Consumer Reports tests the best self-cleaning ovens

Do you remember the holidays? Maybe you've cooked and roasted a lot, maybe even a turkey or two.

Now raise your hand if you've cleaned your oven since then. Or, by the way, since the LAST Thanksgiving Day.

Fortunately, Consumer Reports tests kitchens for their ability to cook, cook and fry, but also for self-cleaning.

When was the last time you cleaned your oven?

If you ignore this, the dirt accumulated in your oven can produce smoke and odors when cooking, and the smell can spread to the food you prepare.

If you don't want to get on your knees and scrub yourself, Consumer Reports recommends that you use your stove's self-cleaning feature. But are all ovens the same?

As part of the CR tests, the expert Tara Casaregola creates a mixture of eggs, grated cheese, cherry pie filling, butter, tomato puree and tapioca that is difficult to clean.

It is painted in the test ovens and on the doors and then baked in the oven at 425 degrees for one hour.

"We really call this Monster Mash. And we make this test as difficult as possible to highlight really good cleaning ovens," said Casaregola.

The testers found that self-cleaning cycles at high temperatures are more effective when the oven shuts off and turns on the heat up to 800 degrees or more and directs the chaos to ash that can be easily removed after the oven cools down.

"We found that a different and shorter self-cleaning process using low temperatures is used in the lower power ranges. Our evaluators were able to clean the residue on the oven floor but not on the sides," said Casaregola.

Turn on the hood and break the windows to remove odors from the room. Remove the brackets, otherwise they will lose their surface and cannot slip easily. Then the cycle begins.

And plan ahead: the process can take two to six hours.

Some additional tips:

- Consumer reports indicate that soiling or other "light" cleaning procedures can increase the time to complete the self-cleaning cycle.

- Be sure to remove all companion birds from your home before using the function, as vapors can be toxic.

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