Cleaning a Catalytic Oven: How Does It Work?

Thanks to its absorbent walls, your catalytic oven cleans itself. However, certain parts require manual maintenance and a few precautions for better efficiency.

What is catalysis?

A catalytic oven has interior walls designed to collect and absorb cooking residues. A standard built-in oven gets dirty from grease splatters from dishes. With catalysis, this grease is automatically burned off during cooking. Good to know:

• The four oven walls are involved: the sides, the bottom, and the top.
• This mechanism is triggered between 200 and 220 degrees depending on the oven model. It is therefore not active during low-temperature cooking.

 

What are the advantages of a catalytic oven?

One of the main advantages of a catalytic oven is its self-cleaning feature:

• You don't have to do anything during the cleaning cycle. Simply set your appliance to the right temperature and let it work to eliminate grease for about fifty minutes.
• You can combine cooking and cleaning simultaneously. This saves energy since your oven is not running empty for cleaning.
• It is compatible with fan-assisted or convection cooking systems.

 

The disadvantages of catalysis

Despite its advantages, catalytic cleaning also has some drawbacks:

• When the walls are very dirty, they must be washed with a sponge beforehand. The 200-degree temperature is not always enough. You will have to clean manually, unlike with a pyrolysis oven.
• The panels are fragile and must be handled with care. Avoid scrubbing them with the abrasive side of a sponge or using harsh cleaning products. They must be replaced every 5 years or so, which leads to additional costs.
• Unlike pyrolysis, catalysis only cleans the oven walls. You must clean the rack and the inside of the door manually.

 

How to complete a catalytic cleaning?

After cleaning your catalytic oven, finish the job manually once the appliance has cooled down:

• Wipe a slightly damp sponge over the interior walls to remove ash residue, paying attention to the corners and edges.
• Use hot water and dish soap to degrease the racks and trays not covered by the catalytic system.
• Clean the inside of the door manually.

 

How to maintain a catalytic oven?

To ensure the durability of your catalytic oven and guarantee efficient self-cleaning, take these precautions:

• Never use the abrasive side of a sponge to degrease the walls, so as not to damage the coating.
• Reserve detergents (chemical or natural, such as white vinegar or baking soda) for cleaning the door. Avoid getting them inside the oven.
• Replace the walls every 5 years on average. After this period, they become too clogged for effective cleaning.