Have one purchased nearly NIB off fleaPay years ago
Use it as a "summer oven" for times when one wishes to bake or roast but not heat up the place by using the large gas oven.
Yours is a fairly early version without any means of temperature control. There is an internal thermostat that is factory preset. In a way it is rather like using early clothes irons. The amount of time one preheats the thing and how long one leaves things in controls the amount of heat. IIRC the recipe booklet gives preheating and cooking times. If you leave the thing plugged in/on without anything inside to absorb the heat, then yes it will reach very high temps.
Some of these early models had a temperature gauge on the lid somewhere. It looks like a round oven thermometer.
Mine is the last of the metal versions (they later went to painted versions) and it does have temperature controls with a thermostat. It came without an owner's manual/recipe book but telephoned Westbend and those nice ladies from customer service sent one. Was that amazed they all seemed to know exactly what one was speaking of, how is that for service? Think the first time was sent the manual for an earlier model, but soon as one contacted Westbend again they made things right. May have paid a small amount initially for the copy but nothing for the second that corrected initial error.
Westbend made several flavors of these ovens during their production run. Some were stove top models designed to be used on ranges or at cabins/when camping. Early electric and later models were designed to serve as either primary or secondary ovens. Living spaces being what they were in the 1930's through post war years like Westinghouse roasters housewives could use these ovens to suit conditions on the ground.
In any case am here to tell you the outer shell/lid gets *VERY* hot. With no insulation all that aluminum (Westbend was a division of Alcola so you get the picture), one needs to exercise extreme caution. Use very thick and heavy oven mitts/pot holders. Keep the thing WELL away from children, the elderly and or infirm. Place on a solid and stable surface and mind that the cord cannot be yanked or pulled by anyone passing by.
All this being said my unit works remarkably well. Tested with an oven thermometer it is quite accurate and have done everything from chicken to cakes and pies. Since the interior space is much smaller than a standard oven things tend to bake/roast a bit faster. This means you may have to adjust any recipe to accommodate and that includes perhaps lowering the temperature a bit.
