I placed a sheet of non-stick aluminum foil on the bottom of my oven
to catch the drips from something I was baking.  Instead, the foil
melted onto to the porcelain surface and I can't remove it with any
non-abrasive cleaners - the appliance manual says not to use
abrasives.  I called both the aluminum foil manufacturer and the oven
manufacturer and both of them basically replied, "too bad for you -
our instructions say not to do that."  I have NOT run the
self-cleaning cycle for fear it would bake the foil on permanently --
if it isn't already.   Can you help?

---

Clarification of Question by jfclemons-ga on 05 Jul 2006 11:30 PDT

To leandat31-ga: I tried your suggestion (or Sears', I guess) but with
no results.  Did the technique work for you?  Were there more specific
instructions (e.g. how long to leave the wet towel on the aluminum,
how long the oven stays at 200 deg?, etc.)  I could use some guidance
if you have some.

---

Clarification of Question by jfclemons-ga on 05 Jul 2006 15:00 PDT

A late update: The only solution is to replace the oven bottom plate.

Both Sears and a different (not Sears) on-line appliance repair site
gave me that answer.  Apparently, the solution Sears gave to
leandat31-ga (see below) is not correct (and I tried it also and it
had no effect).  The good news is that the part is available from
Sears on line for about $22 plus shipping.

My conclusion - DO NOR USE REYNOLDS WRAP RELEASE NONSTICK ALUMINUM
FOIL. IT CAN DAMAGE YOUR OVEN PERMANENTLY.

jfc:  Aluminum is attacked by strong alkalies such as Drano, and also
by acids...BUT: If you cannot prevent an applied chemical from seeping
into the burner unit, DON'T DO IT.
Probably best to ignore the aluminum foil if it is not affecting oven
performance. Just a guess, no guarantee, but using the self-clean
feature probably won't hurt. Can you get a technician from the
manufacturer to have a look?

What in the world IS non-stick aluminum foil?

Isn't it all non-stick?

I have never heard of aluminum foil melting in an over before.
Of course, I don't usually run my oven over 550 degrees.
Or even past 450 degrees, usually.

So, what temperature were you using to get it to melt?

Non-stick aluminum foil has a teflon-like coating on it, and like all
such chemicals, it melts and decomposes at the high-end of cooking
temperatures, which is why the foil carries warnings about not using
too high a heat.

The whole idea is stupid, especially given the increasing concerns
these days about the possible health effects associated with non-stick
chemicals.

Write the aluminum foil company and ask them to repair your oven, and
let them know that failing to do so will prompt you to contact the
Consumer Products Safety Commission(presuming you're in the US) and
the news media to let them know of the problem.

I'd be interested to know how they respond.

Good luck,

pafalafa-ga

Try this steam cleaner, I've used it and it works wonders at removing
stuff from the kitchen anything grease related. The product is very
good but the website oversells it, so pay attention only to kitchen
claims.

http://www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.aspx?webp_id=2293773&web_id=2293773&sz=0&sf=&dept=&cat=&subcat=&gs=&attr=&ocm=sekw

For monroe22-ga: If there's no way to remove it, then I'd be willing
to ignore it, but can I do so safely and still use the self-cleaning
feature.  My worry is that something bad might happen when I do that. 
Any insights?

For taxama-ga: Non-stick aluminum foil is something new - and, now
that I've tried it, basically worthless.  I had the oven set low - 350
degrees - when it happened, which is why I'm so upset about it. 
Certainly it wasn't the aluminum that melted, but whatever the
non-stick component was.

For pafalafa-ga:  The aluminum foil manufacturer said, "read our box,
it says not to do that". I have certainly  considered action of some
kind against them, but that doesn't solve my immediate problem.

For elids-ga: My problem isn't grease, but some sort of melted
chemical - plastic or telfly based, I'd guess, that was embedded in
the foil.  Do you know if this cleaner will attack that?

I did the same thing last night and freaked because the oven is only
about a month old.  I called Sears and this is what they said to do:

   BE CAREFUL, remove as much of the foil as possible
   Turn oven on to 200 lay an old wet bath towel on top
   Use a plastic spatular to remove the foil

They said it will take sometime to remove the foil, in some cases
days, and that you can still use the oven but DO NOT use the self
cleaning untill all the foil is removed.

 I hope that this will help anyone who has done this because I was
beside myself w/ worry thinking I just killed a new oven.