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Cooktop and oven: how to clean it all?

The work of a home cook is closely connected with dirt as well as with cleanliness. Cleaning a potato or fish alone costs a pretty penny! Or even heat treating, when heat causes substances to take on a new state: Food can stick to the surface and become unbreakable, grease becomes sticky and sticky, even water leaves behind unattractive streaks. But engineers and chemists do not leave housewives alone with these problems, trying to make household work easier and keep every new stove in pristine condition.

Electric panels

The stove is washed from the “head.”

The hob is the most sought-after cooking area, where food is transformed into appetizing dishes. Crumbs, oil and runaway drips tend to pile up on the worktop – and need to be cleaned up. There are only a few materials used on panels:

– Ceramic glass is one of the leaders, it’s comfortable and smooth.

It is not difficult to take care of, though it has its subtleties. Immediately worth to buy a scraper – it looks like a shaving machine, by the way, and the blades can be replaced. Scraper – the main helper in emergency situations, without it cleaning from burnt food is almost impossible. In addition, glass ceramic does not like sudden temperature changes, so no cold water should fall on the hot glass. For normal cleaning, the glass ceramic should be at room temperature or slightly warm.

– Stainless steel is a tough, practical material.

Do not use powders or abrasives for cleaning, the metal is easily scratched. Protect the surface from acidic substances: juices lemon juice, for example , vinegar, special decalcifying agents, they will leave permanent stains.

– Enamels are smooth and beautiful, but their shine is easy to lose if you “run” the stove and then clean it with solids.

Burners are subjected to high temperature loads, you should pay special attention to their cleanliness. Cast iron pancakes are wiped with a damp cloth and soapy solution, wiped dry. And to keep them from rusting and just for beauty, they are lubricated with salt-free grease. You need to heat it up by turning on the heat for a few minutes. This procedure is especially relevant for stoves hibernating in the countryside.

Burners of gas stoves are periodically removed, washed in a solution with dishwashing detergent. Non chrome-plated parts can be cleaned with a paste or even a wire sponge. Do not replace them until they are thoroughly dry. The grids can be soaked in hot water and baking soda e.g. soda ash , and the solution should be soapy to the touch. To avoid streaks on the surface, you need to rinse it thoroughly with clean water.

It is better to clean the lid of the stove with conventional cleaners, without resorting to abrasives, rust removers, detergents for porcelain and earthenware.

Control center

Control panels could be real islands of cleanliness if not for flying drops of hot oil from the cooking table, dripping water and not always clean hands of a hostess. This is why the control panel must be cleaned on a regular basis.

Bulk panels get dirty faster, with dirty streams dripping directly under the rotary knobs. Have to fumble and remove them using improvised means, of course, that every day you do not want to do it.

The space between the buttons for the timer and the alarm clock is also difficult to clean. After all, the distances are small.

Any stove manual states that the appliance should only be washed when unplugged. In addition to the safety issue, this provides another solution. As you carefully scrub the space between the buttons, it’s pretty hard not to snag or activate them, and neither you nor the stove need that “color-music”.

Very convenient panels are equipped with recessed handles, which “go” inside, and the surface is absolutely flat, no virtuoso curtsy from the hostess is not required – waves a napkin as much as you want.

That white, white door

The oven door is hinged and supported by two hinges. If we’re in the middle of a general cleaning, we can take advantage of the manufacturer’s “kind” offer and take it off for a while. Ideally, this procedure should be able to carry out even a fragile woman. There are small locks on the hinges, turn them, close the door or close it slightly , lift it up and pull it toward you.

According to witnesses, the most interesting thing can come later, when the door needs to be installed in place. One of our employee told us how easily she was able to remove the door of her stove, but could not put it back, she had to “call in the cavalry” for help. Her husband, remembering the developers with a bad word, took fifteen minutes to put the door back in place, now it is not removed.

The doors of some ovens in Bosch-Siemens stoves slide forward, like the drawers of cassettes. They not only cover the inside volume, but also support pans, racks and trays. It’s also removable. You have to push it all the way forward and lift it up a little bit. True, in your hands will be a whole structure, in addition, a corner. So washing it in the sink is gonna be a little tricky.

A window to the world

The glass is a pretty vulnerable part of the door. It must be perfectly clean, otherwise it won’t be able to do its main task of helping us peek at the cooking process. The inner glass is removable in many models. This is done in order to more convenient conditions to put it in order.

Often, between the panes of glass are formed by leaks, you can get rid of them, only by disassembling the door the exceptions are panes of glass, in the space between the outer and inner glass, which does not slip a single speck of dust . The process is usually quite simple. The glass can be attached from the outside, then you only need to unscrew the fixing bolt. If it is installed inside, a coin or screwdriver unscrew one or two special bolts.

