Repsol YPF

First it was specific oven-cleaning products, which promised to remove any residue from the walls of your appliance easily using a cloth. These were followed by catalytic self-cleaning ovens, where the use of cleaning products is not recommended. Their secret lies inside: they have rough walls which absorb the dirt and have a porous surface, enabling them to decompose the grease and smells in carbon dioxide and water. In order to remove any remaining dirt, it is sufficient to be patient and use the oven several times, or use a cloth or scrubbing brush.

However, cleaning using heat has reached unexpected hygiene levels thanks to pyrolysis, a chemical phenomenon which causes the decomposition of organic matter by heating it to high temperatures without using oxygen or other reagents. 

Before appearing in the oven world, pyrolysis was already well-known to mankind because, for example, it is the process used to convert wood into charcoal. It is also used to treat waste and to create carbon fibre. It is more widely present in our everyday lives than you might imagine: if you toast bread or overcook a sausage on the barbecue, pyrolysis can ruin your meal.

Pyrolitic ovens subject grease and food residue to a temperature of 500ºC, reducing any trace of dirt to ashes. Its action guarantees uniform cleaning, since the heat reaches all parts of the oven, however small. 

Before installing an oven with these characteristics, there is an obvious question that must be asked: is it safe to have an appliance that can reach 500 degrees in your kitchen? Manufacturers and installation engineers do not hesitate to answer in the affirmative and remind us that these electrical appliances usually have four panes of glass in their doors in order to reduce the external temperature and thus prevent the risk of burns.

Furthermore, knowing that the system implies increased energy consumption, new designs offer different levels of pyrolytic cleaning in order to adapt the process to differing needs. There are even those that have intelligent systems, which programme the cleaning automatically when the oven is sufficiently dirty.

Water, the new competitor

In recent years, pyrolysis has a new rival on the market: water. Manufacturers use different names to refer to this self-cleaning system, which relies on steam. 

You just have to pour in half a litre of water - with or without detergent, depending on the brand – and select the cleaning programme. The oven will heat the liquid to 50ºC or 60ºC, until the steam spreads throughout the appliance. The special oven wall covering, designed to make cleaning easier, does the rest. All that remains is to wipe it with a cloth or sponge in order to remove the residue.

Choosing which system is most sustainable depends on the oven model we prefer and how we are going to use it. It is best to seek advice.

 
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