Our Top Tips for a Sparkly, Clean Oven
No-one likes cleaning, and when it comes to cleaning a kitchen, there’s one task that everyone dreads – tackling the greasy, baked-on mess that can be – and often is – the oven. Not to worry though, as there are several tried and tested methods to make this ‘do I really have to?’ job a little easier. Here are our top three….
Self-Service
Some ovens do come with their own self-cleaning function, which is great for those who don’t want to spend vast amounts of time with gloves on, scrubbing away at their appliance trying to get it clean (that’s most people, then!) The only issue with self-cleaning functions is that they work by turning the oven temperature up so high that any food remnants inside are burnt to a crisp and, if they’re not wiped away before they’re cool, they can become even harder to shift than they might have been before. What this means for you is that you might be left with an even harder task than the one you started with.
DIY
The most common way to clean an oven is to use the two products which most of you will have in their cupboards: baking a
a and vinegar. Here’s a quick guide on how to make these items work their magic on your appliance.
First, ensure the oven is clear of any racks or trays (common sense, we know but there are a few people who do leave them in!), before mixing 64g of baking soda in a bowl with a few tablespoons of water to make a paste. You can adjust the ratio of each to get the consistency you want.
Next, coat the interior of the oven in the paste, paying special attention to the extra greasy or dirty areas, but taking care to avoid the heating elements. As this part can be considerably messy, we highly recommend you wear gloves. The baking soda paste should turn a brownish colour as you apply it to the interior of the oven.
Leave the paste on overnight, for a minimum of 12 hours. In the meantime, clean the oven racks and trays, ready to re-insert them once the oven itself is squeaky clean. After the required time has passed, use a damp cloth to wipe off (and out!) as much of the paste as possible. A plastic spatula can also help remove any paste that is particularly dried-on.
Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz inside the oven. The vinegar will then react with any residue paste still in the oven, causing it to foam, at which time it can be wiped away. Once you’re happy with the results, put your oven racks and trays back inside.
Steam It
This method works best on ovens that aren’t particularly greasy but still in need of a good old clean. All you need is a large oven-proof container and some water. Pop the bowl full of water onto the lowest rack in your oven, turn your appliance onto the highest setting possible and ‘bake’ for between 20 to 30 minutes. Allow the oven to cool, but don’t open the door – and once that’s done, the steam created by the water and the heat will have loosened any grime, making it easier to wipe away and remove easily.
Want a clean oven, then? Don’t forget to let us know how you get on, if you try any of these tips.
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Until next time…