We've totally had this problem. Julie asks:
I've had a bad week when it comes to plasticware in the kitchen. First I forgot that a bunch of stuff—including some plastic food savers from Ikea—had been stored in the oven, and turned the oven on just long enough to melt one of them. Now there's a little bit of residue on the bottom plate of the oven, which is removable. I've taken it out but am not sure of the best way to get the residue off.
Then, while toasting some cumin powder, I forgot I was holding a plastic teaspoon and tried to scrape a spot that was about to scorch. A little bit of the plastic teaspoon melted onto my stainless steel frying pan.Can anyone tell this klutz the best way to get the plastic off these surfaces? I promise to keep the plastic away from the stove from now on.
Julie, on the *ahem* one or two occasions we've dealt with this problem, we've let the plastic cool completely, then chipped away at it with a spatula or screwdriver until it was mostly gone. In the case of the stainless steel pan, it seems like a little steel wool would be enough to remove it.
But surely there is a more efficient way. Readers?
Related: Good Question: How to Clean Rusty Dansk Cookware
(Image: Flickr member zedwards licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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i have no idea if this works, but an old trick for getting wax off of stuff is to put a towel or piece of cloth (that you are willing to sacrifice) over the dried gunk and then running a warm iron over it. as the gunk softens, press the towel into it and then lift it away.
melted plastic is very toxic, discard anything you can, replace the rack and clean your oven thoroughly, air out your kitchen.
I don't know about anyone else... but I'm wondering what exactly happened in the photo...
I would discard the rack, just because plastic is very toxic, as funstraw mentioned, and if there is even a little left on it after cleaning, it is going to smell terrible when heated and probably seep into your food.
I would try putting the pan in the freezer to get it really hard and it should chip right off. Maybe if you have a big freezer it will work for the rack, too.
that photo is amazing.
that photo is friggen hilarious!
I'm just really glad that I'm not the only clutz in the kitchen. I mean don't get me wrong, I can cook- and I'm usually neat too! but I have my spaced out moments such as these and it's very refreshing to hear I'm not the only one!
My mother has done this repeatedly as she too uses the oven for storage. We've usually been able to ship off the plastic and then use oven cleaner, there are several on the market that don't smell up the entire house. I wouldn't try to re-melt the plastic.
As for the picture, it reminds me of the large plastic container filled with Christmas cookies that were preheated one year in our house. Ah..., childhood memories.
Get out the hair dryer, and run hot air over the plastic to soften it back up. Then take a few paper towels and wipe up the soft plastic. You can place the rack back in a warm oven until the plastic softens back up and wipe it up too with a paper towel. Do not ruin your pan with harsh abrasives...the plastic melted onto the surface and can be warmed off. Automobile parts stores sell "gum out" and other engine cleaners...you might ask them for suggestions if the heat doesn't work. So far, i've had good luck rewarming the mess with a hairdryer and paper towels. (yes, this is one of the few places where paper towels are better than rags)
Throw it away. Plastic isn't wax. I'd probably replace the stainless steel pan, myself.
Also, don't store things in the oven. This has always struck me as an odd thing, and a bad habit.
Some people have to store things in the oven, due to limited space in cabinets or on counters, in my first apartment I had exactly 1 cabinet, and about 2x2 foot square of counter space. (Needless to say we ate a lot of frozen dinners that year, but anyways)
I don't have any help on the plastic issue, but I do have a preventative tip - if you store something in the oven, take a piece of blue painter's tape or masking tape, and tape the door shut (to the control knob if possible) as a visual reminder that "Oh yea, there is stuff in there!" I don't need to store things in the oven anymore, but I use the tape now for when I am rising bread dough in the oven and don't want to forget to get it out before cooking something. ;-)
Del
Delementals
i made the mistake of stiring toffee with a plastic spatula, i ended up with bits of plastic inside my candy.
@taraht: are you wondering how the plastic got like that or why there is sliced bread on top of it?
Cause it seems pretty clear that the plastic was sitting on the rack, melted and dripped down.
The only reason I can imagine the bread being there is that the plastic drips are strong enough to hold up the rack and it's being used as like an elevated platter on a buffet layout or something like that.
1. Pry off the plastic from the oven rack;
2. Create a Dali-esque sculpture for your home!
In regards to the picture... the person could have been using one of those "oven-safe" plastic baking dishes... I think Glad makes them? I had a similar incident in college trying to bake in the little dorm kitchen. Luckily, I smelled the plastic before it melted too badly.