Catalytically assisted pyrolytic self-cleaning oven

In a cooking oven which is self-cleaned by pyrolysis, and which includes front, rear, top, bottom and opposed side walls forming the oven muffle, and wherein said oven further includes means for thermally insulating said oven muffle walls, means for heating said oven muffle to a temperature of about 400.degree. to 500.degree. C to clean the oven walls by pyrolysis, and wherein the front wall includes an oven access opening therein and supports a pivotable door having a thermally insulated inner wall which overlies the opening to close off the same such that cold air leaking around the edge of the door forms reduced temperature areas on the inside face of the door and the oven wall surrounding the door, the improvement wherein said inside face of said oven door is lined with catalytic enamel and a strip of catalytic enamel lines the walls of the oven at a narrow zone immediately surrounding the access opening so as to substantially reduce the heating time for the self cleaning of the oven walls;

• the catalytic enamel being capable of withstanding the pyrolytic cleaning temperature.