How to Clean a Continuous Self-Cleaning Oven and Drip Pans
Were you like me and thought a self-cleaning oven meant never having to clean the oven again? Admittedly, the chore is not as bad as it used to be, but a little oven cleaning is still needed occasionally. To get your oven in shape for Holiday cooking, or back in shape after all the baking is done, try this easy overnight ammonia soak.
Overnight Ammonia Soak
To easily remove the baked on splatters on the oven sides, pour one-fourth inch of ammonia in a small, glass baking dish and place in your oven. Do not turn the oven on, just shut the oven door and let the pan of ammonia set overnight. The fumes will soften any baked on gunk inside the oven and all you have to do is wipe it away the following day.
**Do not use this overnight ammonia soak on ovens with electronic touch pad controls. The fumes from the ammonia can damage the touch pads.
Open Sesame
Before opening the oven the following day, turn on the exhaust fan and open a nearby window or door (if the outside temperature is not below freezing). Stand to the side of the oven and open the door slowly so the ammonia fumes won’t hit you in the face all at once. Discard the ammonia by pouring it down the sink drain, then use a damp sponge to wipe down the oven’s interior.
Drip Pan and Rack
The drip pan and oven racks catch food spills and become a greasy, cruddy mess over time and need an overnight ammonia soak to get them back to sparkling clean condition. Place one heavy duty garbage bag inside another, then pour one-fourth cup of sudsing ammonia in the inner bag and place drip pan and oven rack inside. Seal securely with a twist tie and lie flat on the garage or porch floor overnight. Remove pan and rack the following day from their overnight ammonia soak and blast them with the water hose if weather permits (if not, rinse them well in the sink), using a nylon pot scrubber to remove any stubborn bits of baked on food. Dry and slide back into their proper place in your now clean, continuous self-cleaning oven.
