With asko pyrolytic cleaning explained in plain terms: it is a self-clean cycle that heats the oven cavity far beyond normal cooking temperatures, hot enough to reduce baked-on grease and food residue to a fine ash rather than something you have to scrub off. Asko builds this into its OTP-prefix pyrolytic ovens, such as OTP66BSH and OTP56BGH, which pair the pyrolytic function with what Asko documents as a “Multisystem” heating arrangement and a fully extendable telescopic runner set so the racks slide clear during loading and unloading.
What actually happens during the cycle
Once a pyrolytic cycle starts, the oven ramps up to a temperature well above anything used for roasting or baking, and the door locks automatically for the duration of the cycle as a safety measure. That lock will not release until the cavity has cooled back down to a safe range, which is why a pyrolytic clean takes noticeably longer, start to finish, than the cycle time alone suggests. During the high-heat phase, any grease film, drips, or baked-on spatter on the cavity walls, the floor, and the underside of the door glass gets carbonized into a dry, powdery ash rather than being softened into a paste the way a lower-temperature steam clean would.
What to remove before you start
Wire shelves, racks, and any telescopic runner rails should come out before running a pyrolytic cycle, since the extreme temperatures can discolor plated metal and are simply unnecessary heat load on parts that are not meant to be self-cleaned this way. A meat probe, if your model has one, should also be disconnected and removed. Wipe out any loose crumbs or large spills with a damp cloth first; pyrolytic cleaning is very good at finishing off a thin residue layer, but it is not designed to combust a large volume of food debris safely.
Do not use oven cleaner on a pyrolytic model
Conventional caustic oven cleaners are formulated for ovens without a self-clean function, and using one on a pyrolytic cavity is a mistake for two reasons. First, it is unnecessary, since the pyrolytic cycle is designed to do that job without chemicals. Second, cleaner residue baked at pyrolytic temperatures can damage the cavity’s enamel coating in ways that regular cooking heat never would. If you have grease buildup that concerns you between pyrolytic cycles, a damp cloth and mild dish soap on a cooled cavity is the safer interim step.
After the cycle finishes
Once the door unlocks and the cavity has cooled fully, you will find a fine gray-white ash on the floor of the oven and on the walls where residue used to be. This wipes out easily with a damp cloth; it does not need scraping. If ash is heavier than expected in one particular area, that can be worth a look, since it may point to a spot where grease has been accumulating behind a rack support or seal that is worth checking during a service visit. If your oven fails to reach pyrolytic temperature, stalls partway through the cycle, or the door will not unlock once the cavity has clearly cooled, that points to a control-board or door-lock failure rather than anything you did wrong running the cycle.
For repair on a stalled or unresponsive self-clean cycle, our technicians work independently of Asko and can diagnose the door lock, heating circuit, or control board directly. Browse more Asko oven guides, or book a visit at /schedule/. Asko’s own product pages for its built-in oven range are at global.asko.com.
