Easy Ways to Clean Oven Racks
Datetime:2014-02-17 Hits:
Easy Ways to Clean Oven Racks
When it's time to clean the oven, it's also time to clean the oven racks. Cooking, baking or roasting in the oven often leads to spills of food, liquids and grease that make their way onto the oven racks as stuck-on, baked-on messes. Oven racks are cooking tools, too, even though they are very easy to overlook.
Prompt Cleaning
Pay attention to the condition of the oven as it cooks food. When food drops, clean it up right away. A quick wipe prevents the food from sticking to the oven racks, which lessens how often the oven racks need a thorough cleaning.
Heat
Heat is the key to releasing the bond between the metal Oven Racks and spilled food or grease. Heat also facilitates the absorption of added soaps or chemical cleaners into the stuck-on messes.
Soap
Soap can clean Oven Racks if the spills are recent and the racks are hot. Applying soap to the area and letting it sit for a while will make it easy to lightly scour the oven racks. Once the soap and elbow grease loosen the debris, rinse the oven racks before using again.
Non-Toxic Solution
A mixture of one part olive oil to two or three parts baking soda makes an oil-releasing paste that will loosen the grime on oven racks. Coat the heated oven racks with the paste and continue to heat the oven racks. The paste will dilute any grease on the oven racks. Follow this with a light scour to remove the grime.
Oven Cleaner
Chemical-based oven cleaner clean oven racks the same way they clean oven walls. If milder solutions do not work, use a low- to no-fume oven cleaner to clean the racks. Do not leave the solution on too long, or you'll tarnish the metal finish of the oven racks. Work in a well-ventilated space, wear gloves and eye protection, and scour the oven racks as soon as the baked-on grease appears to loosen up.
Seasoning
After washing away the oven cleaner and soap, apply a thin coat of olive oil to the oven rack to "season" it so that spilled food doesn't stick too easily during cooking. Turn the oven on and let the oven racks bake for a few minutes to seal in the oil finish. This will help spilled or dripping food slide off the oven racks and onto the oven floor.
