Slow cook
Gentle top and bottom heat at a low temperature, held for hours.
What it is for
Seared, tender pieces of meat in an open dish without a lid (Bosch, Siemens), casserole-style dishes cooked tender over several hours (Neff), vegetable stew or brisket (AEG).
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
- Dashed lines at the top and bottom (Bosch, Siemens; Neff adds a piece of meat between them). AEG draws a pot with a crescent moon instead.
- Names makers use
- Slow cook (Bosch, AEG); Slow cooking (Siemens, Neff)
Where makes differ
The dashes mean “low” here; a solid pair of lines is ordinary top and bottom heat. Bosch and Siemens specifically say seared meat in ovenware without a lid, while AEG draws a lidded pot — follow your own manual for the dish.
Often confused with
The element in the oven roof and the element under the floor heat at the same time and the fan stays off. Heat reaches the food from above and below only.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch UK — Oven symbols guide — “Slow cook” symbol icon (dashed lines top and bottom): seared, tender meat in ovenware without a lid; heat from above and below at low temperatures. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide — “Slow cooking” pictogram (dashed lines top and bottom): the same description, heat evenly from top and bottom at low temperatures. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Slow cooking symbol”: gentle top and bottom heating to cook casserole-style dishes tenderly for several hours. Checked 2026-09-23.
- AEG: AEG UK support — Symbols and functions on your AEG oven or cooker — “Slow Cook” icon (a pot with a crescent moon): low temperature, longer cooking time; vegetable stew or brisket. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.