How Do Self-Cleaning Ovens Work?

It’s a universal fact that everyone hates doing chores and when it comes to cleaning it might be at the bottom of that list. No matter how hard you try to keep your oven clean it is guaranteed to get dirty if you use it more than a handful of times. Whether that's cake mix bubbling over whilst cooking, grease from your roast pork dripping down or bits of crumbs getting jammed in the oven. These can all be a real pain to clean up and with ovens reaching high temperatures those crumbs can become blackened and hardened to the point it takes some real elbow grease to even clean your oven. Fortunately for the improvements in oven technology throughout the years, the days of having to scrub away for hours cleaning your oven are gone and have been replaced through these self-cleaning features. 

How do they work?

Self-cleaning ovens were originally introduced in 1963 and have come a long way since when they were first designed. There are currently two types of self-cleaning ovens on the market which first began with the pyrolytic cleaning method introduced in 1963 and within the past few decades, a steam cleaning method has also been introduced. A pyrolytic self-cleaning oven is very simple in principle. The feature essentially sets the oven to an extremely high temperature and carbonizes the dirt and grime within the oven to a point that it gets burnt to ash. At the time this feature was revolutionary and although there have been obvious advancements since the introduction, the core principles are relatively similar to what we have today. In addition to pyrolytic self-cleaning ovens, another self-cleaning design has been implemented into many new ovens. The steam cleaning function is a safer method on paper reducing the risk of extreme heat by simply allowing steam to seep deep into the dirt and grime so you can easily wipe it away.

The Benefits and Downsides of Self-Cleaning Ovens

There are many positives and negatives of both pyrolytic self-cleaning ovens and steam cleaning self-cleaning ovens. It goes without saying both features save you a whole heap of time and effort and when it comes to doing chores you want it to be as quick and efficient as possible. Although the pyrolytic cleaning feature is quick and easy and only takes a press of a couple of buttons on your oven, the heat produced that is needed to burn away the dirt and grime in the oven can be a cause for concern. Although the door should lock, it can be a worry for some parents with small children. Our best advice is to perform the self-cleaning feature when they are not around. In addition to this, if regular cleaning is not up kept and dirt builds up when performing the pyrolytic self-cleaning feature the amount of dirt and grime being burnt away can cause smoke and in rare and extreme circumstances even be a potential fire risk. It can also give off a bad smell due to the amount of food being incinerated by the heat. 

On the other hand, steam cleaning ovens may be regarded as less hazardous however they cannot remove some stains within your oven. Although they are designed with an inside enamel coating which should let dirt and grime easily slip off when met with steam, this is not always the case with hard-to-remove stains. The steam cleaning process is usually less than an hour so it is a lot quicker than pyrolytic cleaning however the steam cleaning process requires you to wipe out the oven after the process is complete and with many hard stains not being able to be removed, it may take you just as long as the pyrolytic feature but with double the effort you need to put in and doesn’t really minimise the amount of cleaning you will need to be doing. 

How Often Should You Clean Your Oven?

No matter what method you decide on using to clean your oven, to maintain and upkeep the general performance and health of your oven and the food that is being cooked within it, it is always best practice to ensure you are cleaning your oven every 6 to 12 months - with regular and avid bakers performing general cleaning more frequently than that. It is always important to note that if your food starts to taste strange or it is taking longer than normal to fully cook, it could be due to the fact that your oven is unclean so it is always worth cleaning your appliance before you call out any repair company to see if that is the problem. 

Conclusion

Overall it is your decision when it comes to looking for what self-cleaning oven suits all your wants and needs best. Both the pyrolytic and steam self-cleaning ovens provide you with easy solutions to cleaning your oven, it is ultimately down to what you prefer and the lifestyle you live.

Here at Howards Electrical, we have a wide range of pyrolytic and steam cleaning ovens that contain some of the freshest and best innovations on the market. If you are looking for a new oven to meet all your cooking needs browse through our vast range of ovens online today or visit us in person at our showroom in Stoke on Trent. 

If you are looking for other cooking products such as cookers, hobs, hoods, microwaves, range cookers, splashbacks and warming drawers browse online today.