Oven Cleaning: Bar Keepers Friend? Other Methods?

amother

Khaki

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 3:40 pm

One of the magazines featured handy tips from appliance repair people and they recommend Bar Keepers Friend for cleaning your oven without breaking it.

Just wondering, before I order it, if anyone here had a good experience?

When we use Easy Off and then self clean the oven, I literally can't breathe and must leave the house for a few hours. So anything less toxic would be welcome!

(I have edited the title to reflect the direction the thread has taken, and I am more than happy to have everyone post their best tips. But I also do want to know about this Bar Keeper's Friend product!)

mummiedearest

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 3:55 pm

amother wrote:

why are you using easy off on a self-cleaning oven? I use dish soap and a scrubby on the door then self clean to kasher. I don't use major chemicals on the inside of the oven. you can even make a paste of baking soda, let it sit overnight, then wipe all the grime off.

amother

Firebrick

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 4:14 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

I have splatter on the glass window of the door. Will self clean take care of that or do I need to get the splatter off the glass door first? If so how would I do that? I tried dawn dissolver sitting for 20 minutes and scrubbing and it didn't come off.

mummiedearest

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 4:44 pm

amother wrote:

yes, you need to get that off. I use palmolive with steel wool, no water. I've never had a problem with it. you're officially not supposed to use steel wool, I think, so be extra careful around the gasket. you need to be careful there regardless of scrubber material. alternatively, make a paste of baking soda and let it dry overnight. if you prefer a more toxic method, smother it in soft scrub, let it dry completely, wipe off with dry paper towels. you really don't need easy-off.

amother

Khaki

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 5:11 pm

A light dawns!

Article above mentioned that fabric gasket around door is delicate and not to be cleaned with harsh cleansers.

So at most any stove I buy had a few months til Pesach before its gasket was destroyed (my DDs are fierce cleaners, don't know where they got that!)

Is that why we say in our house that we never make sponge cakes because they inevitably flop? We know our oven temperatures are off (one is high & one is low) and I am sure some things don't come out the way they're supposed to.

Could it be I have finally made the connection?

mummiedearest

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 6:49 pm

amother wrote:

I doubt the oven temp would be too high due to a gasket problem. too low might be due to that. more likely to be a thermometer issue, I think. it shouldn't be hard to replace the gasket, though, so if you're concerned, do that.

amother

Khaki

Sun, Apr 10 2016, 9:10 pm

I'm thinking more that if there are drafts (which the gasket was meant to prevent) there would much more fluctuation in oven temperature, which could make cakes fall.

AlwaysThinking

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 2:51 am

I love BKF. It's great but you still need to scrub. I use it for stainless steel pots and pans with stains and burnt on food.

amother

Wheat

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 4:47 am

Riff wrote:

I love BKF. It's great but you still need to scrub. I use it for stainless steel pots and pans with stains and burnt on food.

BKF is no longer kosher. How can you use it on your cookware?

mummiedearest

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 8:21 am

amother wrote:

BKF is no longer kosher. How can you use it on your cookware?

cleaners don't need to be kosher.

amother

Wheat

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 9:39 am

mummiedearest wrote:

cleaners don't need to be kosher.

So then why do some cleaners have an OU on them? (For instance, Soft Scrub, Glass Plus, Dawn dishwashing liquid). I'm not looking to argue, I really would like to know. I just bought an All-Clad pot that I'm afraid to use bc the instructions say to clean with only BKF.

mummiedearest

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 9:45 am

amother wrote:

because a lot of people don't know that and the companies felt it would be a good selling point, so they paid the OU for the supervision. ask your rav if you're uncomfortable just using it, but if it's non-edible and will (if anything) impart a bad taste on the food, it's not a problem afaik.

ra_mom

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 9:46 am

amother wrote:

Some people like kosher pampers and kosher lunch napkins. It's not halacha.

amother

Wheat

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 10:04 am

ra_mom wrote:

Some people like kosher pampers and kosher lunch napkins. It's not halacha.

But these are things that normally don't touch dishes/cookware. Isn't there a problem with cleaning products(that possibly have some treif ingredients) coming in contact with your cookware, especially when you're washing with hot water? Why would the OU remove their certification from BKF if there wasn't a problem with it?
PS. still learning.
PPS. I love to read all your recipes, ra_mom!

mummiedearest

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 10:36 am

amother wrote:

no, it's not a problem on cookware according to my rabbi. why would the ou remove certification? likely because the company stopped paying for it.

amother

Wheat

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 10:45 am

mummiedearest wrote:

no, it's not a problem on cookware according to my rabbi. why would the ou remove certification? likely because the company stopped paying for it.

Thank you for the info, mummiedearest. Time to call my Rabbi!

ra_mom

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 11:31 am

amother wrote:

Some people are machmir and have a chumra to only use kosher certified items on their dishes and cookware. It's not halacha but if you usually follow this chumra then you should ask your rav.
And thank you!

sim

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 1:12 pm

I make a paste of baking soda and vinegar and leave it on for a while, then scrub. It does a pretty good job. Then I self-clean the oven.

shabri

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 1:22 pm

sim wrote:

I make a paste of baking soda and vinegar and leave it on for a while, then scrub. It does a pretty good job. Then I self-clean the oven.

What are he proportions? Or just add vinegar until it's a pasty consistency?