Your cafe or restaurant's oven and grill are one of the most important parts of your kitchen. Working to maintain these valuable assets will extend the life of your appliances, keep efficiency up, and keep costs down.
For example, cleaning your commercial oven and grills often will prevent the over-accumulation of burnt greases and fats, helping you to reduce cleaning time in the long run. Below are our top three tips for maintaining your expensive commercial oven.
Clean your oven regularly
The build-up of burnt of fat and grease is your biggest kitchen enemy. It reduces cooking efficiency and creates unpleasant burnt smells that can seep into food as it cooks. It's important to make sure your oven plates and grills are cleaned on a daily basis, with a thorough global clean performed at least once a month.
By using chemicals such as Jasol's Non-caustic Oven Cleaner to ensure the daily removal of burnt residues in your oven, and Ready to Use (RTU) Oven Cleaner for daily cleaning on modern convection oven and rotisseries you can reduce your clean up time as well.
Pay attention to door & seals
It's good practice to keep an eye on your oven door seals, as loose-fitting seals will reduce your oven energy efficiency and provide inconsistent heat, affecting cooking. Be sure to inspect the oven door hinges and remove any loose crumbs and encrusted dirt from the door. This will help the door close properly, preventing seal damage over time.
Key points when cleaning an oven
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Remove all racks from the oven
Always remove your oven racks before giving them a good scrub, as placing food directly on the racks day after day can cause a buildup that is difficult to remove with just a wipe down.
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Wipe down all surfaces daily
Debris and grease residues can be extremely detrimental to the longevity of your commercial oven, as encrusted fats and food damage the lining of the oven over time. It's good practice to wipe down the inside of the oven with a wet towel in order to remove these residues, paying close attention to the area around the oven’s fan as a compromised airflow will minimise your commercial oven efficiency.
When using cleaning agents such as Jasol's, make sure to avoid the thermostat tubes, and always perform the cleaning after closing, in order to allow time for the oven to air out between use.
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Remove grease from hoods, exhaust filters, & grease pans
Ensure your commercial kitchen stays clean year-round by regularly removing built-up grease from exhaust fans and filters. Always allow the hood to cool completely before you handle it and make sure the power is disconnected.
Pour off excess grease into a trash-appropriate container and wipe any residue grease out of the filters using clean paper towels. Coat each paper towel with spray degreaser, and use a synthetic cleaning brush to gently scrub and loosen encrusted debris.
For exhaust hoods, use a clean scrubbing pad with hot water and mild detergent to clean both the inside and outside of the hood. Dampen a towel with hot water and wipe off all residue from your hood and piping. Use a spray degreaser where necessary and wipe off with a warm, damp towel. Ensure the piping is dried thoroughly to avoid any rust forming.