Q: I recently baked a coffee cake that has a blueberry puree layer in the middle. I used a springform pan and unfortunately, due to either myself or the pan, some of the blueberry dripped on the bottom of the oven. It then hardened into a burnt crispy blob and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get it to come off! I was able to scrape a decent amount off, but only the top layer.
Any suggestions on how to clean something like this? Or am I doomed to have this scratchy burnt splotch forever reside on the bottom of my oven?
Sent by Jennifer
Editor: Jennifer, oh we hear your pain. We had something like this happen recently, and only a great deal of boiling water was able to remove it. You can pour boiling water on the burnt splotch, and scrub it with steel wool. But you can also go the toxic-chemicals-route and use an oven cleaner spray to get it all really clean.
Readers, any other creative ideas for Jennifer and her burnt-on spot?
Related: Our Adventures in Oven Cleaning and More Adventures in Oven Cleaning
(Image: Fagor)
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Not long ago I made a Tourtière (meat pie), and the juices escaped the pastry and baked onto the oven floor.
I sprinkled baking soda on the area (a thick coat of it), and then spritzed that with water so that it made a paste without me having to mix/spread one on. After leaving it alone for about 30 minutes I was able to start wiping up with paper towels. Most guck came up without too much scrubbing.
Do you have an oven self-clean cycle? If you do, it'll help, especially after you've gotten off as much as you can. Thought you probably won't want to hang around the kitchen while you run it.
I'm telling ya - Bar Keeper's Friend. That stuff is miraculous. Spray some water on the spot, then sprinkle some BKF on it (enough to make a paste), then cover with a wet towel. Let it sit for awhile, and then attack it with a heavy duty scrubby sponge. If that doesn't work, wet it again, cover with a damp cloth, and turn the oven on to the lowest it can be - sometimes a little heat will help to soften it up. Let that sit for about 20 minutes or so, then repeat the BKF stuff. Good luck!
Diet coke helps!! Thats the only healthy use of diet coke I found. Preheat for a while to ~200F, switch off, Splash, spread, soak, wipe. Repeat if necessary. If very stubbern, use oven cleaner from dollar shop. But its too harsh.
If you own a bench scraper, I would attack the hardened crustiness with that first, and then start with the baking soda or whatever.
Another option is to make a paste of water and dishwasher powder and put that on the burn. Cover it with a damp towel so that it stays wet overnight. Then try scrubbing it. (I use this method for when I burn things onto my pans.)
The best non-toxic way to clean an oven, no matter how crusty, is to make a powerful and inexpensive baking soda based cleaner:
http://www.yumuniverse.com/2011/01/24/make-your-own-inexpensive-toxin-free-natural-oven-cleaner/
I don't like to clean my oven so I use CitraSolv (I get it at Whole Foods) diluted in hot water and most grime literally wipes away easily. For stubborn baked on stuff, I get my sponge or rag really wet (with the CitraSolv and water solution), maybe add a bit more CitraSolv straight from the bottle for good measure and just plop it on the spill. Sort of like soaking a pan in the sink. I check it in 15-30 minutes of so, wipe up what's movable and reapply and soak as needed.
self-cleaning ovens FTW.
I too use the baking soda for some clean ups, but I recently got one of those over liners which is heaven sent (http://www.kitchencollection.com/Temp_Products.cfm?sku=00236541). You can pick one up at most kitchen stores or wal-mart/target. Seriously with everything else that needs cleaning who wants to put their head in an oven?
Do ovens really need cleaning?
For sticky sugary messes like that, you can soak a thick towel in HOT soapy water and set it on top of the spill. Let it set for a few minutes, then see how much can be removed. You may have to repeat a couple of times. It works well on stove tops too.
Hot water, borax and just a tiny bit of dish soap it works wonders.
Old-fashioned, hardcore, highly toxic, eye-wateringly caustic ovencleaner.
Eco-hostile but effective!
Self-cleaning cycle. Or, if you don't have one, just crank the oven up as high as it will go and let it bake off. That should make it much easier to get the mess off.
To spot clean, I used a baking powder paste with white vinegar mix that pretty much is the same as the one Heather from YumUniverse points to here (less the borax and the smelly stuff).
BTW - my old oven had a self-cleaning cycle. I didn't use it because the sides of the oven got so hot I had to move it out to the center of the kitchen before I felt safe running it. O_o While it was an oven from the '60s, it did last ~ 40 years.
Does anyone else use aluminum foil? My mom taught me to put a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on the floor of the oven (under the element on an electric oven) to catch spills. Usually the spills bake to crunchy disks after a while and the foil can be pulled out, brushed clean, and returned to the oven. It's not as pretty as the fancy coating inside some ovens but it's a heck of a lot easier to clean.