Are you ready for a big Easter celebration with your family and friends? But perhaps, a better question is, is your oven ready for all the baking and roasting that’s to come? We often refer to it as the Queen of the Kitchen and as such, she needs special attention. Especially before big events and family gatherings. Now, oven cleaning isn’t the easiest of jobs, neither is it the most pleasant. However, as professionals we can give you some tips that could quicken and lighten up the task.
Soak Those Racks Well
One of the biggest challenges during oven cleaning is getting rid of burnt-on and grease on the racks. You can apply an oven cleaner and wait for it to develop, but there’s another way with which you can get the job done and be time-efficient. Take the racks out and soak them in the bathtub with some warm water and soap. You can add an oven cleaning solution to the water, or if you prefer more eco-friendly options, go for vinegar and baking soda. A few drops of lemon essential oil could also help speed the cleaning process up.
Clean the Actual Oven
Now that your racks are peacefully soaking, you can focus on the dirt in the oven itself. That’s usually some stubborn stains and a lot of burnt-on. Again, oven cleaners would help a great deal, but there will be some hard to reach areas. We recommend using an old toothbrush to scrub those places and make sure there’s no spots missed. If you use baking soda, be careful not to scrub too hard. It is abrasive and helps with the resilient stains, but it can also leave scratch marks.
Make the Glass Door Sparkle
No matter how careful you are during cooking, over time the oven door will get covered in grime. That would prevent you from checking on your food, but also it is quite gross. Returning the original shine of your glass door is not a piece of cake, but also doesn’t have to be extremely difficult. While professional cleaners would need to take the door off at times, to clean it appropriately, when you are doing it yourself, you could use white vinegar and a good quality microfibre cloth. It is imperative we emphasise on good quality. Such microfibre cloths clean the glass effectively without scratching it.
Eliminate Bad Odours
Ok, so you have cleaned the oven, the door, the racks are all shiny again, but something isn’t quite right yet. Ah! That smell…
Sometimes, the most thorough oven cleaning would not get rid of annoying lingering odours. There is, of course, a rather simple solution. Place a large tray or heat-resistant bowl filled with water in the oven. Add a few drops of citrus essential oil or a few slices of lemon. Then, bring the oven to around 120ºC and let it on for an hour or so. After the steaming, everything will smell fresh and invigorating.
And just like that, your oven is now ready for the Easter baking/roasting season!