Today's the day for a long overdue . . . .

dreamdaisy

. . . . beauty treatment. The recipient is currently greasy, sticky, somewhat smelly and looking rather down-in-the-mouth but that's enough about me

It's my oven, my beloved slide-and-hide as seen on Bake Off. It took a hammering over Christmas and the New Year so I contacted Steve, a lovely bloke, who will pitch up at 1pm with his rubber gloves and trays of chemicals to perform a miracle. I shall celebrate the gleaming appearance by doing a lasagne which is bound to boil over (mine always do) :roll: but the rails will be covered with foil and the pyrex will sit on a sturdy baking tray. I don't make resolutions but I aim to change my oven habits, surely it's far better to clean as best you can as you go along rather than allowing it to develop to this stage, yes? Apparently it has a self-clean function which isn't the same as cleaning it yourself - time to experiment with that from a fresh start! DD

theresak

We got a new oven last year, which has a self-clean function, but I haven't yet been brave enough to try it out, having read all the 'blurb.' There were lots of warnings about the toxicity of the fumes, the requirement to carefully remove shelf racks, so I 'chickened out' in favour of my 'oven man,' who comes every six months to clean it.

I do use foil, but also have a washable oven liner from H***e of B* **h which works well.

I'm good at letting things boil over too.

daffy2

Certainly prevention is better than cure.My ex was good at doing french bread pizzas without such precautions....
I have always used baking sheets under dishes, to prevent damaging pyrex dishes as much as anything by putting them cold onto hot racks, but also to catch the drips. My mother wrote off several dishes that way and it made quite an impression on me as a child as on more than one occasion it meant goodbye to our meal, and always made an opportunity for my father to belittle my mother, and grumble about how much she cost him with her carelessness.
When using oven liners do make sure to check before putting them on the floor of your oven that there aren't heating elements there. Multifunction ovens usually do have elements in the floor which you shouldn't put liners( or trays etc) directly onto, although I did see somewhere( L****and leaflet?) there is a liner that claims to be suitable for such use.

dreamdaisy

It's done. It's beautiful and I'm booked in for the end of June. Steve has advised against using a liner and for some good reasons so I'll be more conscientious about the foil! DD

stickywicket

So the oven is now looking beautiful but what about the '“greasy, sticky, somewhat smelly and looking rather down-in-the-mouth” object'? Won't you pong a bit by June, DD

dreamdaisy

Cheeky!

Well, true to form the lasagne boiled over and, despite the foil, managed to get onto the floor of the oven but I was a good girl and cleared the mess whilst it was still warm. I'm back to gleaming. I hope I can stay that way. DD

barbara12

Now why didn't I think of this.. :? I am off to google one right now..

tkachev

Well this post is great timing as my oven is a mess yet again and I thought about getting a self cleaning oven to replace it, when funds allow; even though it still works it isn't cooking evenly. OH has been moaning about the mess, even though he knows I struggle to clean the thing myself (too low down) so like all things in my life I try to buy things that do not require his input.

According to reviews self-cleaning ovens aren't as good as they sound but I like the advice about preventing the mess in the first place. Wiping up any fresh spills is difficult so prevention seems the best option.

Of course the ideal is to get a great oven cleaning guy like DD has but the nearest recommended is 40 miles away.

Elizabeth

dreamdaisy

According to Steve 'self-cleaning' is a mis-nomer: the burned-off bits from the back and sides land on the floor of the oven and burn on to that surface instead.

tkachev, my chap is a franchise and travels all over East Anglia - my best guess is that your recommended one is something similar. The cost here was £49 (well worth it I reckon for nearly three hours of cleaning) but it might be more in your neck-of-the-woods. Currently the foil-wrapped shelves are working OK, I'm experimenting with different ways to wrap to prevent gaps. It's only been a few days but I'm currently on top of it! DD

Airwave!

I must be the only one who cleans the oven! A quick wipe with a wet cloth with some washing up liquid on while the oven is hot, easy peasy and if I get really angry I scrub it! Good for the angst, take it out on the oven!!!

Right what's next.......



It's a grin, honest!

tkachev

My OH could do it easy-peasy but he doesn't seem keen. I had to bribe him with a pair of new trainers last time.

I read reviews and the only oven cleaner with good ratings lived in Stevenage. Despite living in the burbs there doesn't seem to be any good ones round here which is surprising.


Elizabeth