Cleaning a toaster oven is always an essential part of keeping the toaster oven clean, shiny like new, and incredibly useful for a long time. A toaster oven is gradually becoming a popular household appliance in modern life. Buying a machine is simple, but using it effectively is not an easy task.
A toaster oven has many appliances, making it a quick and convenient device. But during the cooking process, it will accumulate grease and food chips and become ineffective and unsanitary. So, you need to clean it after use.
In this article, I would like to guide you on how to clean the toaster oven. If you do not have any effective methods to apply, you can refer to the tips summarized below.
Types Of Toaster Ovens
The toaster oven is a convenient kitchen appliance and is used by many people. There are two types of toaster ovens on the market. The one is a traditional toaster oven, the other is a self-cleaning toaster oven. Depending on which product your family is using, there are different steps to clean the toaster oven.
Traditional Toaster Ovens
For traditional toaster ovens, manual cleaning is required. You should clean it after at least two or three uses. This habit helps the oven always clean, operating at full capacity, and long using life.
Self-Cleaning Toaster Ovens
For the toaster oven with a self-cleaning function, it will help you shorten the cleaning time. Just a few steps, such as selecting a pre-set function on the control panel, you can start the pyrolysis engine. At this time, the electric oven will radiate temperatures up to 500 degrees C, turning leftover food in the toaster oven into ash. The pyrolysis time can be set depending on the amount of grease and food leftover.
After completing this process, you need to use a damp cloth and wipe to remove any stains inside the toaster oven. This function is quite convenient, you can easily clean the oven without removing the baking tray.
Why Should You Clean Your Toaster Oven Regularly?
A toaster oven after a period of use will leave stains. You need to clean your oven regularly for the following reasons.
Cleaning a toaster oven makes it last longer. Because cleaning removes layers of grease that adhere to components, avoiding unwanted damage. It also keeps the furnace fresher. grease stains for a long time make the oven dull. The toaster oven becomes as clean as new.
In addition, cleaning a toaster oven regularly helps us cook better. When cleaning, the old food odors will be gone, so the aroma and flavor will be preserved when baking new foods. Moreover, bacteria from the dirt also have no chance to penetrate the food you are baking.
Finally, cleaning saves electricity when using household items. The old grease layer will block part of the heat, making the food take longer to heat and cook. Therefore, when the trays, grills, electric fans are clean, the heat absorption will be better.
Thus, implementing ways to clean the toaster oven helps you keep your kitchen clean, neat, and tidy, confidently showing off your talents to serve delicious dishes.
How To Clean A Toaster Oven?
Cleaning steps are essential to ensure a toaster oven is in good working and to maintain its longevity.
For Toaster Ovens With Self-Cleaning Function.
Cleaning toaster ovens with the self-cleaning function is easy. You need to follow these steps to clean your toaster oven.
Step 1: Firstly, you should clean the toaster oven by taking out all the oven racks to be easily cleaned, and the bottom is easier to clean. You do not leave anything in the toaster oven, including food.
Step 2: Remove food debris from the bottom of the toaster oven. You can use a sponge, paper towel, or washcloth to scrub away food debris and grease from the bottom of the oven.
Step 3: Next, turn on the toaster oven self-cleaning function. If your oven has a self-cleaning function, turn it on. The self-cleaning function makes food debris or grease dry and brittle so that they are easier to remove.
Step 4: Finally, you need to wipe the bottom of the oven with a damp cloth or paper towel. At the end of the self-cleaning cycle, there will be a layer of ash on the bottom of the oven. You also use a damp cloth or paper towel to clean.
For Traditional Toaster Ovens
Cleaning traditional toaster ovens often takes more time and effort than self-cleaning toaster ovens. Therefore, you need to prepare a lot of tools before proceeding to clean a traditional toaster oven.
What Items Should You Prepare Before Cleaning?
Before cleaning the oven, you should prepare the following items:
- Rubber gloves: These are items that should not be missing in any general cleaning. It helps protect your hands from burning grease and food particles and avoiding damage to the skin of the hands from detergents.
Moreover, the inside of the toaster oven has small but sharp details that can hurt your hands if you do with bare hands.
- Detergents: These are substances used to clean the oven. Which specifically substances will be introduced in the ways to clean the electric oven in the following section.
