Oven and Appliance Cleaning

Nobody sets out to neglect their oven. It happens slowly — a roast here, a boil-over there. Then, after eighteen months or two years, the smoke alarm goes off every time you cook chips. You can't recall the last time it was really clean. Supermarket oven cleaning pastes and sprays work well for light, regular use. However, they aren't meant for tough, baked-on food that's been there for a year or more. At that point, you're not cleaning dirt. You're chipping carbon off metal. Most people either give up or scratch the enamel in the process.

If your oven has a self-cleaning cycle, here's what it does: it burns spills to ash at high temperatures. You just wipe it out once it's cooled. It works, but it uses a lot of electricity. It fills the kitchen with a strong smell while running. Plus, it doesn't clean the racks, trays, or glass — those still need to be cleaned separately.