Easy On, Easier Off

I love to cook – it is great stress relief. Having someone over to enjoy my cooking is all the better, then I even get compliments.

And NO – so far no one has ended up in the hospital with food poisoning. That I know of.

Problem with cooking though, is someone eventually will have to do some cleaning.

All the pots, pans, knives, forks, plates, spatulas and other cooking utensils eventually have to be washed.

Last weekend I made a gigantic brisket pot roast. It was really good – I roasted with it potatoes, carrots and onions to make a great side-dish, and to add flavour to the gravy.

But the roasting pot I used wasn’t big enough. It was big enough at first to hold everything, but as the gravy built-up from the meat, it overflowed out and into my oven.

The mess afterwards was horrendous. Gravy and grease from the meat was caked on the bottom and sides of my oven.

Not even a self-cleaning range can cut through this tough stuff. So I got the Easy Off oven cleaner and sprayed the entire oven – from top to bottom.

I used an entire can – you’re supposed to right?

The fumes almost made me pass out – I could taste the oven cleaner. Not a pleasant thing.

I let the oven cleaner work it’s magic. It says on the can to let it sit for eight-hours or more. I sprayed it on Monday night, and waited until this evening (Tuesday) to wipe it out and clean it up.

It certainly did the job – wiping it out was easy. All that caked on dirt and grime came off as if it were melted away. And there lied a shiny metal polished finish underneath.

Though as I was cleaning it out, I became covered in the dirt too. So I had a shower afterwards – it is funny how no matter what I do in the kitchen, I always end up wearing something or other I didn’t intend too.

Now I have a nice, clean oven.

So that I can dirty it up once again with another home-cooked meal.

Dig in.