- Soft cleaning sponge: This is a tool for you to scrub more effectively. If you do not use a sponge, you can replace it with a rag or brush-like washing dishes. You should prepare an extra brush, small knife to remove burnt crumbs, or food sticking in small places.
- Water: To wipe away the cleaning mixture, the oven becomes clean and safe for users
- You also do not forget the tray, the basin containing the cleaning mixture.
Taking The Steps To Clean The Toaster Oven
Before cleaning the oven, let’s take advantage of cleaning the baking trays, grills in the toaster oven and clean the toaster oven glass.
Cleaning the baking tray: The baking tray is used to store food in the toaster oven. This is also the place in direct contact with food from raw to cooked to be the most “dirty” part. This tray is removable, so you should take it out and clean the sides. If there are burnt crumbs, use a brush to remove them.
Cleaning the grill: Soak the grills in a hot water solution mixed with dishwashing liquid in a large bowl. If your home has a bathtub, you can soak them in the tub as well.
Cleaning the toaster oven glass: While cleaning the toaster oven, cleaning the oven glass cannot be ignored. The toaster oven glass gives you a better view of the food. Therefore, wiping it will help the next time you observe the food, the color is good or not.
Clean the inside of the toaster oven: If you are looking for quick, simple, and effective ways to clean your toaster oven, the following five cleaning methods will help.
Use A Mixture Of Baking Soda And Vinegar
This is a straightforward recipe, the ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store.
Step 1: Mix half a cup of baking soda with a bit of water to form a paste-like paste.
Step 2: Then, rub this mixture evenly on the oven wall, a few minutes later, the mixture will turn brown.
Step 3: Leave this mixture in the toaster oven for about 12 hours or overnight, and then wipe the dried baking soda layer with a wet cloth.
Step 4: Finally, spray vinegar on the areas where the baking soda is still dry. At this point, vinegar and baking soda work together to create foam.
You should use a towel soaked in clean water to wipe again for a spotless toaster oven. If you do not thoroughly clean it, it will damage the toaster oven accessories, then you will inevitably buy a replacement grill, a convenient baking tray for additional assembly.
Use Lemon To Clean The Oven
Lemon is also an easy-to-find material and especially has excellent antiseptic and cleaning properties. Similar to using vinegar, lemon is also a highly effective cleaner because of its acidity. Cleaning the oven with lemon not only cleans and deodorizes the toaster oven but also brightens it.
To clean the oven with lemon, follow these steps:
Step 1: You cut a lemon and squeeze it into a bowl full of water. Note that the bowl must withstand high heat. Put the whole lemon peel in a bowl and put it in the toaster oven.
Step 2: Turn the toaster oven on to the highest setting until steam appears in the toaster oven.
Step 3: Turn off the toaster oven and let it cool down. Use a damp rag to clean. If there are dirty writings to wipe but still won’t go away, you can use a piece of lemon peel and teapot directly on the dirty spot and then wipe it off with a cloth.
Use Ammonia Solution
You can buy an Ammonia solution at the grocery store closest to you. Then, follow the instructions for cleaning the toaster oven as follows:
Step 1: Turn on the oven to 150 degrees F. At the same time, bring one pot of water to a boil. Once the oven has reached 150 degrees F, pour the ammonia solution into a heat-safe tray and place it on the top rack of the oven.
Step 2: Place the pot of boiling water on the bottom rack and close the oven. Leave it overnight.
Step 3: The following day, take out the Ammonia solution and the pot of water. Simultaneously remove the rack and leave the oven door open for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Pour dishwashing liquid into the Ammonia solution tray. Then use a rag soaked in this mixture to clean the inside of the oven. You should remember to wear rubber gloves to perform. Then, you thoroughly wipe the edges and corners.
Step 5: Wipe the toaster oven again with clean water and a dry towel.
Use Dishwashing Liquid Mixed With Vinegar Or Dilute Water
Dishwashing liquid has a good cleaning effect, when mixed with a bit of vinegar can increase the ability to dislodge stains because of the acid in vinegar. Cleaning this toaster oven is quite simple.
Step 1: Take out the grill, water tray, and removable parts for cleaning and put them in a large bowl.
