Let’s be honest, nobody likes cleaning at all, let alone an oven which can really prove difficult to do. Unfortunately however, it is something that just has to be done – unless you want to significantly reduce the lifespan of your oven and expose you and your family to a number of health risks.
Cleaning your oven really does not even need to be that much of a chore though, not if you follow a few of the Just Fixed handy tips below. If you are able to follow these every time you use the oven when it comes to cleaning time it should take no time at all.
Cover When Cooking
Whenever you are cooking something that has a good chance of spitting and causing mess on the inside of your oven, you need to cover it up somehow. You could either place the lid on the pan or simply use aluminium foil. As long as it is covered up and stops the spits, it does not to be airtight.
Create Your Own Spill Trays
Another way to save you time when it comes to cleaning your oven is to get creative with any cooking trays that you are not using. Place them on the shelves below the one you are using to cook with and they will act as drip trays to catch some spillage. If for any reason you do not have any spare trays, put some foil on the bottom rack instead. Please avoid laying foil directly on the bottom of the oven however as this could cause a fire.
Don’t Let Mess Build Up
Which is worse? Cleaning a little bit of mess after each use of the oven or trying to get through a month’s worth of grime? If you can stick to a routine of cleaning your oven every day once it has cooled down, you will find that it takes just a matter of minutes each time. You simply need to wipe it down with a dishcloth on most occasions.
Never Use Metal to Scrape Food
The heating elements inside an oven are likely to pick up grime over time as well but these should be cleaned carefully. Scraping them with metal utensils could damage them and lead to expensive repair bills. Pick up a plastic spatula or anything that is made of plastic to do the scraping on this part of the oven.
Invest in a Self-Cleaning Oven
These might be expensive but if you really do want to avoid having to clean your oven at all, these are worth the investment. When the oven self-cleans itself, it locks the door and heats right up to 500°C. Any food residue left inside will be incinerated at that heat leaving you to simply wipe away the ash when it is done.
Of course, not everybody will have the money to get a self-cleaning oven but if they can follow the other tips, they will be able to enjoy a cleaner oven with far less elbow grease being required.