When homeowners think about a kitchen makeover, their first thoughts normally focus on the likes of kitchen units and kitchen doors. This makes sense, of course, but there is a lot more to a kitchen than its cabinets and drawers.

Appliances are important too. And is there a more important appliance in the kitchen than an oven?

Possibly not.

As technology continues to develop at an astonishing pace, the capabilities of the humble oven have grown and grown.

One type of oven that has been getting a lot of attention in recent years is the stainless steel pyrolytic oven.

But what do these ovens actuallly do?

Do you know how they work?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of oven?

We’re here to answer all these questions and more as we look at whether or not a pyrolytic self cleaning oven is worth the money.

What Are Pyrolytic Ovens?

They are one of the most popular oven options currently available on the market, primarily thanks to the time-saving potential they provide.

Often called ‘self-cleaning’ ovens, because it is the pyrolytic self cleaning function that essentially saves you the time – and hassle – of having to clean your oven.

You are still required to do a little bit of the work, but with pyrolytic self cleaning most of the ‘heavy lifting’ and hassle of oven cleaning is taken care of.

These ovens do tend to be more expensive than a standard electric oven. However, because of the innovative technology, it vastly reduces the effort needed to clean the oven interior.

Most homeowners would see that as money well spent.

Why Buy A Pyrolytic Model?

First, let’s look at the benefits of pyrolytic self cleaning ovens, and why you should consider purchasing one for your home…

You can see all our pyrolytic ovens here.

Time-saving and effort saving

You’ll certainly spend less time cleaning. That’s for sure!

The cleaning function frees up your own time – leaving your more time for the more important things, such as family and friends.

Less Exposure To Harsh Cleaning Chemicals

The days of hard scrubbing the oven interior with a can of Mr Muscle, trying to avoid the smell of the fumes, will be a thing of the past.

You can say goodbye to old-fashioned elbow grease. You can simply wipe away leftover grime with a damp cloth, as the oven interior no longer looks like a war zone!

Pyrolytic Self-Cleaning Explained

The self cleaning pyrolytic function uses temperatures of up to 500°C.

The high temperature literally incinerates food residue that has built up on the walls of the oven interior.oven walls, and turns it into a fine ash.

This is the ‘pyrolysis’ – the process of using intense heat and pressure to turn substances into ash.

Once the self cleaning pyrolytic function cycle has completed, all that is left for you to do is to wipe the ash away with a damp cloth. No cleaning products or chemicals are required.

You will still need to clean the door itself, and the interior cooking racks yourself, but this should require minimal effort.

Increased Efficiency Guaranteed

Due to the higher temperatures of these ovens, they offer superior insulation and enamelling than a conventional electric oven.

This provides increased efficiency.

What’s more – for added safety – the oven door locks automatically as the temperature hits 300°C. This means that as the temperature rises to 500°C there is no risk of any injury and anybody getting burnt.

What’s The Difference Between Pyrolytic And Catalytic Ovens?

Pyrolytic ovens sometimes get confused with another type of stainless steel self cleaning oven – catalytic ovens.

The difference is that self cleaning pyrolytic ovens really operate just like a conventional electric oven most of the time. In fact, it is only when the self cleaning function is activated that you will notice any real difference.

However, stainless steel catalytic ovens feature panels – known as catalytic panels – that make cleaning the inside of the oven easy. It means that the cleaning of the oven is ongoing, whereas the cleaning function of a pyrolytic oven needs to be activated and takes up to an hour and a half to complete, typically

The downside of stainless steel catalytic ovens is that the oven liners need replacing periodically.

Other Features To Consider

Of course, although the self cleaning pyrolytic function is the standout feature of this type of oven, you don’t just want an oven that self cleans – you want a stainless steel oven that provides a range of other features too.

It’s important to choose an oven for your kitchen that suits your budget and the space you have in the kitchen, and your cooking needs and preferences too.

Here are some important things to consider:

Size Matters

Most self cleaning pyrolytic ovens are designed to be installed into the kitchen wall. Typically, they have a width of approximately 60cm.

Fuel Types

Most stainless steel pyrolytic ovens tend to be built-in electric models. However, you can also find freestanding dual fuel models which combine an electric oven with a gas stovetop.

Oven Capacity

The standard capacity of stainless steel pyrolytic ovens is 80 litres – a size that should for ample for the cooking needs of an average-sized family. However, for larger families or homeowners who like to entertain a lot, a double oven might be a better option as it offers not only a greater capacity but also a greater range of cooking functions.

Door Glazing

A standard catalytic oven features double glazing oven doors – so, two layers of glass. However, a pyrolytic model can offer triple and quadruple glazed doors. Not only does this lock heat inside the oven to provide more efficient cooking and it keeps the outer oven door cool when the oven is being used.

Cooling Fan

A tangential cooling fan is an integral feature of all catalytic and pyrolytic models. The cooling fan circulates air around the outside of the oven. Naturally, this helps to keep the kitchen cool.

Other Key Features of Paralytic Ovens

A fan-forced feature utilises a fan circulating hot air around the cavity of the oven. This delivers more even cooking and faster cooking times.

Most ovens come with a programmable timer and more advanced models come with pre-programmable recipes.

Fan-assisted grilling combines the tip grill and the fan for roasting meat, or to brown the top of dishes.

Conclusion: Why Are They So Good?

The biggest plus point is the time that they save you when it comes to cleaning. You simply need to turn on the self-cleaning feature and then wipe away the ash when it is finished – gone are the days of scrubbing endlessly with a basin and scourer.

That’s all down to the self cleaning pyrolytic function.

They will also have a positive impact on your finances too. The cleaning mode on stainless pyrolytic ovens actually works out cheaper in terms of the energy costs than purchasing all the different cleaning chemicals and doing it yourself.

Do They Have Any Disadvantages?

Like most things in life, pyrolytic ovens are not perfect and they do have some drawbacks.

When we say that these stainless steel ovens are self-cleaning, it doesn’t mean that you literally don’t have to do anythingapart from wiping away the ash at the end of the cleaning cycle. You still need to clean the racks, trays and rails manually.

Compared to a stainless steel oven with catalytic liner, you will pay more money.

A stainless steel catalytic oven usually sells for 10-20% above the price of a normal oven (compared to 40-60% for pyrolytic ovens) and they actually clean the oven as you cook so you don’t need to put on the cleaning mode afterwards.

Pyrolytic Ovens: What’s The Verdict?

While nothing is ever absolutely perfect, we believe these ovens come pretty close.

Even cooking results are delivered all the time. Not only that, they contain an impressive range of grilling, roasting ad cooking features. And although the oven interior will collect residue, the cleaning function takes care of that so that you no longer have to worry about cleaning it yourself.

If you have any further questions about pyrolytic ovens or other kitchen appliances, just get in touch with the Kitchen Warehouse team.

We are always on hand to help with any queries you might have.

Why not check out our range of pyrolytic ovens?