How to Clean Oven Trays

Baking is fun, but do you know what isn’t? The sticky oven tray left after the cooking adventure. Unlike other cookware, oven trays have the nasty habit of collecting numerous types of stains: greasy, sticky, rusty ones, and let’s not forget those burnt spots. What a “pleasant” sight, right?

So, if you:

Are wondering how to clean oven trays;
Want to learn some tips and tricks about oven cleaning;
Are looking for effective methods to remove burnt-on food and grease from your baking tray

Then keep reading!

Types of oven trays

Before we get into the actual “How-to” part of the article, first we must talk about the types of oven trays. The material will determine the best way to clean your oven trays.

Stainless steel. Stainless steel is your best bet when it comes to high-quality cookware. If you’ve ever cooked in this type of material, you know what we mean. Besides making adventures in the kitchen easier, stainless steel is also very sturdy. Still, the above-described qualities don’t make the metal invincible – stainless steel gets dirty and will form rust over time.
Aluminium. If we have to compare aluminium kitchen utensils to stainless steel ones, we can describe the whole experience in one sentence – It still works. However, the material isn’t as sturdy as the pricier option and it rusts a lot quicker, too.
Glass. Basically, glass cookware looks good when it’s new. After a couple of uses, the material forms a brown tint and greasy gunk starts building up. In terms of durability, we don’t need to tell you what is going to happen if you drop a glass, well, anything on the ground.

How to remove baked-on grease from oven trays

So, your last cooking attempt went a bit out of hand and now you are wondering how to remove baked-on grease from baking trays. Fear not, we’ve got the answer right here:

First, with the use of a paper towel, remove as much of the grease from the baking tray as possible.
Prepare a little bath for the tray in your kitchen sink, by filling it with hot water and dishwashing liquid.
Dunk the oven tray into the soapy water and leave it there for a good hour. If the water doesn’t cover the whole tray, make sure to turn it over from time to time.
Get a sponge and start scrubbing. Depending on the type of tray you are working on, you’ll use a different sponge – a soft one for non-stick materials and a little more abrasive type for other surfaces.
Give your baking tray a final wash with cold water and inspect the results. If you can still see grease spots, repeat the last step or place it in your dishwasher.

How to clean oven trays with baking soda and vinegar

Put equal parts of baking soda and white vinegar in a sink filled with hot water.
Place the tray in the sink and let it soak for an hour.
Then grab a non-scratch scouring pad and scrub well.
Your baking tray should be clean as new.

How to clean oven trays from rust

Ah, rust – every metal kitchen tool’s nemesis. Many people think that there is no way to restore the initial state of their favourite, expensive stainless steel oven tray. The good news is that this is not true and the bad, well, – you are in for a lot of scrubbing. Here are a few rust removal methods that you can try out :

Take care of rust with an ordinary steel wool

Get yourself some steel wool and carefully start removing any rust from the surface of the baking tray. Lubricate the area you working on with dish soap to avoid scratches. If you happen to be working with a more capricious type of material, scour the tray with fine steel wool.

Combine lemon juice and… cream of Tartar

This solution may sound a little weird, but a lot of people swear by it. Basically, when you mix equal parts of lemon juice and cream of Tartar, you create an exfoliant for your baking tray. Whip up a good amount of the paste and smear it onto the piece of cookware. Work the mixture into the rust spots. After a while, you should see the oxidation flaking off. Once you’ve removed every single bit of rust, rinse the tray with cold water.

Clean oven trays with baking soda and potato

Slice one potato in half and cover the cut part of the vegetable in baking soda. You can prepare a plate with more baking soda on it to dip the potato when needed. Now, take your potato and start rubbing it onto the rusty areas of your oven tray. Note that this method is suitable for thin rust layers. After all of the rust bits are gone, rinse the tray with water and you are done.

How to maintain baking trays

After all of that soaking and scrubbing of nasty oven trays, you’ve probably started thinking about how to avoid such scenarios in the future. Here are a few oven tray maintenance tips that will definitely help you out:

Protect your oven from burnt-on stains by lining it with baking paper or aluminium foil when using it.
Remove as much of the leftover grease from the tray right after transferring the food.
Place all of your cookware in hot soapy water after each use to loosen up the grease. This will make washing them a lot easier afterwards.
Avoid the use of harsh abrasive tools like wire scourers if your tray is prone to scratching. Such materials can damage the surface of the baking tray you are trying to clean, making cooking a nightmare later.

Get your oven professionally cleaned

You’ve probably gathered by now that oven cleaning, in any form for that matter, is a major pain. The whole endeavour is greasy, sticky, smelly, and on top of all that – time-consuming. With that being said, why not get an expert to complete the troublesome task for you?

Shining Services offers professional oven cleaning that can transform even the greasiest cooker out there, as well as its accessories like the oven tray. Our services are performed by trained cleaning experts, who work with industry-grade cleaning products and materials. The service is suitable for all types of ovens and you can even schedule a barbecue cleaning, too!

So, make an appointment at a time and day convenient for you and restore your oven with the help of Shining Services!