PSA Turn on your self-cleaning oven now!

[Familia]

It's that time of year.  All sorts of in-laws must go peeking into our ovens.  Horrors!  If yours is a self cleaning oven, empty it this morning of any storage items and set to clean.  Everyone will marvel!

[Miss Tick]

This would also help cut down on superfluous smoke alarms on the big day after the turkey has been in there for an hour or two!

[madteaparty]

I'm afraid to. I'm of the persuasion nothing is self cleaning 😂

[Sherry in OH]

We are going to someone else's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  I promise not to peek in her oven.  

 

I do need to clean my oven, but plan to wait until after I bake Thanksgiving pies.

[Janie Grace]

Thank you! Great call!

[SparklyUnicorn]

I cleaned my oven last week because our furnace was broken.  It totally worked to make it warmer in the house!

 

Nobody is coming here for Thanksgiving though so I have nobody to impress with my clean oven.  LOL

 

 

[Familia]

I may even dust the light fixture over the steps...

That, though, takes effort!

You may all want to keep in mind that, if you keep the racks in, they will not slide nicely afterwards.  

Easily fixed by oiling the rack-sides/oven-rails when complete.  Some say take racks out, some say leave in.  Mine weren't that dirty, so I took out this time, but the rails on the oven sides should still be lightly oiled afterwards.

 

[hornblower]

simpler solution: cut anyone from your life who would be impressed by a clean oven or disturbed by a dirty one

Unless they're a firefighter & your oven is a real and present danger, your oven is nobody's business.

 

If a guest is helping take out a casserole, they should either shut up about your oven or exclaim "oh this oven looks well loved! How fortunate your family is that you guys cook and bake at home!" 

[hornblower]

OP, sorry. That sounded bitchy...

Do it if you love it clean. I get that. There are certain things that just make me happy when they're all clean and shiny. 

[Familia]

Do it if you love it clean. I get that. There are certain things that just make me happy when they're all clean and shiny. 

LOL, that's ok, took your comments as humor.

Yes, it is exactly that and nothing more -- a lighthearted motivation to get all sorts of things clean before anyone comes.  The in-law comment was certainly meant humorously...I am quite thankful that I do not have 'judges' in my life, but I do need some (perceived) incentive=)  

Now...to get to that junk drawer...(someone is bound to ask me for scissors...)

[Cindy in FL.]

If anyone wants to look in my oven, they deserve the view they’ll get! 😀

[Lady Florida.]

Fortunately I'm not hosting. What I bring will be cooked here and only I will see the inside of my oven. :) 

 

Also, I have to wait until it's cold enough outside before I heat my oven to 500+ degrees. We're having a brief cool snap but not enough for oven cleaning.

[G5052]

It's on my list of to-do's if the weather allows me to open up a window.

 

But we're going to a friend's house for the main meal, so I only have to make gluten-free stuffing and a gluten-free green bean casserole. Knowing my friend's husband, he likely will clean the oven the day after. They're practical!

[PeachyDoodle]

I cleaned mine this morning, and I just opened this thread because I was terrified there'd be some kind of health or safety warning I'd missed!

 

:lol:

[Lawyer&Mom]

Take your oven thermometer out before you self clean!

[vonfirmath]

It's that time of year.  All sorts of in-laws must go peeking into our ovens.  Horrors!  If yours is a self cleaning oven, empty it this morning of any storage items and set to clean.  Everyone will marvel!

 

Be wary! My friend did this today and was regaling me with tales of seeing tall flames in there! All cleared up before she had to more than think about doing anything about it.

[Janie Grace]

Done! No flames or catastrophes. 

 

I didn't do it to avoid judgment, I just don't want something nasty smoking on the bottom of my oven and messing with the flavors of the food!

[Alicia64]

Totally embarrassed to ask this: how does a self cleaning oven work? We're mostly vegetarian over here and rarely use the oven, but I'd love to clean it.

 

What should I know?

 

Alley

[justasque]

I made a pie this week that massively bubbled over, so I have  a huge burnt sticky mess on the bottom of the oven.  So I will be giving the self-cleaning cycle  a try.  The manual says I have to clean the worst of the mess first though...

[ashfern]

My mom did that for me when she was here in July.  :lol:  She ended up melting all of the gummy vitamins into one big blob since they're stored in the cabinet over the oven.  :lol:

[KungFuPanda]

Let’s say I have a friend who hasn’t used this feature in so long she can’t remember (a.) how long it takes and (b.) if she needs to open a window during the process and (c.) if the self cleaning feature renders the burners inoperable. What would you tell her?

[BlsdMama]

It's that time of year.  All sorts of in-laws must go peeking into our ovens.  Horrors!  If yours is a self cleaning oven, empty it this morning of any storage items and set to clean.  Everyone will marvel!

 

 

Potentially the most useful post ever.  Ever.

[Familia]

Totally embarrassed to ask this: how does a self cleaning oven work? We're mostly vegetarian over here and rarely use the oven, but I'd love to clean it.

 

What should I know?

 

Alley

I did not use this feature for years and years.  I was skeptical, but I simply turned it on and, a few hours later, voila!, my oven was clean with a bunch of charcoal laying on the bottom.

This is what I have learned:

The door will lock automatically, and the burners will be inoperable.  For hours.  And hours.  Mine takes about 4 hours.

After cleaning, I take a gob of wet paper towels and wipe down the sides and bottom to remove the layer of 'ash' that is around.

If you choose to leave the racks in (we have done both), they will no longer be shiny -- but they will be clean and unharmed.  

