What Is a Convection Oven For?
If you, like me, have an oven with a convection setting, chances are good that you do not know how it works, what it is for or how to use it. In conventional ovens, heat comes from heating elements located at the top and bottom, while a convection oven has a fan and an exhaust system that circulates the air. So what’s the difference?
What are the advantages of a convection oven?
The convection oven has a large air flow, which ensures an even temperature throughout the oven. This will shorten the baking time by about 25 percent, which is more energy efficient and the browning is more even. Convection oven can be used for most types of baking , including baking meat and vegetables, as well as for cooking casseroles.
If you have a deep fryer, you really have a mini convection oven that circulates hot air through the frying basket, cooking food quickly and evenly and giving it a crispy crunchy texture. If you need a convection oven slightly larger than your deep fat fryer but don’t want to replace your entire oven, there are now also convection-preset toasters that can fit on your countertop.
When is it not a good idea to use a convection oven?
While the convection oven has many uses, it is not so good for baking delicate foods such as cakes, quick bread, biscuits or biscuits as it can cause a crust to form too quickly, resulting in flatter baked goods. (Blowing air can also cause the dough to spatter and bake unevenly, although this is rare.) There is also the fact that most recipes are written with a conventional oven in mind, which means you will need to adjust accordingly if you plan to use instead this is a convection oven.
How to adapt a convection oven recipe?
A convection oven heats up your cookware faster than a conventional oven. To change the recipe, you need to either lower the temperature or the baking time . If you decide to adjust the temperature, lower it by 25 ° and bake for the same amount of time as recommended in the recipe. If you would like to adjust the cooking time, set the indicated temperature and check the cooking level at the ¾ mark.
Updated at 12:35 pm ET 09/22/21 to include more information on convection ovens and baked goods.