Pyrolytic Ovens: A Care at Home Solution?

Pyrolytic Ovens: A Care at Home Solution?
Helle Kinning
ByHelle Kinning,EMEA Marketing Manager
Published by :Accuride International
Self-cleaning pyrolytic ovens have been increasing in popularity over the last few years, with more brands and companies offering the technology every year. Not only do they eliminate the need for oven-specific cleaners and detergents, their integration into the mainstream has allowed suppliers and manufacturers to lower their costs, making them more accessible.

Though these ovens have been marketed extensively, it would seem the focus has landed on busy professionals and parents in order to free up their valuable time by letting the oven clean itself. There are other markets, however, that may benefit greatly from this technology: the elderly and the disabled.

In a previous post, ‘Care Home or Care at Home?’, we discussed how smart technology integrated with telescopic slides may be the solution to allowing more independence at home to those who may otherwise require a carer or additional assistance. The technology industry often seems to forget the elderly in their marketing, but they may be missing out on some valuable customers for pyrolytic ovens.

Surveys have found that 51% of consumers found cleaning grease and burnt-on stains from their ovens a more than tedious task, so it is understandably harder for those who have lost mobility due to age or disability. Especially when cleaning an oven can require being bent over low down for potentially long periods of time, which is not easy on joints like the knees, hips and shoulders.

Pyrolytic ovens could be an excellent addition to homes where independence may be trickier to maintain, as the cleaning is done for you. The oven automatically locks its door, ensuring the oven can’t be opened, and turns the heat all the way up to 500˚C to get rid of those hard-to-remove stains, eliminating the need to scrub away for hours. All that is required by humans is to wipe out the ash created when the grease is burnt away. The removal of oven-specific cleaners also reduces the risks of alkaline chemical burns, which can progress from superficial to full thickness burns within a matter of hours if treated inadequately.

As it is now possible to have ovens installed at different heights, it will be even easier to make the kitchen more accessible. The risk of injury will also be reduced, as there will be no need to bend down and lift hot and potentially heavy trays. Instead, trays can be immediately transferred between the oven and the work surfaces with ease.

When pyrolytic ovens were first put on the market, one issue that was highlighted was that the oven shelves had to be removed before the cleaning programme began as the lubricants and greases in the slides were not suitable for such high temperatures. Always eager to help create solutions, Accuride set to developing telescopic slides that could stand the heat.

Our telescopic oven runners were created to be the perfect partner for pyrolytic ovens due to their solid graphite inserts. These inserts provide a constantly-replenished film of lubrication that is unaffected by the extreme temperatures, adding to the simplicity and ease of using pyrolytic cleaning. They are also dishwasher-safe, making them even easier to maintain and ensuring longevity.

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Photograph courtesy of Miele

Like all Accuride slides, our telescopic oven slides are able to move heavy loads with ease. This allows end users to slide heavy food trays out of the oven without the danger of tipping over, and means that food can be withdrawn to a more accessible position rather than having to reach inside the oven and risk the burning of arms or hands. For wheelchair users, this can eliminate the risk of over-reaching and imbalance. The need to bend down and then lift is also removed, which can become difficult for elderly relatives.

While the risk of minor burns cannot be completely eliminated yet, Accuride’s telescopic runners mean that pyrolytic ovens are now more accessible than ever. They only require minimal human interaction when it comes to cleaning, which allows the user more time to get on with their daily life. The fact that these slides can endure high temperatures means that they do not have to be removed before the cleaning programme begins, allowing the programme to be used without concern. This removes the danger of injuries associated with the by-hand oven-cleaning process, such as joint and back damage, as well as chemical burns from cleaning products.

As homes adapt to the future and technology caters more to accessibility, what else do you think would help to provide independence at home?

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