You must oil the sides of the racks and the oven rails after cleaning to help everything slide as before.  A small price to pay=)

 

Let’s say I have a friend who hasn’t used this feature in so long she can’t remember (a.) how long it takes and (b.) if she needs to open a window during the process and (c.) if the self cleaning feature renders the burners inoperable. What would you tell her?

It does smoke a little relative to how much it has to clean.  Doing this yearly has kept mine pretty clean.  I do not cook many greasy items, I suppose.  

Yes, burners inoperable.  Morning, for me, is best for this reason.

[maize]

Totally embarrassed to ask this: how does a self cleaning oven work? We're mostly vegetarian over here and rarely use the oven, but I'd love to clean it.

 

What should I know?

 

Alley

You set it to clean and lock the door (usually a lever thing near the top of the door, but I guess some newer ones lock themselves)

 

It heats up really hot and basically reduces anything in there to a thin film of ash. Takes about 4 hours.

[justasque]

Hmmm, I got half of my burnt berry pie juice scraped off the bottom panel, but there's still some left.  It's really stuck on there.  How do I know what level of this mess will be ok with the self-cleaning?  If I have scraped as much as possible, is the rest going to smoke when I self-clean?  Any advice or tips?

[UmMusa]

Thank you for your motivation!! I cleaned the inside of my oven this morning!!! And, nope, no one is coming over.

[Mothersweets]

Thank you for the reminder! 

[Rosika]

Totally embarrassed to ask this: how does a self cleaning oven work? We're mostly vegetarian over here and rarely use the oven, but I'd love to clean it.

 

What should I know?

 

Alley

 

I'm so glad someone asked. I've noticed this feature on my oven, but have never used it. It seemed like a trick or something, too good to be true!  :lol: This thread has been so informative! I kind of want to try it now, but I'm still scared. I have no idea why.

 

I'm glad for the story about the gummy bears because now I know to clean out the cupboard above the oven should I decide to try this!

[hornblower]

I think whether your stove burners work or not varies with the model. My current one is dual fuel so it's not an issue at all but I thought our old one also let me keep using the stove. 

The cleaning cycle takes what seems like forever. And even after it's finished, it stays locked for a while after, while it cools. It kind of smells. I usually turn it on, turn on the range hood &/or crack open a window, and settle in another part of the house while it does its thing. 

[Familia]

Hmmm, I got half of my burnt berry pie juice scraped off the bottom panel, but there's still some left. It's really stuck on there. How do I know what level of this mess will be ok with the self-cleaning? If I have scraped as much as possible, is the rest going to smoke when I self-clean? Any advice or tips?

You're a trooper! I would call it good & begin.

Other opinions?

[Janie Grace]

You're a trooper! I would call it good & begin.

Other opinions?

 

I agree. It'll be incinerated!

[justasque]

Hmmm, I got half of my burnt berry pie juice scraped off the bottom panel, but there's still some left.  It's really stuck on there.  How do I know what level of this mess will be ok with the self-cleaning?  If I have scraped as much as possible, is the rest going to smoke when I self-clean?  Any advice or tips?

 

 

You're a trooper! I would call it good & begin.

Other opinions?

 

 

I agree. It'll be incinerated!

 

 

Here's my report - 

 

I soaked the bottom tray thingie (that covers the heat source), and scraped off what I could of the burnt berry pie juices.  I think there were areas where the finish came off with the crud, but I'm not sure - it might just be that a bit the crud is still sticking there.  

Anyway, once I figured out that you had to not only turn the dial to "clean" and pull the door lever over, but you actually had to press the "start cleaning" button, it turned on.  Took just over 3.5 hours; during which I had the windows open (and the batteries out of the smoke detector, as it got set off several times).  Once done, sure enough most of the crud was reduced to ash.  We wiped out the ash, and all seems to be well. 

 

Thanks for the reminder, OP!  And thanks for the support, secretgarden and Janie Grace!  Now I'm ready for my Thanksgiving cooking!  (And I'm putting down some foil to catch any future drips!

[AnnE-girl]

Our house smelled so bad for several hours this afternoon, even with most of the windows open, but my oven looks much better. Thanks for the reminder, secretgarden!

[Familia]

"justasque"

Thanks for the reminder, OP! And thanks for the support, secretgarden and Janie Grace! Now I'm ready for my Thanksgiving cooking!

"AnnE-girl" Our house smelled so bad for several hours this afternoon, even with most of the windows open, but my oven looks much better. Thanks for the reminder, secretgarden!

 

Great to hear of your successes, ladies!

 

I once had an oven with the latch. One day, when I really needed to use my oven, I flipped the latch when the oven was preheating -- purely out of curiosity! Oh My Word! I hadn't even set any other settings! It took me years before I got over my grudge.

 

Edited: somewhat...on my phone, can't find my glasses, etc...

Edited November 22, 2017 by secretgarden

[Mrs_JWM]

My MIL said something about our oven one year. I don't care about a clean oven. No food touches the sides, so who cares? If someone else wants to comment and clean it, be my guest!

 

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[KrissiK]

I cleaned mine today. It’s not so much that I’m worried if someone will be impressed or not, but...I do feel better cooking a meal for people if my oven is clean.

[luvbug in Ohio]

I cleaned mine about 2 weeks ago, and it blew a fuse. My husband replaced the fuse, but it turns out it also caused a short of some kind, so now the oven is acting crazy. It turns itself on and runs, the clock won't work, etc. It will probably cost more money to fix than it's worth because it's so old. So now we're oven-less until we can buy a new one, probably next month. Yay us! 

Lots of meals cooked in the crockpot, on the grill, or on the cooktop for us, looks like.

I'm going to my grandparent's house to borrow the oven to bake my pumpkin pies today. Thank goodness I don't host Thanksgiving dinner yet, we still go to our paren'ts houses for the holidays.