How to Use an OTG Oven: Modes, Rack Positions and First Use: Makers Compared

Four OTG makers’ own manuals, read side by side: which rods each dial switches on, which shelf each maker puts the food on, and what each says to do before the first bake.

Ovens on Amazon.inTwo OTG ovens and two convection microwaves, with the Amazon.in price on 8 Nov 2026. Examples of each type, not a ranking.

Glen 35 L OTG SA5035BLRCMulti-function OTG, 2100W, oven toaster griller₹6,600Amazon, 8 Nov 2026★ 4.0Check price ↗AGARO Marvel 48 L OTGOven toaster griller, motorised rotisserie₹7,000Amazon, 8 Nov 2026★ 3.8Check price ↗LG 28 L Convection Microwave MC2846BVConvection microwave oven, Health Plus menu₹14,000Amazon, 8 Nov 2026★ 4.3Check price ↗IFB 30 L Convection Microwave 30BRC2Convection microwave oven, 360 degree motorized rotisserie₹16,500Amazon, 8 Nov 2026★ 4.4Check price ↗

See all ovens on Amazon.in ↗

Quick answer: put the rack or tray in, close the door, choose the function (which rods heat), set the temperature, then set the timer. The details depend on whose manual you follow. Morphy Richards puts the grill rack in the centre position; USHA (outside our main brands) puts it in the top rack; Prestige’s recipes we read grill on the Centre shelf, except Kulcha on Top. On first use, Morphy Richards and USHA each give a heat-up run, AGARO says first-use smoke clears on its own, and Prestige’s first-use box gives no heat-up run at all.

The documents. The four manuals quoted here are for the Morphy Richards 60 RCSS, the AGARO Marvel-48L, Prestige’s POTG 9PC, 19PC, 19PCR, 28PCR and 36PCR, and USHA’s OTGW 3619R, 3629R, 3635RC and 3642RCSS (outside our main brands). Each is the maker’s own PDF, hosted by Amazon and linked from the product listing; all were read on 30 September 2026. The Prestige manual is image-only, so we read it from page renders. If you are still choosing a model, see our best OTG oven in India guide; if you are unsure an OTG is what you have, see the difference between an OTG and an oven.

How to use an OTG oven, step by step

This sequence is ours, put together from the four manuals, with each step credited.

1. Place it with space around it. Prestige: “keep atleast 4 inches of space on all sides of the oven” (sic). AGARO: “keep at least four inches of space on all sides”. Morphy Richards asks for “at least 4 inches (100 mm) between the back cover of the OTG and the wall.” USHA asks for “at least 10 cm of space on the back and sides” and adds: “Make sure your oven is the only appliance connected to the socket.”
2. First use only: follow your maker’s first-use routine (below).
3. Put the rack or tray where your maker says (rack table below).
4. Close the door, then choose the function, set the temperature and set the timer. The order differs: Prestige lists function, then temperature, then timer; AGARO lists temperature, then the rotisserie and convection dial, then the heating rods, then the timer.
5. Let the timer finish. Morphy Richards says the OTG “will switch ON, the moment the timer knob is set to any desired cooking time” and shuts off when the time runs out. AGARO’s manual says the unit switches off and a bell rings. Prestige: “After cooking time is over, you will hear a beep sound indicating the completion of cooking.”
6. Take the food out with the handle. Morphy Richards: “Open the glass door after the cooking function is over, always use the glass door handle.” It also says: “Use tongs for handling hot cooking tray, wire rack & rotisserie.” Prestige: “Always wear protective cotton gloves when inserting or removing items from the hot oven.”
7. Switch off. Prestige says to turn the timer and temperature knobs to OFF. AGARO’s after-use list turns off the timer, the heating selector and the rotisserie and convection dial, then unplugs the appliance.

Maximum timer settings differ too: Prestige prints a 60-minute maximum, AGARO’s 48L a 120-minute timer, and USHA 0 to 60 minutes plus a stay-on setting.

Which rods each dial switches on

USHA says the convection fan is on the OTGW 3635 RC and 3642 RCSS only. AGARO’s manual says to grill on its top-heating setting and recommends convection for it. Temperature ceilings also differ: Prestige “up to 250 degree centigrade”, AGARO’s dial 100 to 250, Morphy Richards 0 to 230 °C.

Which rods for baking

Three makers point to both rods. Prestige’s cake and pudding recipes select both heaters. USHA’s Bake function runs top and bottom rods. AGARO’s baking blogs say both top and bottom rods. One further maker we read disagrees: Borosil says “use the bake mode (bottom rods on)”.

The fan is a separate split. Morphy Richards tells you to “Press the convection function button” when baking; USHA’s Bake function runs without the fan.

Which shelf: where each maker puts the food

“Top rack for grilling” is USHA’s instruction, not a rule every maker shares. USHA says to “slide it into the top rack” and to place food “as close as possible to the top heating element without it touching the element.” Morphy Richards grills in the centre.

Prestige splits by recipe. Its Submarine recipe says “Grill the paneer pieces on the grill rack for 10 minutes.” with “Shelf placement: Centre”. Its Spinach Corn Sandwich says “Grill it at 170° Centigrade for 15 minutes.” also with “Shelf placement: Centre”. Kulcha is the only grilled item we found on Top: “grill it for 10 minutes at 120° Centigrade”, with “Shelf placement: Top” and “Heater select: Both”. Achari Bhindi also sits on Top with “Heater select: Top”, but its method is a bake: “Bake till crisp for 15 minutes.” Prestige’s layout diagram shows Top, Middle and Bottom positions, and it says: “Place food to be cooked on griller rack and then place the griller rack on the food tray.”

