Clean Your Oven

[mrb627]

I double cleaned my oven this weekend. Although it is a self cleaning gas range, I still prefer to clean it by hand with EZ Off.

The first cleaning cycle is simply the cavity with the racks removed. Spray. Wait 2 hours. Wipe down.

Second cycle is rack clean. Coat each rack as you slowly slide it back in the oven. Wait overnight. Wipe down racks and finally oven shell again.

Looks good as new.

So, how do you clean your oven?

Malcolm

 

[dj-gabriele]

Mine has self cleaning, catalytic liners on all sides. I simply put the racks on the dishwasher when they get dirty and then, if residues remain, wipe them with a wire pad. Five minutes and I'm done!

I love catalytic better than pyrolytic as the oven indeed keeps clean all the time! The only care is that if you cooked at low temperature (under 180°C) and spattered a lot in the oven, just run it a few minutes at 300°C to make the mess disappear!

Oh and the panels last WAY longer than what was suggested on the manual! Change them every 2-3 years? Hahah, from experience with the older oven I'd say they last more than 15 years in mine!

 

[pierreandreply4]

me i use the self cleaning cycle that comes with the oven since its self cleaning. and this is my oven that i use

 

[joeekaitis]

Self-clean cycle, but we ALWAYS remove any dishtowels from the oven door handle, even when we bake or broil. Nearly all tales of exploding glass oven doors can be traced to some sort of thermal shock, not the heat of the self-cleaning cycle, and the most common cause is someone draping a dishtowel with the slightest hint of moisture over the oven door handle.

 

[DADoES]

 
Self-cleaning with porcelain racks that don't have to be removed.

I did clean one the "manual way" last week at a friend's rental property being prepped for tenants.  It's a wall oven so wasn't a problem in terms of bending down to it, but self-clean surely is easier!

 

[vintagekitchen]

Well, in my 1939 GE 40 inch range, I remove the oven racks, spray them with easy off and tie them in a garbage bag. Then I remove the upper and lower oven elements, (they were designed for easy removal. they actually plug into the back of the oven using large prongs and a fitting.) Then coat the interior of the oven with easy off, close the door, and let sit overnight. Next morning a plastic scourer on oven interior, clean out and rinse with throwaway rags. An SOS pad on oven racks, rinse with hose outdoors. Peice of foil in bottom of oven for boilovers, elements back in oven, racks back in oven. All done for a few more months.

 

[maytagbear]

My 2011 Whirlpool gas range?

Remove the racks. Wipe the cavity with a damp dish cloth.

Close door.

Poke "clean" button.

Decide on cycle time, and adjust as needed.

Poke "oven on."

2-4 hours later, wipe up ash with another damp dish cloth!

No way in #^%%@*)!@#@ am I ever, ever touching a can of toxic waste labeled as "oven cleaner" again!

To me, Pyrolitic self-cleaning is a magnificent homemaking gift of the 20th Century to the 21st, along with the self-defrosting refrigerator.

Plus, at least around here, the gas for a cleaning cycle, even the 4 hour one, is way, way less expensive than a can of toxic waste!

I am 51 years old. I am old enough to have a self-cleaning oven, and my own home laundry appliances. I have served my time.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[mrb627]

The smell

I find the can of cleaner much less toxic than the day of stink from incinerating the soil. And since you have to wipe out the shell anyway and clean the racks by hand. Its just easier IMO.

Malcolm

 

[aquacycle]

Speaking of Oven Cleaning, I saw this ad the other day and it had me in stitches. This is exactly how I feel about cleaning the oven!

 

[peterh770]

I have a "continuous clean" oven.  Never had to clean it.

 

[DADoES]

 
Continuous-cleaning was a lovely idea but wasn't so much a success in the end, and apparently are no more on the market.  Some care is needed in use and they typically never got to a point of being fully clean during usage.

Continuous Clean Oven Care

 

[combo52]

CONTINUOUS CLEAN OVEN CARE

Dadoes that article has many fallacies in it at best and other parts are just bull..it. I do like true SC ovens better but if one is seeking information about thier CCO they would do better looking at the owners manuel that came with the oven. That bull about thier being special chemicals in the coating just lost it for me and then the do not scrub, where do they come up with this stuff?.