The most easy to clean door is the one that is completely covered with glass from the inside, or maybe the outside. Judge for yourself – to wash the glass take the usual liquid with ammonia, sprinkle, wipe with a paper towel or a microfiber, and order. And if the glass is in the door, you need at least two products. And the surfaces of the door become more intricate and complicated, all these grooves and ribs will have to be sorted out individually.

At the peak of cleaning

There’s probably not a single housewife who enjoys cleaning the oven. That’s how we are – we like to clean, but we don’t like to clean. Fortunately, we’re not alone in this women around the world think so too, but most importantly, developer-engineers. That is why there is a whole “vernissage” of methods for easy oven cleaning.

Give it a whirl!

The method of cleaning with hot steam is not complicated, it seems that everything is clear, and you can “invent” it in any kitchen. But in practice there are a few things to consider. First, there has to be steam, that is, the temperature in the oven should be such that the water does not evaporate overnight, but has time to soften the dirt. That’s why the operating temperature is only 50 degrees. The second point, the appliance is electric after all, so the steam can cause a short circuit. So steam cleaning can’t be improvised.

In plates where steam is used, the inner walls are lined with smooth enamel, dirt does not stick firmly to it, and swollen from moisture, removed in one movement. The cleaning process is a special function, respecting the specified temperature and duration 30 minutes .

Cleanliness from idleness

The catalytic system was invented for those who don’t want to hear about cleaning. Usually one or two panels of the oven the back or two side panels have a special coating. In its pores when the temperature rises during cooking oxidizes droplets of fat and crumbs. They quietly burn, turning into a thin layer of ash. After cooling the walls wipe them with a cloth, and that’s it.

But there are a few drawbacks to catalyzing. The panels, unfortunately, are not eternal. After about 3-5 years, they lose their ability to clean and need to be replaced. Although the second side of these panels may have the same coating, that is, the user only needs to turn them on the “underside”. If the panels are not renewed in time, they begin to be covered with the usual stove soiling layer by layer, but it is very difficult to clean them. The surface is rough and porous, it’s very good for retaining plaque. In short, it’s better not to run it. But even if the catalytic panels are operational, you still have to clean the other walls.

Siemens

Grill to a shine

One of the most expensive cleaning methods, pyrolysis, is not often found in stoves. But the presence of such a function – a kind of sign of device quality. The thing is that during cleaning the temperature inside the oven reaches 500 degrees, the enamel covering the walls burns any dirt.

That is why the elements of the stove must be flawless. Use the best metal for the stove, otherwise it will hang after the first “hygienic procedure”. The safety system has been thought out to the finest detail. If you want to cook in a Mercedes, choose without a doubt a stove with pyrolysis. By the way, in the segment of expensive stoves such models are the best-selling.

The instructions may authorize pyrolysis cleaning inside the oven, trays and racks, and even the gas burners. It’s better not to do this, they can lose their shine, and they can be cleaned in a more gentle way.

Among most

Most models on the market do not have all these inventions, their advantage may just be the smooth enamel and clever design solutions. Let’s look inside. On the side walls there are recesses for racks and trays, and removable rails can be used. Without them, the walls remain flat, and it’s more pleasant to wash them.

A small hiccup can cause a light bulb plafond. It may be located on the back wall on the side, on the side panel or even on the ceiling. The best way to remove and wash the plafond is to use a dishwasher or washing machine.

Models with convection have one more decoration – a ring heater and a fan. This design is quite difficult to maintain. Therefore, when the grill is in operation, it must be protected, for this purpose there is a small grease filter included. It looks like a small mesh window, it is easily inserted into place it is fixed by special latches or staples .

This helper in the fight for cleanliness frees air flows circulating inside from grease droplets, which in turn precipitate where they belong, not on the fan blades. The filter itself can be easily cleaned with a soapy solution directly under the faucet or in the dishwasher.

Ceiling

The most complex part of the oven is the ceiling, which, depending on the design, has a ten top element, an electric or gas grill. Electric heaters are thin tubes. But the gas grill – it’s a whole complex and large construction. Sometimes there are also light bulbs on the ceiling. It is good if all this “goodness” is hidden in a niche and does not interfere with putting and taking out large foods. But often they take just such a position that hostesses have to demonstrate wonders of dexterity to keep the chicken or cake “marked” on these gizmos.

Cleaning a full-service ceiling with a lamp, grill and fan is no easy task. It is difficult and not always permissible to use force – it can damage something. So we have to rely on chemical miracle cures. Therefore, fans of the grill and he is a champion of dirty walls is better to choose models with hinged electric elements. They are fastened with a thin guide and a locking device. This guide is removed it resembles a spoke in appearance , and then the elements are squeezed from the retainer. The grill and ten ovens are put down, the ceiling is left completely free and ready to be cleaned.

