3 Important Oven Maintenance Tips

If you cook with any regularity, your range and oven are  probably your most used appliances in your home.  They  are incredibly handy appliances that allow you to feed yourself and your family delicious meals so that you do not have to spend money on expensive take-out food every night.  With so much use comes the wear and tear that can really take a toll on an appliance over time, especially during the holidays. With so much use, it is important these appliances be maintained regularly in order to function properly.  If you notice problems with your oven or range that seem to be beyond your abilities or simple cleaning, it is wise to call your home warranty company and allow professionals to repair your range.  The best way to prevent major problems from occurring is to regularly maintain your oven or range.  Below are the top 3 ways to achieve this maintenance this.

1. Clean the Surfaces

Cooking is, inevitably, messy.  Things splatter and spill and all of that mess with so much heat tends to get caked on and tough to clean very quickly.  The best thing you can do for your oven and range is to immediately clean any spills or splatters that you see.   Often, it is best to use soap and water with a rag to clean up spills and use cleaning products only for the toughest of spills.  For smooth cooktops, there are cleaning products specifically designed to clean cooktops with cleaning pads that will not scratch or leave marks.

2. Deep Clean

Depending on how often you use your oven, it is best to use the self-clean function once or twice per year.  Your oven will get very hot so it is a good idea to be home.  Many people prefer to run the self-clean function over night with the windows open because once the oven gets very hot it tends to emit an unpleasant odor.  An additional way to loosen up caked on food particles is to put a bowl of boiling water with vinegar in the oven (while the oven is completely cooled down and off), close the door and let it sit for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, open the door and wipe down the inside of the oven.

3. Prevent Food Accumulation

When baking a dish that could potentially bubble over, consider putting a baking sheet or drip pan on the bottom rack of your oven.  With the sheet or pan there to catch any bubble-over, it will help prevent food from falling and accumulating on the hot cooking elements at the bottom.  Do not line the bottom of your oven with tin foil because if the foil is too close to the cooking elements, or touching the cooking elements, it could potentially catch fire.