Prevent Damage To Your Restaurant Oven Through Proper Cleaning

6 October 2014
 Categories: , Articles


If you own a restaurant, then your oven is likely the most used appliance. This means that you need to treat it with care. One of the worst things you can do is to use the self-cleaning feature. Most modern restaurant and residential use ovens have heating elements that are covered and hidden from view. This helps to keep them protected, but heat gets trapped near the important parts of your oven when you activate the self-cleaning feature. Oven cleaners are also bad for your oven, because they contain caustic chemicals like lye. The oven damage can lead to expense repairs and parts, and this means that you should use a more natural approach to cleaning.

Prevent Spills

If you prevent spills and messes inside your restaurant oven to begin with, then you will not need to deep clean the appliance. One of the easiest ways to prevent spills is to place a layer of tin foil on the bottom of your oven before you start cooking. You can place tin foil on the rack below the one you are using to cook with as well.  

Try to find a heavy duty type of tin foil that is between .0008 and .001 mils thick. This type of product is twice as thick as regular tin foil. You can use extra heavy tin foil too, that is between .0011 and .0016 mills thick. The heavier tin foil will collect spills so they do not break through an end up on the bottom of your oven.

You can place an oven liner in the bottom of your oven as well. Just make sure not to buy a Teflon based product. Teflon can withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, but your oven will likely exceed this temperature, especially if you broil or bake foods quickly. Once the Teflon gets hot, it can start to emit toxic fumes. The fumes are harmful to your kitchen staff and they are likely to infiltrate your food.

Use a Natural Cleaning Method 

If you do not want to place tin foil or a liner in your oven, then you will need to clean up grease and other residue on occasion that builds in the appliance. Gather the following materials before your start cleaning.

  • Lemons
  • Baking dish
  • Sponge
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar

Loosen the Debris

The first think you need to do when you clean your oven is to loosen all of the grease and other debris that has formed a thick crust on your oven walls. You can do this with some water and lemon slices.  

Fill your baking dish with water and cut up a lemon into thin slices. Place the lemons in the dish and then stick it in your oven. Turn your oven on and make sure the temperature is set to about 300 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the dish in your oven for about 20 minutes. The steam that is created will help to moisten the residue in your oven and the citric acid in the lemons will break up the debris as well.

Remove the Oven Gunk

Remove the water and lemon baking dish from your oven after 20 minutes. Let your oven cool down for 30 to 60 minutes. Your oven should be warm but not hot when you start removing the food debris. This is best so that the grease and other food matter does not solidify again. Place about one cup of vinegar in a dish and dip your sponge in the fluid. Use the sponge to scrub the food out of your oven. Vinegar contains acetic acid that can dissolve and clean food spills and messes. The vinegar is also edible and this means that it will not harm any food that you place in the oven once you are done cleaning.

Once you have used the vinegar to remove the grease and food, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda in your oven. Let the powder sit overnight to remove any leftover oven smells. Use a wet rag to remove the baking soda.  

If you have a large oven in your restaurant, then you likely rely heavily on the appliance to cook meal for your customers. This means that you should make sure that you try to keep oven damage to a minimum. You can do this by cleaning it properly. Continue for more information.


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