homemade oven cleaner

I have a shameful secret. And it lies within my oven. I've been cooking and making messes in there for just over four years... and I've only cleaned it once!

That one time I cleaned my oven was long ago and not a happy experience. I was intimidated by all the grease and burnt up food bits so I figured I would need the most heavy duty cleaner that the store offered. And this one said it right on the can. 

Big mistake. Even with the windows wide open and every fan I own on full blast, the air was so heavy with fumes it was hard to breathe. I wanted to finish as quickly as possible and when I was done I worried about all the chemicals that were left behind. 

I never wanted to do it again. But recently I noticed that I could hardly see through my little oven window and I knew it was time. Even though I still had tons of oven cleaner left I looked for an alternative method that would be more bearable. 

eww

There are lots of safe oven cleaning methods online. I have to admit I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to homemade cleaning remedies. So I used ingredients that a lot of people had success with... plus I already had this stuff.

To make this cleaner just form a paste out of baking soda, lemon juice, and vinegar (all I had was apple cider vinegar). I didn't measure. Just add the ingredients until it's not too thick or too thin. The mixture below is a bit too thick. 

I ended up adding more vinegar and lemon juice to thin it out. This mixture just crumbled up when I tried to use it.

Before you start scrubbing your oven be sure to remove any burnt food or ash that might be hanging around in there. 

double eww

Then take your paste and slather it all over the greasy icky stuff. I even used a lemon half as my applicator. 

Once you've got a good coating let it rest overnight. And order takeout for dinner. 

The next day the paste had dried out and hardened. 

I took a damp, warm, washcloth and laid it over small sections of the paste and rubbed in circles until it came up. And to my surprise most of the grossness came with it! Although getting the gunk off the door took a little more elbow grease.

I used a toothbrush (my favorite cleaning tool!) and a plastic scrapper to make my oven window super clear and see through. 

Other than waiting over night this was a pretty speedy cleaning method. Cleaning with lemon was a joy and there were no harmful fumes or chemicals to get in the way of my breathing! Major plus. Check out the results!!

This method was cheap, quick, easy and safe. How marvelous! I couldn't believe how well it worked. Maybe I'll be cleaning my oven more often!! 

Have you ever made your own cleaning products before? 

crab risotto for two

Somehow I got the idea that risotto was so tricky that it could only be made by the most super advanced chefs. Wrong! When I saw Nadia G from Bitchin' Kitchen prepare a mushroom risotto I knew I could do it myself. If you don't know who Nadia G is go read this blog post! Now!

When making risotto you must keep these two important rules in mind: 

1 - Use arborio rice. Yes it really does matter! Arborio rice has a high starch content which is absolutely key for the rich and creamy texture of risotto.

2 - Cooking technique. Cooking risotto isn't the same as cooking more common rice dishes. The liquid is added a half a cup at a time until it is completely absorbed by the rice. You also need to stir... a lot. Stirring is important to the finished texture as it helps to release the starch from the rice. Also, with little liquids in the pan the rice is more likely to burn if it stays in the same place for too long. So make sure to keep everything moving for even cooking. It's not true that you must stir the pot constantly but it helps. If you must respond to the occasional text message or pour yourself another glass of wine go right ahead. Just don't ignore the pot for too long.

I didn't want to make a mushroom risotto like Nadia G so I came up with my own recipe. As long as you've got the rice and the stock you can add any flavors that you'd like. When you're cooking remember that you're the one eating this food so change up any ingredients that you don't like or would like more of! Here is the recipe that I came up with.

Crab Risotto (for two)

garlic (about a tablespoon or as much as you'd like)

1 shallot

1 red bell pepper

1 lemon
1 8oz. bottle of clam juice

2 cups stock (I used fish stock)

1/2 cup arborio rice

splash of white wine (about 1/4 cup, serve the rest with dinner)

1/4 cup of heavy cream

8oz imitation crab meat (use the real thing if you can!)

2 slices of cooked bacon (optional) 

1 - Prepare everything for cooking. Mince garlic and shallots, chop red bell pepper, slice up some lemon wedges and set aside. Measure the rice. Pour yourself a glass of wine and keep the bottle out.

2 - Bring clam juice and stock to a boil then quickly adjust heat to low. Keep liquids simmering.

3 - In a new pan heat a small amount of olive oil over a medium flame. Add garlic, shallots and red bell pepper and cook until the peppers are softened a bit. They will continue to cook and get softer as we go. You don't want the garlic to brown or worse... burn. Yuck.

4 - Stir in the rice. Add wine and a squeeze of lemon juice. Turn up the heat just a bit to medium/high and stir until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

5 - Using a ladle add about half a cup of the clam juice/stock mixture to the rice and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until all the liquid is gone, stirring often. If you like a firmer rice you might not need to add all the liquid so test for doneness as you go. This can take awhile so turn up your favorite pandora station and keep your glass of wine close.

6 - Once all the liquid is absorbed turn the heat down to low and add crab meat (saving a few pieces for garnish), heavy cream, and another squeeze of lemon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Dish it out and remember to make it look pretty. You've just made an impressive dish so take the time to decorate! Plate with some crusty sour dough bread, sprinkle some bacon on top and add a few lemon wedges.

This recipe is for two but it can easily be doubled/tripled just remember that more liquids means more time stirring in half cups of stock. 

The first time I made this for my boyfriend his smile went ear to ear with the first bite.

Marvelous beyond belief!