An oven is a pretty sturdy appliance that should last well over a decade but taking good care of it is key to getting as much use out of it as possible. Keeping your oven clean is the golden rule, but this article will give you a few other handy tips on how to best care for your oven.
01.
Keep your oven clean
A clean oven is a happy oven, but let’s face it cleaning this particular appliance is one of the most dreaded household chores. Try to wipe up spills as soon as they happen, or rather, as soon as the oven has cooled down enough to do so! Letting food spillage build up over time reduces efficiency and can cause smoke.
02.
Use the right tools to clean
Always use a sponge and an oven cleaning agent recommended by your brand to clean the cavity—harsh chemicals or abrasive agents can damage the lining. If you have to resort to scraping stubborn food or grease, use a plastic scraper rather than a metal one, again to make sure you don’t damage the cavity lining.
03.
Use pyrolytic self-cleaning sparingly
While pyrolytic self-cleaning is a handy feature which takes the pain out of cleaning the oven, it works by heating the oven cavity up to really high temperatures to turn food residue to ash. This puts quite a lot of stress on the oven and its heating elements, so try to keep your oven clean with good old elbow grease as much as you can.
04.
Keep an eye on door seals
If you notice that the seals around your oven’s door have become cracked or torn, then go ahead and replace them. Broken door seals will let heat escape and force your oven to work harder to maintain the desired temperature.
05.
Don’t put foil in the cavity
Don’t put foil at the bottom of your oven to catch food spills and grease. The silver surface of the foil reflects heat, which disrupts the distribution of heat around the oven. The foil can also obstruct fans inside the oven.
That’s about it! Your oven really is pretty low maintenance. All you have to do is keep it clean with a little TLC and it’ll be helping you produce culinary masterpieces for years to come.
