Cleaning 101: Stove, Oven and Microwave

Frequent cooking such as baking, roasting and food spills can build up grease and charred food into your stove, oven or microwave. Charred food when accumulated turn into carbon, the reason why there is a strong burning smell when cooking and eventually can taint your food which can be harmful to your health. Cleaning your cooking appliances regularly using the green cleaning solution of baking soda and water, instead of the harsh commercial oven cleaner chemicals is best recommended.

Here are tips on how to clean your cooking appliances:

• Remove the oven grills and burners on the stovetop and wash in soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and drip dry. 

• Clean the stovetop, interior and exterior walls of the oven using the water and baking soda solution to remove cooked-on food spatters and scatters.

•  Unclog burner holes using an old toothbrush.

• Clean under and behind the cooking range too.

• For convection oven, read manual and follow instructions carefully if it has a self-clean feature. Be aware that the self-clean feature increases the temperature so make sure to wipe out excess oil and grease first before turning it on to avoid flame or fire.  
• For manual convection oven cleaning, cool it down before cleaning. Remove all trays and slide-in units then wash it with soapy water then drip-dry.

• Do not forget to disconnect microwave and oven toaster from the power supply before cleaning it. Clean the interior using a dampened sponge dipped in water and baking soda solution.

• If the interior of the microwave oven is too greasy, steam clean it by putting a cup of water inside the microwave, let it boil for about  three minutes to soften the grease build up. Wipe off grease with a damp sponge.

• Prevent water to seep into the ventilation when cleaning the microwave’s exterior. Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe off dirt.

It is important to check and read on the manuals before proceeding to clean your cooking appliances as different models has specific instructions to follow on how to clean it manually or how to use its self-cleaning option. Seek professional assistance if you notice any damage and never repair it by yourself.

To keep your cooking appliances gleaming clean and to prevent dried food stuck on the rack or on the sides and grime build up, clean it after use.

Photo credits: imagerymajestic – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net