 

[ptcruiser51]

Imperial wall oven (gas)

It's old and it's a 24" model, but I still like it.  Better than trying to maneuver something in and out of the bottom-mount oven in a regular stove.  I'm 6 ft., so I appreciate that convenience.

 

I don't use it a lot, so when I get a spillover or a splatter I hit it with oven cleaner from the dollar store when I'm done for the day.  Leave it overnight and wipe it out when I'm doing the dishes the next day and have soapy water handy.  Nice and clean.

 

Mostly it gets hit on the door because I use it to rest a pan on while I baste, move things around or whatnot.

 

On the rare occasions when I'm cooking something messy I use foil to line wherever the container or rack is.  I seldom use the bottom-mount broiler, but that's lined with foil also.  I use my cast-iron grill pan in lieu of the broiler (with better results, too!).

 

[toggleswitch]

I have a "continuous clean" oven. Never had to clean it.

Actually, the door and the bottom of the oven are usually not "continuous clean" coated. So the oven door, the oven bottom, the racks, certainly the oven window and the broiler compartment (if gas rather than an electric oven, and separate from the main oven cavity)do probably need some major touch-up by hand.

In my opinion, the catalytic (continuous-clean) coating for a toaster-oven were nice. Can't seem to find those easily now, either.

I have cleaned many a gas oven by hand in my day. Cleaning an electric one with exposed bake and broil elements is just a pain in the ass.

BTW can anyone please share with me how the bake element is now hidden in an electric oven? How is the heat directed into the oven rather than up the sides of the oven cavity (from the outside). Lovely concept, but spills now burn even more-so as they land on the hot metal of the oven's bottom. Why were plug-in oven elements done-away with? They would seem seem to make oven cleaning, and replacing the elements, a breeze

The way to make all oven cleaning easier is to soap down the entire door, the oven floor in a gas oven (and about two inches in from door all around the seal AFTER EACH USE. Particularly after broiling. Rinse twice. (Be sure door is cool or glass window may crack). This will prevent the grease from baking-on upon the next use of the oven. It will also make the oven LOOK and actually stay a great deal cleaner for a lot longer. The dirt an grease on the top and sides won't be as readily apparent to guests as the door and bottom would be. This way you can let the hard-to-reach areas really get dirty to merit the use of the pyrolytic self-clean cycle.

For the nay-sayers, self-cleaning oven are insulated so much better/more than standard-clean ovens that the energy saved during each use makes the energy used during pyrolysis (self-cleaning) less of a concern. The cost of energy is less than the cost of the chemicals and said to be "greener" overall. [this post was last edited: 10/30/2011-22:18]

 

[toggleswitch]

STEAM CLEAN YOUR OVEN.

Quote below taken from one of Samsung's product descriptions
There is an indentation in the oven's floor in which to pour water.

SAMSUNG Rapid steam cleaning

"Just pour 10 ounces of tap water into the Samsung oven, close the door and press the “Steam Clean” button. 20 minutes later, simply wipe the oven clean! No high heat, no bad smell, no waiting for hours – SteamQuick™ is the fast, easy and energy efficient way to keep your oven clean all the time."

if 8 ounces = 230ml then 10 ounces = approximately 290ml

I think their oven STILL has a pyrolytic self-clean cycle!

http://www.samsung.com/us/appliances/oven-ranges/FTQ386LWUX/XAA

 

[toggleswitch]

Continuous-cleaning was a lovely idea but wasn't so much a success in the end.

In homes.

Actually I have seen these and think they still exist in commercial ovens.
Can anyone confirm?

 

[mrb627]

Kenmore Elite

I have a Kenmore Elite Gas Oven and running a 3 hour clean cycle heats up the house like a furnace. An electric version would undoubtedly perform better since it is better sealed than a gas oven.

Malcolm

 

[passatdoc]

best way to restore finish on oven racks?

My oven is self-cleaning. Now and then I have to clean the door window with Easy Off, but it's very minor work. I have a 2001 Frigidaire gas convection oven and self-clean works fairly well, except on the door window.

