Good grief. I've had a number of self cleaning ovens since 1973 and have had zero -ZERO- issues with using that function. i cannot comprehend why anyone would want to clean an oven by hand. I guess if you don't use the oven then don't bother with self cleaning, but if you use it for anything splatters and such will happen. I think the stupid "aqua lift " ovens are a joke, would not even consider one of those.
Will a new range with self clean oven last? Or just get a cheapy?
- Thread starter neptunebob
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My MOL Whirlpool convection is self-cleaning (AquaLift) and I've never used it. It's supposed to be lower heat to avoid killing the control board but I find it quicker and easier to just wipe it out as needed with Simple Green and hot water. I guess my preferences to keep doing it the old fashioned way is good because some are describing AquaLift as a gimmick.
As far as conventional (hi-temp) self cleaning goes, I remember when my parents ran the self-clean function on their 1990s KitchenAid range and it really didn't do anything except make the kitchen smell like a really bad barbecue, wasting $5 in electricity in the process. It did soften some of the stubborn baked-on crud, but the oven was far from clean after wiping the ash out. My mom wiped the oven in 10 minutes of elbow grease and liquid dish soap mixed with hot water and it looked as good as new.
I'm sure that 15-20 years later the technology has improved, but then I've also heard that the control boards cook themselves. Of course, some people have used self clean since its inception and never had a control board die, but the odds aren't good. One thing to consider is the fact that the earliest self-cleaning ovens didn't have control boards, so the odds were better then than they are now. Mechanical controls are much more forgiving than integrated circuitry. Most manufacturers do not use any safeguards such as fans and heat shields, unlike the GE wall oven described a few posts above.
I would just go ahead and buy a self-cleaning oven and just clean it the old-fashioned way. You might add an extra decade of life to the range/oven doing that way versus running the self-clean cycles; in any case, it will not last nearly as long as an older, non-digital range/oven. If you clean as needed, you can get away with using just soap or Simple Green and hot water, keeping a can of Easy-Off for spritzing the tougher spots. It shoudn't harm the cavity as long as you never run the self-clean function. If you use Easy-Off, rinse it with water.
As far as conventional (hi-temp) self cleaning goes, I remember when my parents ran the self-clean function on their 1990s KitchenAid range and it really didn't do anything except make the kitchen smell like a really bad barbecue, wasting $5 in electricity in the process. It did soften some of the stubborn baked-on crud, but the oven was far from clean after wiping the ash out. My mom wiped the oven in 10 minutes of elbow grease and liquid dish soap mixed with hot water and it looked as good as new.
I'm sure that 15-20 years later the technology has improved, but then I've also heard that the control boards cook themselves. Of course, some people have used self clean since its inception and never had a control board die, but the odds aren't good. One thing to consider is the fact that the earliest self-cleaning ovens didn't have control boards, so the odds were better then than they are now. Mechanical controls are much more forgiving than integrated circuitry. Most manufacturers do not use any safeguards such as fans and heat shields, unlike the GE wall oven described a few posts above.
I would just go ahead and buy a self-cleaning oven and just clean it the old-fashioned way. You might add an extra decade of life to the range/oven doing that way versus running the self-clean cycles; in any case, it will not last nearly as long as an older, non-digital range/oven. If you clean as needed, you can get away with using just soap or Simple Green and hot water, keeping a can of Easy-Off for spritzing the tougher spots. It shoudn't harm the cavity as long as you never run the self-clean function. If you use Easy-Off, rinse it with water.
firedome
Well-known member
GE P-7 was "analog" if you will...
and the self-cleaning cycle has never affected the electronics at all that I've ever heard of. There's no electronics to speak of, in the sense of digital chips, microprocessors, displays &c. Just hard wiring, rotary controls, motor timers, mechanical switches, and the like... there's really nothing to fry the way there is in new models. The overall cheap feel of new ranges completely turns me off as well.
and the self-cleaning cycle has never affected the electronics at all that I've ever heard of. There's no electronics to speak of, in the sense of digital chips, microprocessors, displays &c. Just hard wiring, rotary controls, motor timers, mechanical switches, and the like... there's really nothing to fry the way there is in new models. The overall cheap feel of new ranges completely turns me off as well.
