If you allow greasy food to dry or burn onto the surface of your stove, you will shorten the lifespan of the appliance, and even the food you cook will end up having a strange taste. If the gas burner doesn’t turn on easily or a cake doesn’t bake evenly, it’s time for a thorough cleaning!
Ceramics or stainless steel?
A good chef takes an equal pride in his or her food and kitchen, which involves both choosing new appliances wisely and taking care of the existing ones. When buying a new stove, it is good to know that it’s much easier to clean ceramic surfaces than stainless steel ones. Also, when buying a new oven, it’s worth doing some research on the self-cleaning function of the available devices. For example, the pyrolytic Electrolux ovens simply burn all impurities off the oven walls, whereas steam ovens use water vapor for self-cleaning.
Don’t delay cleaning!
The basic rule is that you always should remove food residues while they are still fresh. If they dry or burn down, you will have a much more difficult time getting rid of them.
Soap and water
It is important to avoid abrasive cleaners, as they may scratch surfaces; you should rather use liquid soap and water, suitable to clean any surface.
Using a toothbrush
A toothbrush is the best tool to remove impurities from the surface of burners. Underneath the burners, however, you should use a cleaning agent that has been specially developed for this purpose.
Using a razor
Ceramic stovetops can also be cleaned with soap and water; however, if you have a stubborn, burned-down stain to get rid of, you should buy a special razor developed for ceramic stoves. As an alternative, you can use a regular razor blade as well, but be careful when using it, to avoid cutting your hand. If you slide the blade on the surface at a 30 degree angle, it will nicely remove the burned residues, and it won’t scratch the material.
What else to pay attention to?
Keeping the oven clean is the simplest task if you have a self-cleaning appliance. If your oven doesn’t have this function, you can use soap and water once again, but be careful when cleaning the isolating material – if it gets damaged, the performance of the oven will deteriorate.
Stoves, ovens, open fireplaces and all kinds of kitchen appliances and tools will last a much longer time if cleaned regularly, and they will remain our enjoyable and useful friends if we take good care of them.