Timer or minute minder (clock)
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.
What it is for
Setting a cooking time so you are told — or the oven stops — when it runs out.
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 clock face with two hands.
- Names makers use
- Minute minder (Neff, Smeg); Timer (Hotpoint); Time-setting operations (Siemens)
Where makes differ
Siemens uses the clock to open the time menu and separate arrow-and-bar symbols for Cooking time and End time. Neff and Smeg use a bell for an alarm that only beeps (see Alarm).
Often confused with
A sound-only reminder: it rings when the time is up but leaves the oven on (Smeg).
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:
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Minute minder symbol”: a clock; turns the oven off after a set time with an audible beep. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Smeg: Smeg UK — A guide to oven symbols and what they mean — “Minute-Minder Symbol”: a clock; alerts you and switches off the cooking mode when the time is complete. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint UK — Understanding the different symbols on a Hotpoint oven — “Timer”: designed as a clock; adjust the cooking time and start a timer. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide — “Time-setting operations” pictogram (a clock): opens the menu of time-setting options. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.