So, weissman, that's my conspiracy theory. Manufacturers constantly look for ways to get their products to surreptitiously die faster so they can be replaced more often. A blue interior shows dirt more easily and will get people to run the self clean more often. That WILL reduce the life of the appliance, which is a mathematical fact. A very well known gun barrel maker said he could sell 10% more barrels per year simply by including a slip of paper that "recommended" the new barrels be broken in with lots of earnest scrubbing. He admitted all it did was wear them out faster. Just my thoughts! -Stooxie

When I get something like that I put them in a large plastic bag with at least a few layers of newspaper in contact with the bad places (I'm assuming you mean burned on grease?)saturate paper with ammonia, close bag tightly and forget about it for several days. I usually leave things in basement laundry tubs until next time I go down there--could be days or weeks. The paper concentrates ammonia on bad areas and assures they stay wet. Then any kind of kitchen nylon scrubbie will whisk it away. Several can go in bag together as long as paper is in between. And the price is right. Sandy

lindac92, that is possibly the worst attitude to have and it's unfortunately all too common. The planet is a mess enough as it is without disposing of cheap crap because you can't be bothered to invest in and take care of good quality products. Can anybody tell me weather it's safe to use a cleaning product like Oven Sense on non-stick surfaces? I bought it to do my baking trays and then realised it might take off the coating. I really don't want to ruin my cookware.

Butter has a low smoking point, so should never be used to grease pans because it can burn and make baked goods stick (know you didn't ask about butter, I'm just giving the whole rundown here). Oil tends to varnish--or 'turn gunky', leaving a coating that's very difficult to remove. Baking spray also leaves a coating that's very difficult to remove and many manufacturers advise against using cooking sprays on their products. Best choice is the old-timey one--solid shortening (Crisco or similar). You can use it with or without flour--depending upon your recipe. For muffins, I'd never flour them--just too much mess. And remember, for muffins you are supposed to ONLY grease the bottoms of the pans, NEVER the sides (another reason not to use sprays--pretty hard to be that precise when applying them). You want the sides ungreased so the muffins can climb up and reach their maximum height. When ready to remove them, you run a slim knife around the edges and with the greased bottoms, they should remove easily with just a little twist.