AGARO’s eight-page manual gives no rack positions, so on an AGARO follow the recipe you are using.

First use: each maker’s routine

There is no single first-use rule across these four manuals.

• Morphy Richards 60 RCSS: unpack, “Remove stickers (if any, except the rating label).”, wipe the glass door and inner cavity with a damp cloth, then a dry one. Set the timer to 10 minutes and heat the OTG on the toast/convection position at 230 °C. “A slight smell may be emitted.” Then: “Ensure sufficient ventilation.”
• USHA OTGW: “Before first use, heat the empty oven and leave the door open for at least ten minutes. This will burn off any excess lubricants found in the oven’s heating elements and is not harmful.”
• AGARO Marvel-48L: “When used for the first time, there might be some light smoke coming out from the oven which is normal.” It says the smoke goes away by itself after 5 to 10 minutes. It gives no heat-up run.
• Prestige POTG range: “Remove all racks and pans. Wash them in hot soapy water or in dishwasher”, then “Dry all accessories thoroughly and re-assemble in the oven.” and “Plug the oven into the power outlet and you are ready to use your OTG”. No heat-up run appears in the Prestige manual we read.

Preheat: how long, per maker

• Morphy Richards: “Before every use, preheat the OTG for 10 minutes with function select knob on your desired function position and temperature control knob at desired temperature.” You can skip it for back-to-back runs less than 5 minutes apart, and the timer is set for the recipe “(exclude the pre heating time)”.
• USHA: for baking, “Preheat the oven for almost 15 minutes.” For grilling and rotisserie: “For best results, we recommend preheating the oven.”
• AGARO: its baking blogs say 10 to 15 minutes.
• Prestige: “Some of the recipes may require pre-heating.” Its cake recipes say “(Pre-heat oven 10 minutes)”; its sandwich and macaroni recipes “(Pre-heat oven 5 minutes)”. The manual lists the models that preheat with the function knob as 19PCR, 19PC, 28PCR and 36PCR (plus Red variants); the 9PC, which has no function knob, is not on that list.

Rotisserie, where your model has one

On Prestige, rotisserie is on the 19PCR, 28PCR and 36PCR only. Its steps: fit a fork, run the spit through the centre of the food, fit the second fork, “Check that food is centered on the spit.”, then seat the pointed end in the drive socket on the right-hand wall. “Grease the food tray and place it on the bottom support guide.” Then set the temperature, “Set the Function Knob to any of the two Rotisserie functions.” and set the timer.

AGARO: “Set the selector to Rotisserie or Rotisserie & Convection setting. The rotisserie starts rotating.” Morphy Richards pairs its grill setting with the rotisserie switch.

Taking the spit out, the makers disagree. AGARO says to wait until the oven has cooled and lift the right side of the spit first. Morphy Richards: “Lift up the left end of the rotisserie rod slightly.” USHA: “Lift the left side of the rotisserie first by lifting it up and out.” Follow your own manual.

Foil, containers and metal

• Foil: only Prestige mentions it: “Do not cover the CRUMB TRAY or any part of the oven with metal foil. This may cause overheating of the oven.” The Morphy Richards, USHA and AGARO manuals we read have no foil line. AGARO does say: “Do not cover any part of the oven to prevent overheating of the oven”
• Paper and plastic: Morphy Richards: “Do not place any of the following materials in the oven: cardboard, plastic, paper, or anything similar.” USHA: “Never use plastic, cardboard or paper or anything similar in the oven.” Prestige forbids the same.
• Sealed containers: Prestige: “Any container placed in this appliance must not be sealed and must have enough capacity to let liquids expand.”
• Metal: Prestige and Morphy Richards both warn that “Oversized foods or metal utensils must not be inserted” in a toaster oven. USHA says the opposite way round: “Do not use containers made of anything other than metal or oven proof glass.” USHA also says: “We do not recommend usage of oven roasting bags or glass containers in the oven.” These lines conflict, so we do not say metal pans are banned or that any metal is fine. Check your manual.

For cleaning the trays and cavity afterwards, see how to clean an oven.

What it costs

This page lists no running or service cost for an OTG, so it carries none.

What we could not verify

• Bajaj. We found no Bajaj OTG manual; Bajaj’s user-manual page showed a page-not-found error on 30 September 2026.
• AGARO rack positions. The AGARO Marvel-48L manual gives none. The same 48L manual is attached to AGARO’s 9L and 25L Amazon listings, so owners of those sizes are reading the 48L’s document.
• Morphy Richards cake temperature. Its manual prints a cake range whose lower figure, 10°, looks like a misprint, so we do not repeat that range as guidance.
• Self-clean. None of the four OTG manuals we read describes a self-clean programme.
• Measured figures. Every preheat time here is a maker instruction; no maker we read publishes a measured preheat time.
• USHA’s website did not connect when we went to read it, so USHA facts rest on its manual.

Buying a New OTG Oven? Start Here

The full comparison is in Best OTG Oven in India (2026): 13 Models Compared, the HomeVerdicts guide to OTG ovens. These are the first two products in that guide; the guide compares all of them.

Amazon India prices on 31 October 2026, rounded to the nearest ₹100 (prices change often). As an Amazon Associate, HomeVerdicts earns from qualifying purchases made through these links.