6 Oven Maintenance Hacks

Whether you are a gourmet cook or a weeknight frozen pizza warrior, you likely rely on your kitchen oven to help you serve up tasty meals. While this cornerstone kitchen appliance doesn’t ask much of us, a total lack of oven maintenance can lead to costly repairs down the road.

Here at Diamond Appliance, we’ve seen it all when it comes to ovens. We proudly serve St. Louis and communities across Missouri and Kansas with expert oven repair and other appliance repair services. While some of the issues below are simple DIY fixes, you will want a trustworthy appliance repair specialist on hand for bigger repairs.

Read on for our best oven maintenance hacks and give us a call to schedule your appliance repair today!

Diamond Oven Hack #1: Read the directions

It may seem obvious, but many homeowners don’t take the time to check – or even keep – the manual for their oven. The manual can help you understand how this particular make and model works and help with troubleshooting when experiencing issues. If your oven is under warranty, you’ll also want to keep that paperwork to reference should your oven need repair.

Diamond Oven Hack #2: Reposition that oven rack

If your food isn’t cooking evenly, the fix may be as simple as moving the oven rack. When racks are higher in the oven, any food cooked on them will be browner on top. Racks on the bottom of the oven will lead to a crispier bottom. By positioning the rack in the center of the oven where heat is most uniformly distributed, you can ensure your food will cook through evenly.

Diamond Oven Hack #3: Don’t touch that foil

In an effort to keep their ovens clean, some people line the bottom with aluminum foil. This can cause a number of problems, like causing food to cook unevenly or even blocking air circulation in gas ovens. Foil may also adhere to the bottom of the oven and become tough to get off. For better results, use a cookie sheet at the bottom of your oven to catch spills.

Diamond Oven Hack #4: Clean, clean, clean

While certainly not the most fun chore, the more you clean your oven, the less work it will be. By leaving spilled food in your oven, you are ensuring that it re-cooks every time you turn the oven on. This will cause a burning smell and a much more difficult job when you do decide to clean your oven.

After cooking, use a scrubbing sponge and warm water or a commercial cleaner to wipe down your oven. For tougher spots, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to make a paste. Spread this mixture on the tough spots and let sit for 30 minutes. Then, simply wipe it away with a cloth or paper towel.

Diamond Oven Hack #5: Self-clean correctly

If you use the self-cleaning function on your oven, be sure to remove the racks. Leaving the racks in the oven during a self-cleaning cycle can damage the lining of both the oven and racks and make the racks harder to insert and remove.

Instead, clean your oven racks separately. First, put the racks in a container large enough to accommodate them, sprinkle with baking soda, and cover with vinegar. This powerful cleaning mixture will start to foam. Once the foaming stops, cover the racks with hot water and let soak overnight. The next day, rinse the racks and use a scrub brush or steel wool on any tough spots.

Diamond Oven Hack #6: Check that gasket

The gasket on the oven door is responsible for providing a seal to keep heat from escaping. A malfunctioning gasket on the oven door can cause temperature fluctuations, which make the oven to work harder and use more energy, as well as uneven cooking. Once a month, check to make sure the gasket is not damaged. If you notice moisture on the outside of the oven or feel heat escaping around the door, it’s time to replace the gasket.

At Diamond, we help appliance owners in St. Louis, Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, and surrounding communities with the repair solutions that are right for them.

If your oven is experiencing problems and is still under warranty, call the manufacturer to schedule a repair. If not, call Diamond directly. We provide Kitchenaid oven repair, JennAir oven repair, Kitchenaid oven repair, Whirlpool oven repair, and much more. Give us a call to get started today.