Self-cleaning ovens are a fairly new invention that makes live easier for the owner. Instead of being forced to get down on your hands and knees to scrub for an hour, a self-cleaning oven does the hard work for you. However, the fact is that most owners don’t know how to properly use them, so they go back to the old method of scrubbing with elbow grease. If you own a self-cleaning oven, you should take full advantage of it by allowing it to do the job for you; here’s how:
What is a Self-Cleaning Oven?
As the name suggests, a self-cleaning oven is an oven with a built-in cleaning function. It does this by heating the oven up to around 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This extreme heat essentially burns off food and debris that has baked onto the sides of the oven. After it’s done cleaning, you’ll still need to wipe it down will a paper towel or rag to remove the excess food and liquids. While a self-cleaning oven helps immensely in making the cleaning process easier, it still requires a quick wiping once it’s done.
Using a Self-Cleaning Oven
Before you start, it’s important that you read your oven’s instruction manual to determine how the self-cleaning function works. If you can’t seem to locate the instruction manual, try to search for it online. Just fire up Google and search for your oven name +guide. Most manufacturers have published a PDF or similar file containing their instruction manual for consumers to freely download and use.
Although the self-cleaning process varies from model to model, the first thing you need to do is prepare the interior. This means removing and of the racks and any baking equipment left inside. Once it’s out, close the oven door and turn the oven to “self-cleaning.” Some ovens have a single setting for self-cleaning, while others have a few different timing functions. If you’re oven is extremely dirty, I recommend turning it to the highest time setting possible to allow for greater cleaning.
Be prepared to wait for quite some time, as self-cleaning ovens usually take about 3 to 5 hours to finish. Go about your business as usual and after it’s done cleaning, wait another hour for it to cool off some. Now it should be safe to open the door and wipe up the burnt remains on the bottom of the oven. You can either use a small brush or paper towel to remove the burnt debris. Place the racks back inside the oven and you’re done!
