Salted fish, perfectly roasted meats, potatoes crispy on the outside and very creamy on the inside, varied vegetables, homemade breads, delicious pizzas or spongy cakes. These are some of the endless preparations that can be made in the oven without being experienced cooks. All you have to do is prepare the raw materials, start the machine, select the indicated temperature and type of cooking, or even the time, and set the alarm to notify us once the minutes we have set have elapsed.
If we have mastered the oven, we just have to wait until everything is ready. Without much effort. Depending on the recipe, perhaps turn occasionally to turn the roasted chicken, or check to see if the cake is already cooked through inside. It is one of the most comfortable methods to be able to continue to concentrate on other tasks, and the ones that make the least mess with pots and kitchen utensils. It’s fast and clean. And the flavors of the pastry, inimitable.
But it wasn’t all going to be about benefits. Everything has its pros and cons. And although cooking in the oven saves us from staining other utensils like pots and pans, or the pans themselves, we will have to be careful and apply certain measures to prevent the oven plates from ending up full of grease and grease. encrusted food remains. We are going to give you some tips so that when the time comes you can remove all the dirt and leave your trays looking like new.
Silicone molds, other containers and mats
To begin with, whenever we can we will try to cook with silicone molds – they are very easy to clean and we can use them, for example, to prepare all types of cakes and breads – we can also find them metal, aluminum. or stainless steel. For other types of preparations, ceramic, porcelain, earthenware or glass containers can be used.
And if we need to prepare large quantities and have no choice but to use the entire tray, we can use reusable, PFAS-free silicone mats to cover it. They will last a long time and are a perfect option for baking biscuits or cakes, but also other types of food like pizza or roast meats.
If you still prefer to cook directly on the plate, make sure it is non-stick and try to grease it a little with butter or virgin olive oil before spreading your preparation on the support to avoid it doesn’t stick to the surface.
And if it is true that the flavor of cooking on a stove always adds a little something extra, it is also true that you will not be able to avoid certain collateral damage and that after cooking your recipe, you will have to take a certain time to remove dirt.
How to clean oven trays
Failure to clean the plate immediately, even if it appears not to be too dirty, will cause this fat to melt again the next time you cook on it and contaminate the aromas and flavors of the new preparation. We explain some tips to leave the oven plates looking like new:
- We’re going to use one of the winning combinations during a cleaning task, no matter how arduous: vinegar and baking soda. They have high cleaning and disinfecting power; and this will help us remove grease stains, burns and other remains encrusted in the tray. We will work with a paste of the two ingredients that we will make by mixing a dozen tablespoons of baking soda with three of cleaning vinegar and four of very hot water. We will add the vinegar slowly so as not to generate too much foam when reacting with the baking soda. Now we are going to spread the doughs on the tray(s), although we can also take advantage and distribute them on the walls and the oven door. We will leave it to act for several hours and then remove it with a damp cloth.
- If we don’t have baking soda or the cleaning to be done is not that deep, we can simply use vinegar mixed with water (one part vinegar to three parts water). We will introduce the liquid into a sprayer that we can use to distribute this cleaner on the plates and walls of the oven. Likewise, let it sit, but this time between 15 and 20 minutes, then clean with a sponge, rinse and dry.
- boiling water. This is one of the simplest formulas, but no less effective. The power of hot water should not be underestimated. What we’re going to do is remove as much of the grease that builds up on the tray as possible with paper towels. Then we will cover it with boiling water, to which we can add a few drops from the dishwasher that we use at home. We will leave it to act for at least two or three hours. Then we remove the water and gently rub with a sponge for delicate surfaces. If you notice that the dirt on the tray is very stubborn, we advise you to add a little baking soda to the boiling water in the dishwasher.
- Another very nice way to clean the trays is to use lemon. In addition to leaving them as new, it serves to disinfect the interior of the oven and eliminate bad odors. What we are going to do this time is cover the tray(s) with water again, but this time we are going to add the juice of a whole squeezed lemon along with its zest. We will place the plates in the oven and heat them at medium power for about 15 or 20 minutes. Once this time has passed, we take out the trays, let them cool so as not to have an accident and wash them as we usually do.
- Another tip that we offer you is to use bicarbonate – as in the first solution that we gave you – but this time combined with hydrogen peroxide. To do this we will cover the tray with three layers, the first and third with baking soda and the second with hydrogen peroxide. We will leave it to act for at least two or three hours. After this time, we will use a soft bristle brush to clean the surface to be treated with circular movements. Then we will rinse it and dry it well.
