Is It OK to Turn the Oven On?

 
Just got an email from a lady who
wants to know if it is OK to turn
the oven on.

She asks:

One question:  I understand not
to start with a hot oven when spraying
the baking soda mixture in there, but
can you please clarify if it is okay to
heat the oven right after or while the
mixture is still wet in there?  I
don't want to blow up the kitchen.  ;)  

Thanks.

You should be able to turn the oven
on safely. That is my supposition as
well as my experience.

Baking soda is often baked into food,
so it should be safe to consume should
some of it get into your food.

Also, baking soda is an ingredient in
fire extinguishers that acts as a fire
suppresent. So, the baking soda should
not burn.

In general, baking soda is not something
that would explode either.

In short, baking soda does not burn or
explode. That's my understanding.

When I used baking soda to clean my oven,
I turned it on and did not have a problem.

It doesn't burn or explode or get hard
or anything like that. The only thing
that happens is the heat causes it to
dry out.

Note that I am a layperson, not a chemist
or an expert in fire fighting. I'm certainly
not a baking soda expert.

However, my common sense tells me that
turning on an oven that has baking soda
in it should be OK.

After all, each time you bake corn bread
that has baking soda in it, you are doing
something that is considered safe.

So why wouldn't a hot oven be able to
accommodate a little baking soda?

Ed Abbott