Step 2: Mix dishwashing liquid with vinegar and soak them in that bowl. At the same time, use a sponge soaked in this cleaning solution to wipe the inside of the oven. Remember to avoid heating elements and fans in the toaster oven.
Step 3: Wipe clean to remove stubborn stains. If there are burnt food crumbs, you can use a small knife to pry them out.
Step 4: After cleaning the grease and food stains, take a clean rag to wipe the oven with water.
Use Glass Cleaner
Glass cleaner seems only to clean glass, but it can clean a lot of surfaces with different materials, including ovens. The scent of glass cleaner also has a deodorizing effect in the toaster oven.
How to Use Glass Cleaner To Clean The Toaster Oven:
Step 1: Spray glass cleaner directly into the oven and oven door. Use a soft cloth soaked in water to wash and scrub from the inside out. Remember to pay attention to the slots and crevices of the toaster oven.
Step 2: After wiping, wipe the oven with glass cleaner, wipe it again with clean water. Be sure to wipe it down thoroughly to ensure that no chemicals are left from the glass cleaner.
Step 3: Turn on the toaster oven to the highest temperature, wait for about 5 minutes for the temperature to dry the oven, and remove the odors.
Step 4: If, after turning on the toaster oven, you still see the smell of glass cleaner, it is best to wipe it with clean water again to be sure.
Bonus Tips: How To Use The Toaster Oven Effectively?
Toaster ovens need to be appropriately used to ensure delicious food for you and a long operating time. In order for the oven to work effectively, you need to keep the following in mind.
Material Of Food Containers Put In The Toaster Oven
You should not use plastic containers, foam boxes, nylon to store food in the oven because these utensils are not resistant to high heat, easily reacting with unsafe food.
Instead, you can use metal baking trays and molds such as silicon, aluminum, cast iron, heat-resistant stainless steel, and specialized glass containers for the toaster oven.
Place The Toaster Oven In The Right Position
It would be best if you kept the toaster oven within your sight so that you can easily observe the food inside, convenient to manipulate when taking food from the oven, and keep it out of the reach of children. Note that the placement must be at least 10 cm from the wall to help the toaster oven dissipate heat well and avoid mold and protect its lifespan.
You do not place the toaster oven near gas stoves or flammable objects such as curtains, paper. You should limit putting the oven in a humid place, such as next to the sink, to avoid electrical problems and fire.
Adjust The Baking Mode To Suit Each Dish
Not all foods have the same baking mode, some dishes require an upper fire (top heat bar) like baking cakes, some dishes require a lower fire (lower heat bar), some dishes require baking two fire like roasting skewers.
Setting the correct temperature helps you avoid wasting the cooking process and avoid burning on the outside, undercooked on the inside. Ideally, it would help if you referred to the baking temperature through the dish’s recipe before starting to do it.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about cleaning a toaster oven. Please read carefully to avoid mistakes in the cleaning process.
Notes On Cleaning A Toaster Oven
When cleaning a toaster oven, you should note a few points below.
- You should clean the toaster oven before use, especially when the toaster oven has been used for a long time. Preheat oven for 5 minutes at 150 degrees F, then wipe with a dry towel to ensure cleanliness.
- You should clean the oven immediately after each use to avoid long-lasting grease and stains that are difficult to clean. You must pay attention, do not discharge water into the heating element of the halogen lamp and the convection fan on the lid of the pot. Because it can cause electric shock and damage to the toaster oven.
- Remove all leftovers from the toaster oven before cleaning.
- Do not clean while the toaster oven is still hot because the sudden temperature change will cause the glass to expand unevenly between the inside and outside of the oven body.
- Do not use a wire brush to scrub the glass oven. You can use a soft cleaning cloth or soft cloth instead.
Expectation Vs. Reality
The above tips are how to clean a toaster oven to make your toaster oven always as shiny as new.
The oven should be cleaned immediately after use and should be cleaned monthly to ensure the toaster oven always works at its best. There are many ways to clean, and the ingredients are easy to find. You should consult and find yourself the most suitable way to clean your toaster oven.
For the types of a hard-to-clean toaster oven, the best way is to use the cleaning service. The toaster oven cleaning service providers will have a lot of chemicals and methods to clean your toaster oven in the best way.
Hopefully, after reading my article, you can find the best way to clean your toaster oven effectively!
