oven cleaning

This is probably everyone's least favorite chore. Seriously, if you don't have a self-cleaning oven, between the toxic fumes, having to stick your head in the oven and the brown crud that takes a roll of paper towels to remove, why would anyone volunteer for such a chore?

I can't promise to make it any less gross, but I can help get it done right the first time. Recently we decided it was time to clean the oven. There was after all a giant black spot on the bottom. So off to Target I went and returned with the fume free Easy Off.

Don't buy this stuff - it doesn't work. Get the Heavy Duty Easy Off, and follow the directions that require you to preheat the oven. I am happy to report the black spot is gone. And boy am I relieved as I was having nightmares about B's Mom discovering it and becoming the latest story about who did something terrible to her house.

Also, you can save yourself having to clean the oven as frequently by putting an aluminum pan in the bottom. You can find them in the grocery store for only a few dollars. Then when something spills over, you throw it out and put down another one (they are usually sold in packages of 2). Given that a can of oven cleaner is about $5.00, it's not a bad deal. Anything is better than that smell.