Self-Cleaning Oven

Now we all know that we need to clean our ovens from inside and from outside, to ensure that food which is cooked in it remains clean and the oven always remains in an excellent working condition. Cleaning an oven is something which should be done regularly but most people avoid it. The good thing about self-cleaning oven is that it uses high temperature to burn off, or eliminate, all the leftovers which remain after baking. This oven requires a temperature of almost 900°F for cleaning itself from inside, and doesn't need any other chemical agents to do the cleaning.

How to Clean a Self-Cleaning Oven

You just had a party last night and the kitchen is a big mess with all the leftover food and drinks. It is common understanding that you would have to clean all the kitchen appliances yourself. However, if you have a self-cleaning oven, you don't need to touch it, the oven does the job of cleaning itself. Now that you've noticed that there's a casserole stain inside the oven, here are some oven cleaning instructions which can prove useful to you.

Manual Removal of Unwanted Things
Yes, some work will also be needed by your hands. Remove aluminum foil pieces that may be left in the oven. Make sure you also take out all the crockery out of the oven. Remove the oven rack and clean it with soap and water. Make sure you don't keep things near the vent openings because the vent is the place from where the heat leaves during the cleaning period.

Process of Self-Cleaning
Lock the oven doors and set the mode to clean. Make sure that you set the timer right as the oven runs up to 3 hours. Once the door is locked do not try to open it, as it hampers the self-cleaning process. If you see the oven getting hotter than it would under normal conditions, don't panic it is pretty normal. The extreme heat is very necessary to turn the remaining food particles into ash. Sometimes you may see smoke coming out and also notice a funny smell. It is OK if you have a look around, but don't worry it is all part of the cleaning cycle of the oven.

After the Cleaning
After you are finished with the cleaning process, give the oven some hours to cool off. Use a damp cloth, or a sponge wipe, to remove the ash from the oven. Make sure you don't use an oven cleaning product for doing the cleaning job. You just need plain water to keep your oven clean. Make sure you also clean the door gaskets and edges and be careful not to damage other stuff.

Due to its self-cleaning process and due to its sudden rise in temperatures, all self-cleaning ovens are heavily insulated. Heavy insulation is considered good because this makes the operation of the oven more easy, and it doesn't lose much heat. If you purchase a self-cleaning oven it is important to read the manufacturers instructions which clearly indicate not to use any outside cleaning solutions. The chemicals in the solution may mix with the heating waves and produce poisonous and inflammable gases which can prove quite harmful for you.

Make sure you keep babies, pets especially birds at par, when you've started the self-cleaning cycle. Though a self-cleaning oven turns all the food crumbs into ash, it is recommended that you clean off the liquid stains like spilled sugars or a sauce stain with a damp cloth, otherwise it would create a great deal of smoke if burned.