Alarm (bell)
A sound-only reminder: it rings when the time is up but leaves the oven on (Smeg).
What it is for
A reminder when you want to check, turn or take out food yourself rather than have the oven stop.
Makes differ, check your oven’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly which elements run and how hot.
- What it looks like
- A bell, usually with its clapper showing as a dot underneath (Neff).
- Names makers use
- Alarm (Neff, Smeg)
Where makes differ
Unlike the clock (minute minder) on the same ovens, the bell does not switch the oven off, so food keeps cooking until you act (Smeg).
Often confused with
Sets a time. On Neff and Smeg ovens the minute minder switches the oven off when the time is up; on others it opens the time settings or runs a countdown.
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 2 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Alarm symbol”: looks like a bell; sounds an alarm when cooking is complete. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Smeg: Smeg UK — A guide to oven symbols and what they mean — “Alarm Symbol”: a bell; an audible alert that, unlike the minute minder, does not switch off automatically. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.