The cleaning-friendly article, such as a household kitchen appliance, which is suitable for heating food and/or directly connected with this unit, has a suitable long-lasting or permanent easily cleaned coating on its surfaces that are accessible to dirt. In order to provide this easily cleaned coating a mixture is applied to these surfaces, which contains a hydrolyzable, network-forming gel and a hydrophobic substance. The gel is preferably formed from metal oxides. such as SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, In₂O₃, SnO₂, ZrO₂, B₂O₃ and/or TiO₂. The hydrophobic substance is preferably chemically combined with the gel network. The hydrophobic substance preferably includes pre-condensed fluoroalkyl-silanes.