I cleaned the oven for the first time in six months
last night after dinner. I was just going to replace the foil on the bottom, but when I found that there was some leakage under the foil, I decided to just clean the whole oven.
I had some Easy Off on hand, but I didn’t want to wait for it to act, and I hate wiping the nasty mess out anyway. So I just went at it with SOS, a Chore Boy SS scouring pad, green scrubing sponge and Bar Keepers Friend. I took off the door and tackled the floor first, then each side separately and finally the back. It took me all of 30 mins, not too bad, considering that I use the oven at least 4 times a week and the broiler 2 to 3 times weekly, and it went thru Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter! I didn’t do the racks, but they aren’t really very dirty anyway, so I’ll do them sometime later on.
I didn’t find the task onerous and I sure didn’t miss the fumes and smoke that I would have if I used a self cleaning oven. And its cheap therapy to get out my agressions, LOL!
Eddie
last night after dinner. I was just going to replace the foil on the bottom, but when I found that there was some leakage under the foil, I decided to just clean the whole oven.
I had some Easy Off on hand, but I didn’t want to wait for it to act, and I hate wiping the nasty mess out anyway. So I just went at it with SOS, a Chore Boy SS scouring pad, green scrubing sponge and Bar Keepers Friend. I took off the door and tackled the floor first, then each side separately and finally the back. It took me all of 30 mins, not too bad, considering that I use the oven at least 4 times a week and the broiler 2 to 3 times weekly, and it went thru Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter! I didn’t do the racks, but they aren’t really very dirty anyway, so I’ll do them sometime later on.
I didn’t find the task onerous and I sure didn’t miss the fumes and smoke that I would have if I used a self cleaning oven. And its cheap therapy to get out my agressions, LOL!
Eddie
This is my late-mom’s self cleaning range that my dad uses—and I mean uses, as in never cleans... and I’ll let you guess which burner no longer works (okay, the large, front, most-used one on the right!)
So, as for the oven which has probably not been cleaned since the brief time years ago when my mom was able to use it, I will let the pictures speak for themselves:
(Bonus features: Grandma’s dishwasher used for storage of stuff no longer fit to use)
— Dave
So, as for the oven which has probably not been cleaned since the brief time years ago when my mom was able to use it, I will let the pictures speak for themselves:
(Bonus features: Grandma’s dishwasher used for storage of stuff no longer fit to use)
— Dave
I bought my mother a Caloric self-cleaning gas range with sealed burners in 1992. At the time it was heavier built than anything else from WP, MT, MC, or FD as I checked all of them out. But it did have a lot of square corners, seams, and crannies to catch crap. It served her well for almost 25 years but the oven control started getting wonky and a new board was around $400. I told her to get a new stove so she got a Frigidaire almost like mine. We used the self clean on her old one only a couple of times when it was new but didn't like how hot it made the kitchen. So she just used easy off. Same with her new one and I have never used the clean cycle on mine either. Oven cleaner is fine. I'm not a messy cook and most times I can just wipe out small splatters.
Dave, was anyone hurt in the explosion?
OMFG!
Please NEVER invite me for dinner. LOL
What the hell happened there?
Tip: Bar keepers friend spray and paper towels.
It will take no longer than 5 minutes.
Of course the result won't be perfect, but at least your stove won't look so miserable.
It's not about looking fancy or being a clean freak, it's about safety! Your stove is already a giant fire hazard in your kitchen!
Please NEVER invite me for dinner. LOL
What the hell happened there?
Tip: Bar keepers friend spray and paper towels.
It will take no longer than 5 minutes.
Of course the result won't be perfect, but at least your stove won't look so miserable.
It's not about looking fancy or being a clean freak, it's about safety! Your stove is already a giant fire hazard in your kitchen!
