Self-cleaning food cooking oven

An oven comprising:

• a cooking chamber for housing food to be cooked;
• a control unit;
• a reservoir for containing a washing detergent at room temperature, the washing detergent having a corresponding activation temperature;
• a liquid supply arrangement configured to be selectively activated by the control unit for supplying the washing detergent into the cooking chamber;
• and
• at least one liquid heating element configured to heat the washing detergent supplied by the liquid supply arrangement and to be selectively activated by the control unit,
• wherein during a washing cycle of the cooking chamber, the control unit is configured to perform the following ordered sequence of operations:
• a) activate the at least one liquid heating element for a first time period sufficient to increase its temperature at least to the activation temperature;
• b) deactivate the at least one liquid heating element;
• and
• c) activate the liquid supply arrangement when the temperature of the at least one liquid heating element is about the activation temperature, so that the washing detergent is heated by the at least one liquid heating element while supplied into the cooking chamber,
• wherein the liquid supply arrangement comprises a spray nozzle located on a wall of the cooking chamber for the spraying of the washing detergent into the cooking chamber, and the at least one liquid heating element includes a nozzle heating element surrounding the spray nozzle.