Cooking is something we all do every day, but many of us are hard-pressed to clean down our ovens after every meal. How many times do you find yourself mopping up spills inside your oven? Not very often we're guessing. The problem is that once an oven gets messy, it will only get worse. Food spills turn into carbon, and this can seriously affect the taste of your food. Therefore, in today's article, we are going to highlight 5 foods that cause a mess and give you tips on how to reduce them.

pizza

Pizza is one of the main culprits. Whether fresh or frozen, once the cheese, grease and tomato begin to cook, they can easily seep out of your tray and onto your oven floor. In addition, because Pizza often needs cooking at such a high temperature, the cheese can often start spitting everywhere.

Top Tip - Place some greaseproof paper lightly on top of the pizza (don't wrap it) and also underneath. This helps reduce the amount of spitting and you can simply throw away the paper after use.

LASAGNA

Another one for spitting cheese is everyone's favourite Italian dish, Lasagna. If Pasta gets attached to your oven through a paste of cheese and tomato, it is notoriously hard to clean. The longer you leave it, the harder and more attached it becomes, so if you do spill pasta and sauce, make sure you wipe it up immediately after your oven has cooled down.

Top Tip - With Lasagna don't pile it to the very edge of your dish or bowl. Keep it about a fingertip below. This will also help give you a much crispier finish.

SAUSAGES OR BACON

We all know that sausages are healthier when cooked in the oven as opposed to fried. However, they are also the culprits for spitting out grease into your oven. This can be even worse if buying cheap sausages that are packed with carbohydrates and fats. Whilst grease is generally easier to clean, if it is allowed to build up significantly it can cause you a big problem. Look out for excess smoke coming from your oven.

Top Tip - Lightly wrap the sausages and bacon in tin foil. This helps keep the grease packed in. Also, buy your sausages from a local butcher. That way they will be full of meaty goodness without excess fat that can spit and drip.

Any type of Pie

Come winter, Pie is a great food to enjoy. Whether it is steak pie, chicken pie or fish pie, there is nothing better to tuck into than when you enter your home from the crisp autumn air. Furthermore, the smell when you enter your home is unrivalled and no doubt the whole family. However, depending on the pastry you use and the ingredients they can be prone to spilling. In addition, puff pastry can rise and flake, causing bits of pastry to sit in the back of your oven.

Top Tip - Make sure you pre-cook a hard-crust pastry base first. Then make sure your puff pastry or shortcrust has a good seal before putting it into the oven for its final cook.

TURKEY

No doubt any meat that only just fits in your oven is going to cause a mess. A juicy Turkey or Chicken will spit out the fat. However, by taking some time to plan, you can minimise the mess in your oven. Simply, cover Turkey lightly in tin foil and ensure your roasting tin is deep (at least 30% of the turkey). Where possible don't use a cheap roasting tin, buy a good solid one that isn't going to bend or warp. Finally, when it comes to basting, take it out of the oven to baste.

Top Tip  - If you have a Turkey in your oven, don't cook anything else with it. Your Turkey will need to rest for at least the same length of time it has cooked, so wait until that is done before starting your trimmings.

GET A PROFESSIONAL OVEN CLEAN

September is the perfect time to get your oven cleaned. With so many events including Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas, many will no doubt be cooking and baking more and more. If you would like to learn more about our Oven cleaning service check out our oven cleaning page.