Get Your Gas Oven Spotless

Ovens come in all shapes and sizes, but there is one universal link between all ovens: they get dirty. Appliance catalogues can be a tempting escape if you are looking at your greasy oven in despair. The pictures are glossy, the appliances all coordinate and there is not a speck of last week's spaghetti sauce anywhere to be found. It is okay to look at these pictures and dream, but when you get right down to it, cleaning your gas oven is not nearly as intimidating as it may sound. If you attack the baked on grease with a little elbow grease, you will find that your oven can look just as sparkly as the one in the magazine and much cheaper too. You will save a little cash, burn a few calories and not only will your oven look better, it will work more efficiently and the charcoal taste you've noticed in your homemade lasagna will be a thing of the past.

1. Make sure the oven is off. Simple, but very important.
2. Check your owner's manual. This is always a good idea anytime you are cleaning an appliance for the first time, or if it has been a while and you are not sure where to start. In cases where you have lost your manual or have moved to a new home and the previous owners didn't leave you the manual, than you may be able to find it online. Many companies provide manuals for their products.
3. Clean removable parts. Fill your kitchen sink with warm, sudsy water (dish soap will work fine) and place the removable items, such as broiler pans, racks and burner grates, in the water to soak off any crusty or baked on residue. Use a scrubber or a washcloth to remove any remains. Rinse, dry and set aside.
4. Clear gas jets. Your stove top works by mixing gas and oxygen. If crumbs are blocking the jets, also known as head burners, your oven won't work as efficiently. You can do this by clearing the holes with a straight pin or a straightened paper clip.
5. Clean inside the oven. The way you clean the inside of the oven may depend on the type of oven you have. If yours is self-cleaning (which most modern ovens are) than you don't want to use an oven cleaner. Again, check the manual for instructions. If you don't have a self-cleaning option, than use homemade cleanser or a commercial oven cleaner if you prefer. If you choose the latter, follow the instructions listed on the product.
6. Put everything back. After you have finished cleaning, replace the removable parts to their original places. Then sit back and enjoy your clean oven.