Cleaning Oven Racks

[Norma]

This may be old news, but it's new to me and I thought it might help others.

I read a tip somewhere that if you put your dirty oven racks in the grass overnight that the next morning they are very easy to clean. Well, I tried it last night and it does work. They were unbelieveably easy to clean this morning. That stuff came off so easily. Try it!

As Martha would say....it's a good thing.

Norma

[SandyM]

Hmph. I would have awakened this morning to find mine covered with a dusting of snow. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/mad.gif

I WANT MY SPRING BACK!!!!

(thanks for the tip - maybe I can use it in 2-3 months!)

[BosunsWife]

I've also heard that you can clean your oven (overnight) by putting in a cup or so of ammonia and then wiping out. Anyone had this method work? I just have some stuff burned on the bottom and was going to give it a try.

[Norma]

Yes ammonia works. I used that method before I got the self-cleaning oven. It's been quite a long time since I've done it but I do remember that it worked.

Norma

[luv2cook]

cleaning the oven? What's that? Sounds like hard work to me... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Marcie]

Sadly, I don't have a self-cleaning oven, and therefore it hasn't been cleaned since we bought the house 4 1/2 years ago. Are you supposed to actually dump a cup of ammonia in the oven, or just set a cup in there for the ammonia fumes to dissolve the gunk?

[woodsl]

Originally posted by SandyM:
Hmph. I would have awakened this morning to find mine covered with a dusting of snow. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/mad.gif

I WANT MY SPRING BACK!!!!

(thanks for the tip - maybe I can use it in 2-3 months!)

SandyM,

This may make you feel better - in 2-3 months it will probably be a miserable 110 here in Dallas, but quite nice where you live.

But right now, I am enjoying the spring here in Dallas.

Sharon

[chefbec]

I just leave mine in the oven when I clean it (it's a self-cleaning oven; otherwise it would always be a mess!) Then I rub a little oil along the sides of the oven racks so they slide easily again. Works like a charm, and sooooo easy! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Norma]

Chefbec, my oven book indicated that leaving the racks inside while cleaning would ruin the finish on the racks, so it never even occurred to me to try it. Maybe I will.

[Peggy]

luv2cook,

You are TOO funny! Your post made me laugh!! I will publically admit, I'm not super vigilant about cleaning my oven either... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif

Thanks for the chuckle!

Peggy

[Zinnia]

I have used Norma's tip to clean my BBQ grill/rack for years-and it's already outside. It really works for burnt on and messy racks. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Zinnia

[lanie]

Ok - I just want to get this straight - the grass works - yes have heard about that only once - now I know it does work - this amonia thing - you mean to say you put 1 cup of amonia (in a cup) in your oven with the racks in and 'clean cycle' it and the racks do not discolor?

Elaine http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[funnybone]

Originally posted by Norma:
Chefbec, my oven book indicated that leaving the racks inside while cleaning would ruin the finish on the racks, so it never even occurred to me to try it. Maybe I will.

It does ruin the finish - it leaves them dull and grey looking. I used to do this before, but don't want to do this yet, since my ovens are only 1 year old.

I would never be with a self cleaning oven though. It should be a standard feature today. The last house we lived in had double ovens, but only one was self cleaning (figure that one out). When we built this one, I made sure both were self cleaning!!

[Norma]

lanie, no, the self-cleaning thing and the ammonia thing are separate.

Use the ammonia thing if you're cleaning the oven by hand. You can leave the racks in the oven with it. The stuff will come off quie easily the next day. Put one cup of ammonia in the oven overnight.

The grass thing was of interest to me because I didn't leave my racks in the oven when it did it's self cleaning thing for fear they would be damaged. I cleaned the racks separately and it was always a pain. So now, I can clean the racks easily using the grass method.

Hope this is clearer.

Norma

[chefbec]

Originally posted by Norma:
Chefbec, my oven book indicated that leaving the racks inside while cleaning would ruin the finish on the racks, so it never even occurred to me to try it. Maybe I will.

My oven is 5 years old and I've done this the whole time. The only thing I noticed was that they were hard to move in and out, and I can't remember where I heard about the oil trick, but it works like a charm. If your oven book says not to do it, maybe you shouldn't though.

[schuh]

While I appreciate the tip about the racks, I wish I could throw the rest of my oven on the lawn with them.

My oven, which is filthy, came with our house. It has one rack in it and it's so old you can't order more. It's electric, and the connection to the power for one of the burners came undone, so I have just three burners to use. I refuse to pay the money to have it fixed as I hate the stove in general. One of these days we'll have the money to buy a new one, but in the meantime thanks for letting me rant...

[Beth]

Originally posted by schuh:
While I appreciate the tip about the racks, I wish I could throw the rest of my oven on the lawn with them....

LOL. Maybe we should have a lawn party featuring our junked appliances. You bring your range, I've got a cooktop, we've got a couple of dying dishwashers ....now to plan the food!

[Norma]

I hate my stove too. I'll add it to the pile.

[schuh]

Oh, I could add my fridge, dishwasher and dryer to the pile! We thought we were so smart, negotiating to get all the appliances when we bought our house 9 years ago. Well, little did we know the previous homeowners had no trouble leaving them behind because they were old junk! I did get a new washer last year and we're about to go shopping for a new dishwasher tomorrow. I guess I shouldn't complain...

[WeekendCook]

Funnybone, we moved into our house about a year ago and I have the double ovens too. The top one is self-cleaning, but not the bottom one. I don't use both at once often, but I like the flexibility, especially when I have guests over. But I have never figured out why the one is self-cleaning and the other is not!

I must say, after cleaning the oven a few weeks ago and spending an hour on the racks (not to mention my broken finger nails!) I am ready to try that grass trick! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by WeekendCook (edited 04-21-2001).]