Turn Off Your Oven for Earth Day — and Clean It!
Okay, it’s a little embarrassing to admit it, so I’ll just get it over with now: I’m scared of the self-cleaning feature on my oven. That’s right, it gives me the willies. Just thinking of turning that thing up to “super-incinerate” and stepping away from it for, oh, four hours or so isn’t within my comfort zone. I don’t care that it might render the ghost of last week’s lasagna to ashy whisps, or that the cherry-pie drool caramelizing fragrantly on the oven floor will finally be charred into oblivion. In fact, that’s exactly what scares me. How hot, exactly, does that thing get? And can that really be all that good for my little oven, not to mention the decades-old wood cabinets that surround it? The forty-plus-year-old subflooring? Okay, TMI.
In observance of Earth Day, I’ve decided to turn off the oven, and taking advantange of the rare downtime, give it a good cleaning. But since the crematory route is out, as are the chemical cleaners whose noxious vapors linger to flavor baked goods for weeks to come, what’s left? I’ll give you a hint — if you’re a baker, you’ve definitely got these in your pantry.
One of the most effective ways to clean your oven — as well as being environmentally friendly and cheap to boot — is with a homemade paste made from baking soda, salt, and water. In a small nonreactive bowl, combine 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt, and 1/4 cup water. Stir to make a thick paste. Spread paste on interior walls and floor of oven, being careful to avoid the heating element and the oven racks. (You can remove the racks and wash them in warm, soapy water in your bathtub. Leave out overnight to dry.)
Close the oven door and allow paste to sit overnight. When ready to remove, scrape paste away with a rubber spatula or dough scraper. Use a damp sponge to remove remaining residue. Return oven racks to their positions. To dry interior of oven, turn oven on and bring up to 200 degrees F. Let stand at this temperature for 15 minutes. Turn oven off, crack door open 1 inch, and let cool.
Your oven should be clean and fresh smelling, with no chemical odors to spoil your next batch of brownies.
Happy Earth Day to you!
My mom has bad juju when it comes to the self cleaning feature. I kid you not, the last 3 times she has tried it, it has killed her oven. (I forget what brand/model that oven was, but obviously there was a major flaw, lol)
I’m afraid to use the self cleaning feature now too.