Modern ovens are some of the most powerful tools you can have in your kitchen. With an oven, you can cook a host of delicious, hearty, and complex dishes, a neverending list of desserts, as well as some truly healthy, low-fat offerings. The possibilities with an oven are only limited by your imagination and disposition.
If you’re into cooking, ovens are undeniably great. Cleaning a dirty oven, not so much.
Although some ovens offer a self-cleaning cycle, most of us don’t have access to such high-end features and, as such, have to make do with old-fashioned and highly tedious means to remove the grease and grime.
Follow me below to learn the answer to such important questions such as how long after cleaning your oven you have to wait before using it, as well as other cleaning tips, and help with the most common oven cleaning mistakes.
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How Long After Cleaning My Oven Can I Use It?
You should wait at least 30 minutes before using your oven after cleaning it with a commercial oven cleaner. It is important to note that in order to burn off any potentially dangerous chemical residue, you may want to heat your oven to its maximum setting for about 15 minutes.
Like most questions of this ilk, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. However, this is one of the most important questions you should be asking in a kitchen. Cooking too soon after cleaning an oven has the potential to cause serious harm to your health and that of your loved ones.
Cooking In An Over After Using a Commercial Cleaner
Commercial oven cleaners, fantastic solutions which offer a ton of convenience to modern chefs, are made up of some highly corrosive and potentially toxic chemicals. Therefore, if you use your oven after cleaning it with commercial oven cleaners you must follow the correct procedures completely.
Using your oven too soon after cleaning it can result in the accidental inhalation of dangerous fumes, which can lead to potentially harmful side effects. On the other hand, waiting too long is unnecessary and can result in wasted time.
Harsh commercial oven cleaners aren’t the only solution though. If you are wary of using chemical based products with such corrosive formulas, you will be glad to learn that there are a few homemade methods you can apply to clean your oven with all-natural ingredients.
Using Natural Oven Cleaners Will Allow You To Cook Right Away
For example, you can take some baking soda (a king amongst natural cleaning products) and make a thin paste with some clean water. You can use this paste to coat the interior of your oven (including the glass door) with an even layer and let it sit overnight.
The next day, take some water and distilled vinegar in equal parts and spray the inside of the baking soda-covered oven.
The acidic vinegar will naturally react with the alkaline baking soda to disintegrate the smoky and fatty residues that muck up your oven. You can clean the resulting foam with a clean, damp cloth.
Another nifty trick to clean your oven without chemical products is to take a baking pan and fill it with about two cups of clean water and a glassful of vinegar. Place the baking pan inside the oven and heat the oven to a temperature of 350 to 400 degrees.
Leave the pan inside for about 20 to 30 minutes and let the steam do the work. Allow for the vinegary vapors to coat the entire interior of the oven, then wipe clean with a damp cloth.
These 2 methods are extremely safe, and while not as effective as a professional cleaning product, they will go a long way to removing any burnt-on food debris you have.