I haven't always been diligent about removing the racks when on self clean cycle. As a result, they have become darkened and discolored, though not dirty. Any way to touch these up? Easy Off? Barkeepers Friend? Someone wrote about spraying racks with Easy Off and placing them in a garbage bag....won't Easy Off eat through the plastic??

 

[mrb627]

Garbage Bag Method

I used to use the Garbage Bag Method. But I found that it was messier to deal with in the long run. I would put the lawn and leaf bag on a metal drip pan from automobile work. Basically, a 2.5'x4' cookie sheet with a lip. Insert the metal racks. Then unload a can of EZ Off in the bag. Seal it with a twist tie and leave it in the garage overnight.

Then scrub the racks lightly with an SOS pad in the morning and hose them down in the back yard. Be careful where the runoff water goes as the leftover EZ Off will kill plants. Then you have to be careful disposing of the old bag. I was always concerned that if placed in the usual trash, it may start a fire.

For me, it just seems easier to spray them in the oven and skip the garbage bag altogether.

Malcolm

 

[toggleswitch]

One the chrome has been burned off the racks (or is is just discolored?), it is gone.

 

[michaelman2]

Isn't there some way to place a cup of ammonia in the oven...close the door and then go back and clean by hand. Was this some type of old fashioned way to clean an oven? Guess I could Google this and see....

 

[appnut]

I have a 1984 continuous clean Hotpoint slide-in range.  it's never looked half-way decent since Imoved in, the previous couple didn't cook much.  I'll wipe out the charred yibblits off the oven floor every once in a while.  I wish they'd spent the $100 more and gotten self-clean model.  Since I have the Breville Smart Oven now, the range oven is probably used no more than 6 times a year so it's amute point now.  If/when I ever do replace the range, it will be a coil-top GE with porcelain-coated racks able to go through self-clean cycle.  And the burner bowls will be able to go in too, based upon the model I've picked out.

 

[kimball455]

Just push the clean button.

Take out the racks. Set the control to clean. Turn on the exhaust fan. (Down draft takes everything from the over vent right outside.) Come back in a few hours and wipe out the gray residue from cleaning using a damp cloth. Could not be easier. Oven is Jenn Air electric convection.
Harry

 

[pierreandreply4]

lol i already know this because this is the oven i have in my home but good to know for members who would have this oven

 

[toggleswitch]

If/when I ever do replace the range, it will be a coil-top GE with porcelain-coated racks.

I know you hate smooth-tops *GIGGLE*. But why not glass/ceran instead of those nasty coils?

My 95 year old aunt wanted a "modern" range and kicked her coils to the curb!

 

[passatdoc]

Barkeeper's Friend test

Earlier this morning I tested Barkeeper's Friend on one of the racks. I made a paste with the powder and water. Then rubbed it with a paper towel dipped in the paste. It takes off the grime and restores the silver color right away, with minimal rubbing. A dishtowel dipped in the paste would work equally well, plus you don't spend money on paper towels since you can wash and re-use a dish towel.

It would require a LOT of work/time to clean the entire rack, when you consider the combined length of metal rods/wires in each rack, but it's do-able, and does not require a lot of hard physical effort or scrubbing (just a long and tedious process). BF is a mild organic acid, not something really toxic like Easy Off.

My racks did not appear to have any burned on food on them. Rather, they appeared to have the dark discoloration that happens when you don't bother to remove the racks during a self clean cycle. And it appears that BF can restore them in a relatively eco-friendly way.

It could be that older racks are chrome plated and thus cannot be restored by the method above. My range is a 2001 Frigidaire gas convection model and the racks never appeared to be shiny chrome, but rather just low-gloss stainless steel. One could even do this cleaning on a kitchen counter with a bunch of shop towels underneath to absorb anything that drips off the racks. After cleaning, they would require rinsing in a bathtub/shower/outside to thoroughly remove the BF residue.

I don't have a lot of splatters and drips in my oven because I don't roast in open pans all that much. My discoloration was due to ten years of self cleaning cycles without removing the racks. That may explain why the residue came off rather easily with BF: it wasn't baked on food, but rather that dark discoloration they warn you about if you don't remove the racks.

 

[mrb627]

Post Pix

How about posting pictures of your freshly cleaned oven. I'll try to capture a pic of mine tonight.

Malcolm