Instructions: The bottom heating element had to be replaced because of what I had done to put out an oven fire. Something had spilled previously, and when preheating the oven the next time, I noticed a small flame through the glass window. I turned off the oven, opened the door and doused the fire with baking soda.

I used so much baking soda that some of it remained on the bottom element. I did not wipe out the baking soda, just left it. Then, a couple of weeks later, I ran the oven through the self-cleaning cycle.

The next day, I put a roast in the oven. Several hours later, I realized there was no smell coming from the kitchen. The roast wasnt cooking because the bottom element was ruined. The baking soda had corroded it.

In hopes that readers can avoid this sort of experience, Im passing on the following oven care information from the National Society of Professional Engineers and Michigan State University Extension.

Inspect your oven
Check the glass on the oven door. If its cracked, it may break when heated, causing bits of glass to settle in the food being baked.

Broken or worn oven-door gaskets allow heat to escape and can cause surrounding areas on the door to become very hot.

Blocked air vents can make the oven operate inefficiently.

Safety
In case of an oven fire, turn off the burner and close the oven door. Cutting off oxygen will extinguish the flames. Or sprinkle baking soda on the flames to smother them. If food is burning, do not try to remove it from the oven, as flames may spread to another area. When the oven is cold, clean up the baking soda, especially from the heating element.

Never pour water into the oven.

Never try to light a "no pilot" oven with a match. If you smell gas, shut off all burners and open the windows immediately. Contact your local gas supplier immediately.

Keep a portable all-purpose fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen and learn how to use it. It should be kept in plain view within easy reach, but away from the stove and heating appliances.

Cleaning self-cleaning ovens
Before running the cleaning cycle on a self-cleaning oven, you need to follow certain steps. Look at the directions in your owners manual, as oven models and brands vary.

Pre-clean the areas not reached in the self-cleaning cycle: the frame around the opening and the edge of the door outside the gasket. Re-clean these areas after the cleaning cycle is over.

Never clean the gasket with anything because it could be damaged and the oven would not have as good a seal.

Use hot water and detergent or a paste of baking soda and hot water on difficult spots; rinse well with a solution of a cup of water and 1/4 cup vinegar to remove all residue. This prevents it from being baked on during the high heat of the cleaning cycle.

If your manual recommends it, you may leave the oven racks in for the cleaning cycle; however, they will discolor, lose their shine, and become hard to slide in and out.

If you do leave the racks in, after the cycle ends, rub the edges of the racks and the guides on the oven walls with a soapy steel-wool pad (such as SOS), wipe off the residue, and rub a few drops of vegetable oil on the edges for easier sliding.

Its probably better to take the racks out before the cleaning cycle and clean them by hand. If your range manual recommends it, you may put burner drip bowls in the oven for the self-cleaning cycle; however, high heat will permanently discolor chrome rings with a bluish hue.

If your manual recommends it, you may also put the broiler pan in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle, but wipe off excess grease that could catch fire.

At the end of the cycle and after the oven has cooled, use a damp cloth to wipe out the small amount of fine ash left behind.

Never use chemical oven cleaners in a self-cleaning oven. Some residue may remain, and the high heat could change it into compounds that etch the enamel.

Continuous-cleaning ovens
If you still have a continuous-cleaning oven that has stains, it may help to run the oven empty for 2 hours at 475 degrees. This also helps clean the glass in the oven door.

For best baking results

Place an oven thermometer in the oven to check whether the ovens thermostat is correct. Check your manual to see how the oven can be calibrated to change the temperature if its too high or low.

Preheat the oven to allow the food to bake more evenly.

Dont leave the oven door open while the oven is turned on.

Place food on a rack in the middle of the oven to guarantee even baking.

Since heat rises, the air at the top of the oven tends to be hotter, which could give different results if the food is placed too high in the oven. If you use the lower rack setting, foods tend to burn on the bottom.

Oven manufacturers do not recommend placing a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the oven. This can cause the oven element to burn out faster.

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