Would it be ok to put the oven grates in oven to self clean?

ra_mom

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 6:54 pm

becky2345 wrote:

What's the best way to clean this oven? The top, grates, insides?

Kashering Oven:

Self clean oven (don't stick the racks in or finish will be pasty and racks won't slide in and out easily anymore).

Clean racks very well. If a caustic cleaner like Easy Off or St Moritz is used (be careful with long thick gloves and a mask), and some stubborn spots remained after a second application, the remaining spots may be disregarded. (Use these instructions for cleaning a non self clean oven before kashering as well.)

Now that the oven and racks are clean, proceed with kashering the clean oven and racks by turning on the oven to the highest setting - broil or 550, for 40 minutes (libbun kal).

Stovetop Grates:

Kasher the grates by putting them into the oven with libbun kal (550°F for 40 minutes).

If the grates have rubber feet and you don't want them to get ruined in the oven, you can cover the stovetop with a blech or use aluminum foil to create a blech and turn on the burners to “high” for 15 minutes; this will create enough heat for kashering.

Burners:

The burners kasher themselves each time you use them, so nothing more necessary after cleaning them.

Stovetop:

Clean stovetop well. Cover the enamel surface of the stovetop with foil. Be careful to cut out all areas that are meant to have ventilation. Do not forget the back of the stovetop that has an almost invisible opening across the back of the stovetop, from the oven, which allows the heat to escape up into the air. This cannot be covered of blocked. Very dangerous to close that up.

Place the kashered grates back in place.

*Before pesach it's ok to cook without covering the stovetop with foil. To be careful, some people just use the disposable burner liners when using the stovetop on YT itself, so that no openings are C"V covered by mistake, and then just don't eat anything that falls down.

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 7:04 pm

amother Feverfew wrote:

I had the same issue, built a Pesach kitchen a bit after I bought this oven. It was within the year that I called GE and requested new grates and the griddle piece and they sent me that for free, which was so nice and unexpected!

How did you get it for free? I’m still within the year I think. I got the oven a few weeks before pesach.

amother

Cerulean

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:14 pm

If you won’t mind using maybe damaged grates on pesach each year then self clean the grates you have this year and buy the same oven next year for your pesach kitchen and take the new grates for chametz after you use them next year. Smile

Or follow some of the other grate advice you got here.

If you can handle buying a new oven this year for pesach even before you get the kitchen done then why not?

amother

Mon, Mar 11 2024, 10:57 am

amother Feverfew wrote:

I called and asked nicely if there would send me a second set

Ok… I just tried that! You were very lucky because that phone call didn’t get anywhere.
The customer service lady who answered the call told me that her grates on her stove also sometimes look worn out and she told me the cleaning method she uses 😊. She said I could purchase new parts. Thanks anyway.
I really did try to ask nicely and to be very friendly. Oh well.

amother

Lavender

Mon, Mar 11 2024, 11:23 am

Just a word of caution:

Never try to kasher your stovetop by covering it with foil, a baking sheet, or a blech, and then turning them on high to get it hot. You will melt it. Last year, we needed an oven repair the week before yomtov, and we heard the stories from the frum repairman of the things people did that ruined their ovens... He showed us pictures of the ovens! This was a big one, quite a few people and there was nothing he could do except tell them that right before pesach they had inadvertently caused themselves another huge expense to replace it.