Cleaning The Infamous Oven

The oven has to be one of the messiest things in your kitchen and it all boils down into one big pain in the butt. It looks all pretty from the outside, but on the inside it's a totally different story. It's full of black charred on residue, baked on spillage, and various food pieces. I think it's worse than what you would find under your passenger’s side front seat with a couple of young ones. Do you have a new oven where you can run your electric bill up by having it on the "clean" mode, or do you have one from what looks like the 80's that's going to require a whole lot of elbow grease? Which is the lesser of the two evils? I think that I would rather spend a little more on electric, but I'm going to talk about both today. Remember: Make sure that you are all prayed up for this one, because it can be a little frustrating!

Newer "Clean Mode" Ovens:

That title can be a bit deceiving. Whichever kind of oven you have it will not do all the work for you, but it will help. On both types of ovens the most important factor is the ease of cleaning if preventative maintenance is done. First, if you are cooking with anything that has the possibility of overflowing, either cover the bottom of the oven with foil, or cover a pan with foil and place it under what you will be cooking. Second, if anything does spill, be prompt to clean it up to avoid it becoming baked on to the oven walls or floor. With that said if your oven does have a "clean mode" just follow the instructions for your particular oven. Most say to lock hatch and leave on "clean mode" for several hours. Sometimes if your oven has a lot of things baked on to it you will have the odor of smoke in the house and even possible smoking coming from your oven. So make sure that you are in a well-ventilated area. After the clean mode is finished you should see what looks like ashes from a fireplace in the oven. Important- Make sure that the oven has Cooled before you attempt to do any cleaning. After it has cooled just take a damp cloth or sponge and remove any of the residue. It is usually as easy as that.

Older "Elbow Grease Mode" Ovens:

If you have skipped down just to read the information on what type of oven you have DO NOT read anything that was written above. You will probably be a little depressed, and will go out and buy a self-cleaning oven on your credit card. By doing so your husband/wife may be a little mad. First, remove the racks and place them preferably in a large plastic container so they can soak. I would put a solution that has degreaser in the container so you'll have a little bit of an easier time removing anything on the racks. Buy a can of oven cleaner and follow the directions on the label for procedures. They may go something like this: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Turn oven off and spray the interior with cleaner. Allow it to sit for a certain amount of time. Wipe cleaner away with wet cloths (A scrubber may be needed) and dry with soft cloths. A couple of things that are IMPORTANT- Make sure you wear rubber gloves and wear a long sleeved older shirt. The chemical will burn if contact is made with your skin. There is also a strong chemical smell so make sure you have your windows open for ventilation. This is an example of one certain method of a specific oven cleaner. Follow the label to your specific oven cleaner.

Cleaning your oven isn't any fun no matter what type of oven you have. If you prevent spills from baking on you will be in a much better situation and you won’t have to work as hard. Try the tips below for making your oven cleaning easier.

Tips:

Put foil or a sheet pan covered with foil on the bottom of the oven to prevent spills from getting on the bottom of the oven.

Clean spills immediately so you will have an easier time doing your regular cleaning.

Verse of the Day: 1 Peter 2:24 "And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."