Have you noticed your baking has apparently become SO outstanding your smoke alarm cheers you on? Or has someone forgotten to get that pepperoni pizza out of the oven until it’s “blackened?” You might get away with that on fish or chicken. Do you folks remember back in the fall when we told you NOT to self-clean your ovens? Well, guess what! After six, maybe seven months of fall / winter cooking, your oven may have some charred piles in the bottom and is leaving most of your meals with a smoke infused flavor.
Summertime is upon us and you will probably find yourselves using the ovens less and less as the heat ramps up, so feel free to let those self-clean modes loose and do their thing! Right now is the best time to use the self-clean option as there are not too many summer holidays to stress over and you’ll have time to give us a shout in case things go south (let us now refer you to our “To Self-Clean or Not Self-Clean Your Oven Before the Holiday!” blog from September 2016). The DIY peeps among you may choose the more down and dirty option of using good ol’ elbow grease and a little vinegar or baking soda. Also a fine option. Either way, let’s start getting things cleaned and ready to go for the seemingly always upcoming holiday season. It’s only 217 days until Thanksgiving! ….too soon?
In direct response to lower oven usage, you may notice the microwave has suddenly become the appliance of choice. The kids are home, and let’s be honest…. the countless pizza rolls, bean burritos and hot pockets they ingest at an alarming rate are so much easier to zap in the microwave. Not to mention the normal patience level of this group is non-existent when THEY ARE STARVING! GAH! It is now the season of beep, beep, beep…. here’s your scorching plate loaded with still frozen food items, children. Or worse… nuclear lunch has been detected and ready for immediate consumption. A little “Let it Cool Off 101” is always a good starter to the season. We all know they’re still going to do it, because let’s face it…. we still do too.
Let’s try to keep microwave hazards at a minimum, at least, by getting the microwave cleaned up and ready to go. Make sure there is no food or grime tucked away in any of the corners or some of those unidentifiable “spots” on the turntable. And to be honest, a dirty microwave can be a fire hazard which will cause damage, or not to mention can just flat out stink.
To sum it all up, let’s spring clean the ovens and microwaves (and while we’re at it, let’s throw the stoves in too)! Or just break out the Easy Bake Oven. We’ll stop by for some teeny brownie bites later. As always, give us a shout if you need any help or repairs on your appliances. Don’t forget you can always break out your Use & Care Guide for any appliance and locate the section for cleaning tips. Very handy! Thank you for letting our family help yours!
