Pyrolytic Ovens

In terms of Cooking, Pyrolytic Ovens work in the same way as any other Electric Oven. What sets them apart is their self-cleaning feature.

Ovens with a Pyrolytic setting can run programs that heat the oven to ultra high temperatures of 500 to 600 degrees celsius for a few hours. This setting is not meant for cooking food but for burning off all the fat splatters, grease, grime and food spills collected in the oven to reduce them to ash. This ash can then easily be wiped away turning a job that is normally hours of scrubbing with chemical cleaners into a simple wipe down.

Pyro Ovens are a great option for people who are sensitive to chemical cleaners, burning away grease and grime usually tough to scrub off in corners and the back of the Oven. Whilst this innovative feature does come with a higher price tag, by making regular deep and thorough Oven Cleaning a breeze Pyrolytic Ovens might be worth the upfront cost in the long run.

Given the high temperatures needed for pyrolysis to burn off fats and foods, it’s natural to wonder about safety. The short answer to the question is yes, Pyrolytic Ovens are safe.

To withstand the extreme heat produced in a Pyrolytic Oven's cleaning cycle, they're very well insulated which stops the heat inside the oven spreading throughout the rest of the appliance. This leaves the outside no hotter than any other regular Oven during a pyrolytic program.

These Ovens' doors are also cool touch designed to not to get excessively hot. The door will automatically lock shut when running the pyrolytic cycle, keeping kids and unsuspecting adults safe from opening the oven when it’s extremely hot, and ensuring you always know when it is safe to open by unlocking once cooled.

Pyrolytic Ovens are also generally safer than manual cleaning with Oven cleaner chemicals, where face masks and gloves should ideally be worn for safety. Just remember a Pyrolytic Oven may generate smoke in the short term of cleaning, so make sure your kitchen is well ventilated before opening it back up after and during cleaning cycles.

Depending on how often the oven is used and what is recommended in the user manual, an average frequency of running the pyrolytic cleaning cycle is once monthly or every two months. More frequent use will run the risk of shortening the appliance's life, so always check what manufacturers recommend before buying and using. If you can quickly clean up spills and messes in the oven before they get baked on, you can save the oven from needing to frequent, intensive pyrolytic cleaning cycles.

The length of cycle will vary depending on different settings and how dirty the inside of the Oven is, but it will generally take between one and two hours plus cooling time. Once the cycle is done and the oven has cooled to a safe temperature, the oven will automatically unlock the door and turn itself off.

If you can plan it, timing a pyrolytic clean soon after cooking whilst the oven is still warm will save some energy in the heating process.

As mentioned previously, cooking in a Pyrolytic Oven is basically the same as any other Electric Oven. Electric Ovens are generally more expensive to run than Gas Ovens, but with that in mind a Pyrolytic Oven tends to be more energy efficient over other electric ovens. This is usually because of enhanced insulation needed to safely run a Pyrolytic Oven at high temperatures. Regular cooking functions also benefit with less heat escaping the Oven compartment which means more energy efficient cooking overall.

Then there are the costs of running the pyrolytic cleaning cycle itself. Naturally it will come at a higher cost to regular running costs for cooking, but will save money on Oven cleaners, gloves, sponges, and scrubbers that you would need to clean by hand. Whilst Pyrolytic Ovens are more costly to buy, the savings come from running and cleaning costs as well as the time and effort of scrubbing out a dirty Oven.