Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Add vinegar to dish soap for enhanced degreasing: Looking for a more potent solution? While it shouldn’t be your go-to, vinegar can effectively degrease a pan or oven when regular scrubbing falls short. Though it’s a bit more intense than standard dish soap, it won’t cause much damage if used sparingly for a deep clean.
The steaming approach: Prior to cleaning your oven, try placing a tray filled with water in it and set it to heat. As the water turns to steam, it will help loosen some of the grime for simpler cleaning.
Utilize gentle degreasers and magic erasers: Start with basic dish soap first. If your oven glass or sides are heavily greased, and dish soap isn’t sufficient, you might require something a bit stronger—but still avoid highly abrasive substances. Consider a more subtle degreaser like Krud Kutter ($11). Breville representatives have also expressed their preference for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ($12) wipes.
Some guidelines to avoid: Steer clear of bleach or ammonia, as they are harsh and toxic—remember, you prepare food in that oven. Avoid steel wool or abrasive pads. Moreover, refrain from using heavy-duty degreasers or overnight cleaners like Easy-Off, which may not be ideal for toaster oven materials. Many toaster ovens, including Breville models, are coated with nonstick materials for simpler cleaning, and it’s best to preserve those coatings instead of risking damage.
Cleaning Toaster Oven Heating Elements
My recommendation is to steer clear of cleaning them. Simply run your oven on high to burn away as much residue as possible. Treat your heating elements like a downed power line; they’re delicate, composed of a thin quartz glass tube that can shatter with minimal pressure. Plus, many heating elements are difficult and costly to replace. Messing with them can easily lead to a non-functional oven, and that’s a lesson I’ve learned firsthand.
But if you really have to: Avoid any cleaning agents. Don’t use baking soda. Stick to the gentlest touch of a water-damp sponge or cloth, gently gliding along the heating element’s surface. Do not apply pressure. Also, ensure the heating element is completely dry before powering it back up if it gets wet. This advice comes directly from Breville, although I still somehow managed to damage my heating element while attempting to be careful.
Have you tried prayer?
In the End, Embrace What You Can’t Change
However, if you’ve owned a toaster oven for more than a year, you’re bound to notice at least one grease stain or discoloration that has become a permanent feature of your appliance. It could be a stain on the crumb tray, discolored from burnt butter, or splatter near the heating elements. Perhaps it’s that lasting dark mark on the oven door glass, marred by some unknown splatter.
You’ve exhausted all cleaning options, but that imperfection lingers. It’s now a part of your life. So, forgive yourself. Life tends to leave its marks. I still bear a small but visible scar on my hand from a skateboarding mishap when I was eight, and another on my elbow from an incident when I was mugged in Chicago. I like to think these marks tell a story. In the same way, your oven may have its own unique character now.
