replace the whole oven.

The other problem with that model is the oven door sagging so it didn’t have a proper seal and the sensors couldn't tell if it should be locked from over heating or not. It wouldn't lock.

Just be aware and careful.

[hlthe2b]

62. I share your frustration...One of my two showers is now kaput as of 5 am when the faucet knob broke.

and leaving no way to turn the shower on or off.

Heading out to Home Depot to (hopefully) find an easily installed universal replacement...Aaargh. Why can't this happen some other day (and why do they make these damned things out of hard plastic!!!!? )

[Fla Dem]

63. See update in main post.