The incrustations in the oven are formed because of the high temperatures that can be reached during cooking: fats, for example, if heated suffer reactions of polymerizationin which the small fat molecules bind together to form larger macro-molecules, obtaining much more resistant structures and difficult to eliminate. As a result we will have those hard yellow-brown incrustations as a cement that stain the glass of our oven. To worsen the situation, always due to the effect of the heat, any sugars present can caramelize, While if there are proteins, the heat alters its structure, almost like unrolling them with a process called denaturation. These cooked protein residues can form new aggregates that cling to the walls tenaciously.
Unfortunately There is no “universal” chemical method To make him shine: the first rule to clean well is to understand What kind of dirt We are trying to remove. In fact, not all dirt is the same: sugars, fats and proteins behave differently. Some residues melt with simple water, such as sugar, others instead, such as i unbridled fatsseem to not want to know they are removed from the surface of our oven. Some methods that often work involve the caustic soda (because of its ability to soaping fats), as well as specific detergents. The classic formula ofvinegar and lemonUnfortunately, it does not work: weak acids do not have an effective degreasing power!
How to clean the encrusted oven
Caustic soda
One of the main allies against fatty fats in the oven is the caustic soda. To remove the incrustations from the oven you can use it in watery solution (i.e. dissolved in water) or using detergents that contain this substance. But you have to do Attention: being very corrosive it is always good to use it with all the precautions of the case: gloves, glasses, and a lot of respect for the instructions for use. This also applies if you use cleaning products: those for ovens are in fact among the most aggressive on the market.
The caustic soda is an excellent disincerity because it is a very substance basic: that is, from a chemical point of view, it has a very high pH. This makes it capable not only of dissolving fats, but even of transform them into soap through a reaction said of saponification.
Baking soda
Also the baking soda it is effective in removing the incrustations from the oven, due to its own high abrasive power: In other words, it produces a mechanical action on the dirt that “scratching it”. Here too it is necessary to pay some attention: the baking soda is excellent on resistant surfaces As precisely the interior of the oven or the trays, but should be avoided on delicate materials that could scratch.
Cleaning products
If, on the other hand, we prefer to use specific products for the oven, on the market we often find products in foam or spray, designed to adhere well also to the vertical walls and also formulated with acids or bases. Other kitchen detergents, on the other hand, are in abrasive cream and contain Solid particles dispersed in liquids: in these types of detergents, granulometry – that is, the form and size of the granules of dust – influences cleaning power and effect on the surfaces. Therefore, playing on the size of the “grains” you can obtain different final effects.
Vinegar and lemon do not work to clean the oven
The most popular “grandmother’s trick” to clean the oven is that ofvinegar and lemon. Needless to try: this method does not work because weak acids such as acetic acid contained in vinegar and citric acid contained in lemon they do not really degrease: fats do not go with weak acids and if we try to dissolve a lemon juice scrub with lemon juice, we will only have a more fragrant stain. Vinegar and lemon have a “cleaning” action, as in the case of removing limestone, but for the encrustations of the oven they may not be enough.
Raise the oven temperature before cleaning
The heat can be an excellent ally in cleaning the oven. If we can clean the oven when it is still warmmoderate warmth comes to our aid dissolving the residues betterespecially fats, and making detergents more effective. The important thing is do not overdo it: too high temperatures worsen the situation and, of course, increase the risk of scalds.
