Save turkey with dry run

Angie Hicks still remembers the Thanksgiving she couldn’t put a turkey on the table.

“We were cooking the turkey in a roaster one year, and when we plugged it in we didn’t know we’d blown a circuit. We cooked the entire meal without realizing that the turkey was stone cold,” she said. “In cases like that, you better hope you’ve got a good neighbor.”

Or a repairman who works on Thanksgiving.

Oven technicians willing to work on Thanksgiving are hard to come by, so local appliance companies want holiday hosts to check their ovens before Turkey Day.

“We see a lot more service at this time of the year because many customers put off appliance repairs for as long as they can, right up until the turkey comes,” said Bud Eader, manager of the Bettar Appliance Service company in Kensington.

The 50-year-old company has four technicians who receive 10 to 15 service calls on an average day. Twenty-five percent of those calls are oven-related, and that percentage skyrockets as the holidays approach, Mr. Eader said.

“Sometimes these are easily fixable problems,” he said. But appliance service isn’t cheap.

The average oven repair can cost consumers $150, up to $300 for more sophisticated models.

“Some of the companies [who work on Thanksgiving] will probably charge $100 for $25 worth of labor,” said Bill Jones, the owner of Procter Appliance Service in Silver Spring.

“The holidays are definitely good for business,” said Hamed Fadlalla, one of five technicians working at D.C. Appliance Repair. “This is the busiest time for oven repairs. I’m getting calls all the time about people who need their ovens repaired by Thanksgiving.”

The most common failure in a typical electrical kitchen range is the burning element, a small, electrical conductor in the bottom of the oven.

“It only takes about 15 minutes to change an oven’s burning element,” Mr. Jones said. “But a lot of people will charge extra money because it’s a holiday.”

“I used to fix a lot of burning elements on Thanksgiving Day,” he said. “This time of the year is always the mad rush to get ovens and dishwashers fixed.”

Mr. Jones is retiring this year and has decided not to work tomorrow so he can spend the day with his family.

Most local repair companies close their shops on Thanksgiving, but there are a few business-minded technicians who see the advantages to staying open.

The Apple Appliance Repair Co. in Falls Church stays open. The company would not disclose its prices for oven repairs on Thanksgiving.

Some technicians at Jim’s Appliance Repair in the District are willing to work Thanksgiving Day.

“We are a small company, and in order to stay versatile, we can work on Thanksgiving if it is needed,” said Brian, an employee who would not give his last name.

Ms. Hicks has learned from her kitchen crisis and has become a good neighbor for those with appliance troubles.

In 1995, she started a consumer-networking Web site called Angie’s List (www.angieslist.com) to share household tips and advice about local service companies.

The Web site also gives tips on preparing appliances to survive the toils of Thanksgiving.

“The best thing you can do is keep your oven clean,” Ms. Hicks said. “But whatever you do, do not run your oven’s self-cleaning setting a day before Thanksgiving.”

Ovens are more likely to fail during or immediately after a self-cleaning cycle, Ms. Hicks said.

Seasoned appliance technicians agree.

“The best thing you can do is plan ahead, and make sure that you keep your stove clean,” Mr. Eader said.

“Soil and excessive moisture can add to the problems in an oven,” he said. “Just remember that when you are wiping down your oven with a sponge, electricity and water don’t mix well, even when the stove is off.”

“Checking a couple of these things today could save you a lot of anguish when the relatives walk through the door,” Ms. Hicks said. “And if all else fails, a good neighbor may be the best friend you have.”