For anyone who loves to cook, the oven is one treasured kitchen appliance. From baking cookies to roasting turkey, it’s at the heart of many meal preps. However, with great baking comes the not-so-great task of cleaning the oven. But before you reach for harsh chemicals or consider a self-cleaning cycle that turns your kitchen into a sauna, let us introduce you to a simple yet effective cleaning companion that’s probably sitting in your kitchen drawer right now: aluminum foil.
The same foil you use to wrap your sandwiches or cover your baking trays can work wonders in cleaning your oven. It’s a method that’s not only easy but also gentle on surfaces. First, ensure your oven is completely cool. Tear off a sizable piece of aluminum foil and crumple it into a loosely formed ball. The crinkled texture of the foil makes it great for scrubbing without risking scratches to your oven.
Before you start scrubbing, dampen the oven’s interior with baking soda paste. You can even leave it to soak for about an hour or so. This helps to loosen the grime, making your scrubbing efforts more effective. Now, using the foil ball, scrub the tough, stuck-on bits in your oven. You’ll need a bit of elbow grease, but you’ll soon see the grime lifting away. After you’ve finished scrubbing, wipe down the oven with a damp cloth to remove any remaining debris.
Use aluminum foil to clean the racks and glass door as well
While the interior walls of your oven might be your primary focus when cleaning, the glass door and racks also need attention. Aluminum foil, with its versatile cleaning abilities, can be used here as well. For the glass door, a similar approach to the interior works wonders. Start by creating another ball of aluminum foil. Dampen the glass door with baking soda paste. Then, gently scrub the door with the foil. Be especially gentle on the glass to avoid scratches. After scrubbing, wipe the door with a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue.
When it comes to cleaning oven racks, first remove them from the oven and lay them in a large sink or bathtub with warm water and detergent. After letting them sit for a few hours or overnight, scrunch up a ball of aluminum foil and start scrubbing the racks. The foil effectively gets into all those hard-to-reach areas, removing grease and burnt-on food with ease. Once you’re done scrubbing, rinse the racks thoroughly with water. They should look much cleaner and brighter. Let them dry completely before reinserting them in the oven.
So next time you’re gearing up for some oven cleaning, remember to put that roll of aluminum foil to good use — it’s a simple way to make the task a whole lot easier.
