using self-clean cycle on oven??

[kseiverd]

I know it works great or cooking crud off nice pices of cast iron. What should NOT go thru this process? Picked up 2 interesting pieces of bakeware today. Think they're kinda "old" and probably not aluminum... each had teeny rust spots here and there. Have NO idea what they're made of but certainly don't want them to MELT in oven.

Other than cast iron, what cleans up well in self-clean cycle?

[sueatmo]

To test your pan, see if a magnet sticks to it. If it does then it is iron or steel. If the magnet does not stick, the pan could be aluminum or stainless.

[Sid Post]

Some oven racks are not "self cleaning cycle" safe. Glass and pottery can fracture under high heat like this too due to internal stress (cheap plates that warp in a microwave are a good example).

Chrome coatings can flake off and shiny surfaces in general will dull and loose their sheen.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Self cleaning cycle not only can bake off curd from cast iron cookware, it can only loosen up rust. Self cleaning cycle is usually around 500-600 oC (depending on the vendor), so aluminum would still be ok, but self cleaning cycle cannot remove aluminum oxide.

Actually many things can endure the self cleaning cycle, like cast iron, carbon steel, aluminum...etc. However, oxidation can be speed up for aluminum and brass ...etc in a self cleaning oven, so this may or may not be your idea of cleaning. This is also why some people remove the oven racks (some don't) before the self cleaning cycle.

Obviously you don't want to put a Teflon coated cookware for self cleaning. Technically speaking you can put a stainless steel surface cookware, but it is not useful.