This has been happening in my game lately too, but it's not just the stove. Sometimes it's the toilet, shower, television, computer, a chair, etc. Suddenly for no reason at all, my Sim will wave their hand, shrug and cancel the action even though they previously had no problems using said item beforehand. With the computer, if I tell them to sit in the chair and then use it, they will. And with the other things, sometimes all I have to do is tell them to 'go here' right in front of the object and then click to use it.
It's very random as to the object and how often it happens. Some days, they use everything just fine, other days they seemingly have a problem with multiple objects. It's very odd. One thing I have noticed though is distance away from the object you want them to use seems to be a factor, but not always. Sometimes they can be standing right in front of it and can't use it. I have a feeling something with the routing perhaps got messed up in a patch. Just a thought... *shrugs*
Good luck, I hope a solution to this random routing issue can be found soon. :)