A high-heat self-cleaning setting is a contentious oven feature: For every cook who claims to use it constantly, there’s a cautionary tale about a house fire or a broken stove. Most self-cleaning modes are designed to turn oven schmutz into easily removable ash by reaching temperatures as high as 850 °F and staying that hot for hours. Sure, you can use this feature and it (most likely!) won’t burn down your kitchen (especially if you follow our safety suggestions). That said, a high-heat self-cleaning feature works best for newer, not-so-dirty ovens and, in truth, it might break one with any other preexisting conditions.
We spoke to experts in fire safety, product engineering, cleaning, and appliance repair to learn more. Here are the five things you need to know if you’re considering using your oven’s self-cleaning setting.