For fans of cleanliness

Some models of stoves are equipped with wheels, so that they can be pulled out every few years to tidy up the floor, the kitchen wall and the sides of cabinets.

Household chemicals

One of the most effective and suitable compounds for the care of the stove is a common dishwashing detergent. It combines softness, grease-dissolving power and fast rinseability.

(The Consumer wrote in detail about dishwashing detergents in the fall of 2004., see potrebitel

One of the main prerequisites for cleaning is to keep the surfaces of the stove intact. That’s why the instructions so often prohibit the use of abrasive powders, metal brushes and sponges. Chips and scratches enamel not only deprive the appliance of attractiveness, but also provoke corrosion, aggravate the process of contamination. But mild remedies are effective for light soiling, but what to do if the stove is neglected? It’s worth a trip to the DIY department. There are a number of specialized chemical compositions for tidying up stoves.

Not a grease, not a dust particle.

The most unpleasant thing when washing the stove – it is hardened drops of fat on the walls of the oven or glass, not only that the work is difficult, so still on your knees have to stand. Which is probably why “thermo-nuclear” cleaning products were invented – active, but not demanding too much effort on our part. This is a line of products for ovens, grills and microwaves.

They come in several forms, such as in aerosol cans or spray bottles. When the cleaner is applied to the oven, the grease and protein particles dissolve, so all we have to do is use a cloth to wipe them up. Many of these products decompose into neutral components when “working”, which is also safe. But you can’t use these on self-cleaning ovens.

In the collection of this group there are very interesting representatives. For example, cleaners which are applied to the walls of the oven and then heated up to 200-250 C. In the process of cleaning, only neutral substances remain on the walls, which are washed away with normal water. By the way, you can wash the oven with a normal dishwashing detergent, but in this case it should be heated to 50-100 C .

Let there be silicone!

The basis of silicone is silicon. In household chemicals, it plays the role of a film formulator. It’s an invisible, thinnest heat-resistant film that covers all cooking surfaces and prevents food and grease particles from sticking, scaling and scratching. As a result, daily cleaning is reduced to a minimum – a few strokes of a soft cloth and perfect cleanliness. Silicone is used in vitrified clay and metal care products.

How we were consulted

The author of this article went to a large home appliance store to gather information. The close attention to the stoves did not escape the store staff, and a consultant approached her, graciously offering to help. When asked how she could remove the door of the adjacent hob, the author received a polite answer that only a specialist from the service department could do it, and that she would have to call him specifically. I had to argue that now most of the stoves can be “obyzvidcheniya” even a woman. Our “helper” shrugged and disappeared.

But the author did not relent, a couple of minutes later another polite young man appeared. His question sounded something like this: “Can I help you??” After hesitating, our “scout” blurted out: “How do you recline the grill here??”. The point of the answer was that grills never, anywhere, under any circumstances do this. However, the author was holding the manual, which said just the opposite. The all-knowing “specialist” immediately evaporated.

There was one more helper who, realizing he couldn’t deal with the customer’s questions, disowned the fact that he had been working here for the first few days.

Store consultants still long warily squinted at our author, no one dared to approach her. So if you want to know more about technology, read Consumer. Household Appliances,” because salespeople, unfortunately, in many stores do not have information about what they sell.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 3
  1. Cambria

    Cleaning a cooktop and oven can be a daunting task. Are there any effective cleaning tips or specific products you recommend for tackling the tough grime and grease? What are some commonly overlooked areas that require cleaning? Any advice on removing stubborn stains and maintaining the cooktop and oven’s functionality?

    Reply
    1. Skylar

      Cleaning a cooktop and oven can indeed be challenging, but there are effective tips and products that can make the task easier. For tackling tough grime and grease, I recommend using a mixture of baking soda and water or a specialized oven cleaner. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for any products used.

      Commonly overlooked areas for cleaning include the burner grates, knobs, and vents. These areas can accumulate grease and grime, so it’s important to clean them regularly. For stubborn stains, a paste of baking soda and vinegar left overnight can work wonders.

      To maintain the cooktop and oven’s functionality, it’s crucial to clean them regularly and avoid letting spills and residue accumulate. Use a soft cloth or sponge to wipe off any spills immediately. Also, make sure to inspect and clean the oven’s gasket and door seals for longevity and efficiency.

      Remember to disconnect power before cleaning any electrical parts, and never use abrasive materials that could damage the surface. By following these tips, you can keep your cooktop and oven clean, stain-free, and in optimal working condition.

      Reply
  2. Ella Walker

    Can anyone share some effective tips and techniques for cleaning both the cooktop and oven? I always struggle with getting rid of stubborn stains and greasy residue. Any suggestions or recommended products would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply
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