Tips For Cleaning and Maintaining Your Toaster Oven
To keep your toaster oven in mint condition, it’s essential that it receives regular deep cleanings. With regular deep cleans, there won’t be any worries over burnt-on food particles or staining on its non-stick coating surface.
Start by unplugging and unplating both the toasting rack and crumb tray from their bases, before plunging them into a sink filled with warm soapy water for 30-60 minutes to completely soak them.
1. Clean the Exterior
Toaster ovens feature glass doors that become grimy over time, so it is crucial that they be regularly maintained. Make your toaster shine by spraying or wiping down with full-strength white vinegar, using a soft cloth to wipe any spots or marks off, then repeat as necessary.
Unplug and cool your appliance completely before beginning to clean it for safety purposes – electric shocks from toasters can be especially hazardous!
If your toaster oven comes equipped with a removable crumb tray, make sure you take advantage of it and dispose of any food particles that fall out during cleaning the exterior. Otherwise, wash it using dish soap and warm water using either a sponge or rag.
After you have removed the tray, Melanie Hernandez of Calphalon appliances advises brushing off any food debris clinging to the bottom rack with a dry brush or scraper. She suggests also using a toothbrush or small kitchen brush to scrub both rack and crumb tray thoroughly for an efficient clean.
Once again, Hernandez suggests using a microfiber cloth to clean the exterior of your toaster oven while paying special attention to dials and handles. You could also consider purchasing an oven cleaner specifically tailored for toaster ovens.
When cleaning the interior, prepare a solution of two cups of hot water and two tablespoons of vinegar. Soak a sponge or dishcloth in this solution before wiping down the toaster’s interior with special attention paid to heating elements and then dry with a soft, clean cloth.
2. Clean the Interior
Though cleaning the exterior of a toaster oven may be simple, its interior can prove more challenging. To start off the task of deep-cleaning, unplug the device for safety reasons and remove all removable parts (tray/racks). Once they’ve been taken out, wash them in warm water with dish soap in your sink – for stubborn food splatters/stains soak for at least overnight before cleaning them properly.
Next, use a soft sponge or rag with your homemade cleaning solution and wipe the inside of the toaster oven with it. This is an ideal time for taking care of any stubborn crumbs that have made their way into cracks and crevices of the unit.
Rinse the toaster oven thoroughly and allow it to air dry; an extra towel or microfiber cloth could speed up this process.
For tougher spots, use a mixture of baking soda and water as a paste. Apply this solution throughout your oven’s interior until all surfaces have been covered; leave overnight if necessary to address stubborn grime spots.
If your interior features non-stick coating, avoid harsh cleaners and scrubbers which could scratch or discolor it. Furthermore, when cleaning with gas toaster ovens it is wise not to touch their heating elements directly as this could damage them and possibly start fires.
Remember that toaster oven heating elements are delicate electrical components and should never be submerged in liquid, which could damage them. Therefore, avoid using commercial oven cleaners on your toaster oven unless stated on their bottle; these sprays often do not intended for aluminum material (typically found in toaster ovens).
3. Clean the Crumb Tray
Most toasters feature a crumb tray to collect food debris during toaster operation and should be regularly emptied out to prevent buildup and the possibility of burning smells.
Unclean toaster ovens can be potentially hazardous, with burnt crumbs potentially sparking a fire in your kitchen and leaving an offensive smell every time it’s used. A dirty toaster may even leave an unpleasant lingering odor.
If you don’t regularly empty out the crumb tray, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria and bugs, while an unclean toaster could make the bread taste unpleasant as well as cause it to toast unevenly.
To maintain cleanliness of a crumb tray, remove it from your toaster oven and empty its contents into either the sink or garbage can, before hand-washing to eliminate food debris and caked-on crumbs from its surfaces.
Once your crumb tray has been thoroughly scrubbed and rinsed clean, take time to rinse and dry it thoroughly before returning it to the toaster oven – this will help ensure that future crumbs do not stick to its surfaces.
Step 5: Clean the Glass Door
Most toaster ovens feature glass doors that can be cleaned using distilled white vinegar as an effective cleaner, cutting through grease while giving your glass surface a gorgeous shine. For best results, spray on some vinegar and let it set before wiping off with a soft cloth for streak-free shine.
For stainless steel exteriors, try using a soft cloth dipped in a solution of water and mild dish soap; this should make the metal shine. For added scrubbing power, add a dab of vinegar before wiping down on the metal surface.
4. Clean the Heating Element
Heating elements in toaster ovens must always remain free from food residue or other debris to prevent fire hazards and ensure optimal performance. Regularly scheduled cleaning sessions should also help protect their efficiency.
Cleaning the heating element requires only mild dish soap solution and water. For stubborn buildup removal, baking soda paste may also work effectively.
Before cleaning your toaster oven, always unplug it first to prevent getting an electric shock.
Create a thick paste by mixing equal parts of water and baking soda to form a thick coating that you can apply directly onto heating elements or areas with tough stains using this paste. Concentrate your efforts in areas with tough stains.
Once the paste has set in, use a damp cloth to wipe away. This will eliminate stains and leave your element looking brand new again.
Easy-Off can also be used to clean your toaster oven’s heating element, providing a powerful all-purpose cleaner that works on surfaces such as ovens and refrigerators.
As this product can be quite harsh and could potentially lead to burns if used directly on a heating element, only use it with experience in this kind of work and how to handle it safely.
Once you’ve finished cleaning your toaster oven’s heating element, make sure to thoroughly dry it to prevent further rust and staining from occurring in the future. When completely dry, reconnect and use as soon as you like again!
5. Clean the Glass Door
Your toaster oven’s glass door may become discolored over time due to spills and splatters as well as food remnants that have adhered to its exterior surface. Maintaining this part of your appliance may seem daunting at times; however there are ways you can keep it looking brand new without investing a great deal of time or money into products that could potentially harm the glass surface.
Baking soda and water paste provides an effective and natural method to clean oven windows of baked-on gunk. Spread the paste over your door, wait 15 minutes, then wipe away.
If your toaster oven window is particularly dirty, chemical cleaners may be needed for stubborn grease stains that do not respond to baking soda and water solutions. Be mindful, though; chemical solutions can leave streaks or etch marks in glass surfaces when used excessively.
Or you could try using a Magic Eraser to remove grease stains and splatters from oven glass surfaces. This handy tool is easy to use and works extremely effectively!
One good solution for cleaning the exterior of your oven glass is spraying distilled white vinegar on it and wiping it down with a dry microfiber cloth – this will help eliminate greasy build-up while providing you with an uninterrupted shine.
Use a vacuum equipped with a crevice attachment to vacuum out any crumbs that have collected between glass panes, helping prevent future splatters and keeping your toaster oven looking brand new.
