When it comes to cooking, the oven is your best friend. It can prepare delicious meals and help you along the way to becoming better at cooking homemade food. Yet, there is one thing you must not forget as you spend more time cooking and that is the need to invest some effort in oven cleaning.
It is not a pleasant chore to deal with, because it involves some elbow grease, but it is something you need to deal with sooner or later. If you are not quite sure how often you should clean, you will do well to know the signs and be prepared to address the chore then.
Here is what to look out for:
- Unpleasant smell during cooking – part of the beauty of cooking lies with the pleasant smell released during the process. Whether it is homemade pastry or your family’s favourite meal, nothing compares to the scent of cooking. It greets you the moment you walk through the door of the kitchen. Yet, that is not the case when the oven is in need of cleaning. As the accumulated grease and food remains inside burn at a high temperature, they will release a rather unpleasant smell, which you will not like one bit. Keep in mind that the unpleasant smell can seep into the meal you are cooking. This can all be avoided if you take the time to clean the oven just right.
- The appliance emits smoke – when you see smoke coming from your oven, you will surely feel worried. After all, it may well be an indication that something is wrong with the appliance. However, if you haven’t cleaned it in a while, it may be the accumulated grease inside burning and emitting this smoke. So instead of fixing a malfunction or damage, you only need to roll your sleeves up and clean the oven. Once the accumulated debris inside is cleaned, there will be nothing to burn and release this smoke.
- You can’t see through the door – as you cook, you will need to check up on your meal. Yes, you can open the door and see inside, but it is better to just peek through the glass to avoid heat loss. If you cannot check out how your meal is doing, you know you should clean the oven. At least the oven door is not the toughest area of the oven clean.
- The oven does not heat well – an appliance that has accumulated a ton of grease will probably not heat up properly. Apart from that, the oven will not distribute heat, and as a result, the cooking outcome will suffer. Giving the interior a deep clean will fix the issue right up.
Whenever you see one of these signs, be sure to address oven cleaning right away. Otherwise, you risk ruining cooking at home, which is no small price to pay.