Using Your Self-Cleaning Oven

[Country]

I was going to use the self-clean cycle to recondition a couple of cast iron fry pans and the grill from the Weber, but the manual for the range (an Amana) says to remove the racks.

So I called customer service at Amana to find out if I could leave the racks in and put in the fry pans. The customer rep (who was very nice) told me that I definitely shouldn't do that as leaving the racks in the oven, and adding the pans, etc. would cause more heat and could "fry" the electronic control panel that controls the oven, timer, etc. The one time I used the cleaning cycle I noticed the control panel got pretty hot, so I've decided against using it for cleaning pans and racks.

It seems like such a good idea, but I like the range, and the oven (and infrared broiler) work so well, I'm not going to take a chance on messing things up.

Myself, I wouldn't worry about the grid from the BBQ going into a self-clean cycle. Just doesn't seem that it has enough mass to increase the thermal load that much. In light of the advice from the manuacturer, I certainly wouldn't go for the cast iron pan/baking stone route.

But. That said, I also wouldn't advise you to go against what the manufacturer's rep suggested. I don't want to be responsible for blowing up your range, or voiding your warrenty (or burning down your kitchen.... ).

Also, should be noted that my range does NOT have an electronic control. It's one analog dial with the temperatures, and another analog dial with the settings ("broil", "bake", "clean"). That probably makes a difference as well.....

I wish I had analog and, if I did, I'd go ahead and try cleaning the grill and pans with self-clean. The only problem the customer rep saw was overheating the digital panel and I don't want to do that. It's digital, but the oven holds a really good temperature range and I don't want to take any chances on messing that up. And, it's probably expensive to replace. Oh well. I'll just have to clean the stuff with elbow grease.

[ElsieD]

Inspired by this topic I used the self cleaning function on my new oven (Electrolux slide in induction range). This is actually the first time I have ever used a self cleaning function due to always having crappy ovens that didn't offer the feature. I pulled out the manual and was advised to take out both the racks and the side supports the racks sit on. The manual stated that the self clean function would not work unless they were removed. I was wondering why they would need to be removed. The racks are the slide out type with ball bearings. Could the heat effect the sliding mechanism? I was able to put the side supports in the dishwasher, but the racks wouldn't fit. After a good soak in soapy water they cleaned up nicely.

I haven't actually wiped out the oven yet (ran it overnight), but there are nice little ash piles where burnt on black stuff used to live.

Johanna

I also have the Electrolux slide-in induction range but haven't cleaned the oven yet. How was the smoke factor? I'm kind of worried that there will be a lot of smoke coming from that oven.

[dmg]

According to Wikipedia, "...between 900–1000 °F (482–538 °C)". In other words, pretty damned hot. Steel starts becoming red hot at anything over 1000F.

Does that mean that the self cleaning setting could be used to make a really mean pizza?

Yes, some people hack their self-cleaning oven for the purposes of making pizza.

Potter [Cooking for Geeks] suggests doing so, a process he calls "Oven Overclocking". He also recommends being careful. He mentions that he cracked the glass of the window when a liquid from a pizza hit the glass. He replaced the broken glass with PyroCeram.

He also suggests that ovens that go to 540C are too hot, while 315C is too cold. That the ideal, according to his experiments, is 400C-425C.

He, nonetheless, recommends an upside-down cast iron pan [or a pizza stone] instead, and ends: "I'm afraid I have to recommend that you skip the oven overclocking, even if it is fun."

--dmg

[paulraphael]

One of the main reasons to remove the racks is that they will discolor and lose their shine

My oven's instructions say it's ok to use self-clean on the racks, but that they will definitely discolor and will probably start to squeak when sliding in and out. I haven't tried it yet.

I routinely use the self clean cycle on pans that can take the heat ... like pyrex and enameled cast iron. They come out looking new.

Edited October 23, 2011 by paulraphael (log)

[MelissaH]

My GE Monogram self-cleans the oven and racks nicely. (It seems like the racks themselves determine whether they can safely handle a self-cleaning cycle. And this was one of the reasons we chose this particular range.) After a self-cleaning, I just have to wipe the ridges that the racks slide on with a bit of oil afterwards, or the racks don't slide. The manual warned me about this. I typically use grapeseed oil, which doesn't burn and smell at typical oven temperatures the way other oils can.

As far as other smells, I did get a little odor the first time I self-cleaned. After that, I haven't had any issues with odor. Because the oven does not have an electronic control panel, it's something I only do when I'm home and awake; the fan turning off is my signal that the self-clean cycle is complete and it's time to turn the oven off.

I should note that we did have a problem with the latch sliding shut and not releasing. We think we've traced the problem to a bad solenoid. The first time, a quick re-clean cycle (on for an hour, then off to cool) got it to unlatch. The second time, we pretty much had to dismantle the oven and take the door off to get it to unlatch. However, with a little (ahem) hardware modification, we've made sure that a stuck latch will never again stop us from opening the oven. We've also purchased the part that we modified, so that if we ever need to, we can replace our latch with one that's intact.

MelissaH

[Kerry Beal]

I've run into a few problems with latches that won't unlatch. The oven at the condo where I stay up north got latched shut when I turned the control the wrong way and we had to dismantle it.

[johannafin]

I also have the Electrolux slide-in induction range but haven't cleaned the oven yet. How was the smoke factor? I'm kind of worried that there will be a lot of smoke coming from that oven.

I didn't notice a lot of smoke. There was a strong odor, especially at the begining. I did turn the hood on to deal with the odor. I did go to bed about half way through. Everything was fine the next am.

Johanna

[phatj]

The only disadvantage we see is the amount of heat it pumps into the room, so winter's a great time to do it!

Yep, I wouldn't consider doing it any other time. My kitchen unfortunately has no venting to the outside unless I open windows. Well, even with windows open on two sides of the room on a 20 degrees F January night, it will get up around 90 F in the kitchen. It would make the entire house uninhabitable in the summer.

Edited October 26, 2011 by phatj (log)