The Bertazzoni oven food probe is a temperature probe on a cable that plugs into a socket inside the oven and measures the inside of the food instead of the air in the cavity. When a display shows a probe message, or a short code some owners read as FP, the cause usually falls into one of three situations: a probe is plugged in and being read, the oven expects a probe that is not there, or the oven cannot get a clean reading from the socket or the probe. This glossary explains the terms that go with it and what to do when the message will not go away, and your owner’s manual is the final word on how your model uses its probe and what its display codes mean. Our own model pages do not list FP as a Bertazzoni code, so treat it as an owner description, not a confirmed definition.
What is the food probe on a Bertazzoni oven?
It is a thermometer you can leave in the food while it cooks. The tip goes into the thickest part of a roast or poultry, the cable runs to a jack in the oven wall, and the control reads the internal temperature of the food, not the temperature of the air. That is the most reliable way to know a roast is done, because oven air and food temperature are two different things and the gap between them changes with every dish.
Because the probe measures food, the oven can use it differently from the clock. Depending on the model, you may set a target and be alerted when the food reaches it, or the oven may hold or reduce its heat. Read the probe section of your manual for exactly what your model does. For a plain explanation of the oven’s other systems, our Bertazzoni oven how the main systems work guide is a good companion.
What does a flashing FP or a food probe message point to?
Some owners describe the display flashing FP, or showing a food probe message, when something about the probe circuit is not as they expect. We cannot confirm from our model pages what FP stands for on your oven, so take the three situations below as practical possibilities, not as a decoded definition. The probe is plugged in and the oven is asking you to set a target or confirm. The oven thinks a probe is plugged in, but none is, which happens when the jack is dirty or damp. Or the oven senses a probe but cannot get a sensible reading, which points to a damaged probe or cable.
Because displays vary between models, match the message to your manual rather than assuming. If the message appears with no probe in the oven and stays after you switch the oven off and on, the problem is usually the jack or the control and not your cooking. Our Bertazzoni oven troubleshooting checklist shows what to write down before a visit.
Why does the message stay after the probe is removed?
If the oven still shows the message with the probe out, three things are worth checking. First, moisture or grease in the jack can mimic a connected probe, and a gentle wipe with a dry cotton swab when the oven is cold and off often clears it. Second, a bent or damaged pin in the jack can leave the circuit half-closed. Third, the control may have latched the message after an earlier fault.
Switch the oven off at the breaker for a couple of minutes, then switch it on and see whether the message returns. Do not poke the jack with metal tools, and do not spray cleaner into it. If the message comes straight back, the jack or the control needs a technician.
How do you tell whether the probe itself is faulty?
A probe that is kinked, frayed or has a cracked handle should not be used. Heat and repeated bending break the thin wires inside the cable, and a probe with a broken wire may show wild or frozen readings, or no reading at all. Try it in another oven only if the plug is compatible, which is often not the case, and in general replace a damaged probe with one that is specified for your model.
Look at the tip as well. A probe that has been pushed into frozen food or left in a hot oven during cleaning can be damaged internally even if it looks fine. If the oven reads normal temperatures with a good probe and strange ones with an old probe, the old probe is the problem.
How should you use and care for the probe?
Insert the tip into the thickest part of the food, away from bone and fat, and make sure it does not touch the pan. Plug it in before you start the oven, and use mitts when you handle it, because the handle and the jack area get very hot. Unplug it before you take the food out so the cable does not drag against the door.
Wipe the probe clean with a damp cloth and dry it. Do not soak it, put it in the dishwasher or leave it in during a self-clean cycle, since cleaning temperatures destroy the cable. Keep it somewhere it will not be bent. For the wider vocabulary on a Bertazzoni range, our Bertazzoni range terms glossary covers the other words on the display and in the manual.
When should you call a technician?
Call when the message persists with no probe in the oven after a reset, when a new probe is not recognized, or when the display shows other faults as well. A technician can test the jack and the control and replace what has failed. Our Bertazzoni oven repair page explains the visit, and you can book a visit directly.
