Convection Ovens

The Beauty of the Convection Oven

There is a subtle difference between a conventional oven and a convection oven. A convection oven has a fan that continuously circulates air through the oven cavity. When the hot air is blowing onto food, as opposed to merely surrounding it as with a conventional oven, the food tends to cook more evenly.

You can cook just about anything in a convection oven, and the results are something we all strive for-evenly cooked cookies, crisp pastries, and juicy, well-browned meats. Becoming acquainted with a convection oven is simple. Nearly every one includes some kind of a conversion table. It takes the standard cook time and temperature for a conventional oven and converts it to the proper convection oven cook time and temperature.

Because the heat from a convection oven comes from the top, bottom, and sides, and is circulated by a fan, you can place your favorite baked dish on any rack position without fear of cooking inconsistencies. Another benefit to cooking with convection is that flavors don't transfer between different dishes being baked at the same time. This saves time in the kitchen, by cooking your entire meal at once instead of waiting for your main dish to finish cooking before moving on to the side dishes.

Here are a few guidelines to follow when using these fixtures:

• When following a recipe designed for a conventional oven, reduce the heat to a temperature 25°F lower than the recipe suggests.
• Expect food to be done in less time (as much as 25% less) than it would be in a conventional oven, even with the 25°F reduction. The longer you're cooking something, the greater the time savings. For instance, a turkey may cook an hour faster in a convection oven than in a regular oven, but you may only shave off a minute or two when baking cookies.
• Use baking pans with low sides to enjoy the full benefits.
• Go ahead and fill every rack in the oven, but still keep an eye on browning. Depending on your oven, you may have to rotate pans for even cooking. Look for a true convection oven to avoid this problem.
• Most ovens let you turn convection on and off. Play around with it. If you want a well-browned roast that's also slowly cooked, turn the convection on at the start or at the end, but off during the rest of cooking.
• For ideal results, it is important that you leave the items you are cooking uncovered.

Convection settings

There are three settings to use when cooking with convection:

• Convection bake uses only the third element hidden behind the convection fan located in the rear of the oven to deliver consistent temperatures throughout the oven. This setting is best for multi-rack cooking.
• Convection broil combines fan-circulated hot air with the direct heat of the broil element. The circulating air creates a seal on all sides of the food so that turning the food is oftentimes not necessary.
• Convection roast is perfect when roasting whole poultry or large cuts of meat. This setting uses the hidden element, as well as the upper and lower oven elements. This allows you to effectively lower oven temperature settings, and substantially reduce cooking times.
• Convection microwave ovens can help to cook your food even quicker. They combine convection and microwave ovens to cook food. For example, a microwave convection oven can be preheated to bake cakes whereas it is not possible with standard microwave ovens.

What is a European convection oven?

If you're considering a convection oven purchase, this is the kind you're going to want. Also called "true convection" and "third-element convection," they use all three elements: heat from the top, heat from the bottom, and heat from a source located near or around the fan at the back of the oven (conventional ovens, or radiant ovens, use just the first two heating elements).

While convection ovens generally cook more evenly, units which lack the third heating element typically cook less evenly than their third-element counterparts. In these ovens, a panel covers the third heating element so that it's ineffective. For that reason, European convection ovens have made a recent push in popularity.

With the possibilities of cooking food faster and combined with the browning capabilities and even cooking, it is hard to not see the benefits of convection ovens.

Until next time, Happy Home Improving!

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Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ List Price: $299.99 Sale Price: $244.99 You save: $55.00 (18%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description The Smart Oven's Element IQ puts the power where it's needed most. For each of the 9 pre-set programs, Element IQ delivers the right power at the right time and when adjusted to taste, it even remembers. Element IQ works much like the dimmer in your light switch-it can turn the power up or down. Instead of the 5 heating elements having a fixed wattage, Element IQ automatically puts the power where it is needed most for the specific cooking task. Not only does the Smart Oven heat up faster than a conventional wall oven, it's also more energy efficient than its predecessor, making it a kitchen tool you will use every day. Features 1800-watt convection toaster oven with 4/5-cubic-foot nonstick interior Element IQ technology for smarter control over the heat; 9 pre-set functions 5 quartz heating elements; user-friendly control panel; LCD screen; 3 rack positions Auto-eject wire rack; removable crumb tray; pizza pan, baking pan, and broil rack included Measures 18-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 10-3/4 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Black & Decker CTO4500S 6-Slice CounterTop Convection Oven with Pizza Bump, Stainless Steel List Price: $79.99 Sale Price: $31.00 You save: $48.99 (61%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, this versatile toaster oven-toasts, cooks, broils and reheats a variety of foods. Enjoy your favorite muffins, 9-inch pizza, casseroles or small chicken parts-cooked to perfection right on your countertop Features 12-Inch Pizza bump (6 slices) and convection functions Perfect broil, maximum bake, and temperature: 450° Slide out crumb tray and bake & toast signal bell Non-stick interior (easy to clean) with rack advance (easy access to food) 60 Minutes timer, 1 rack (2 rack Positions), and 1500 watts

Hamilton Beach 31197 Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie List Price: $109.99 Sale Price: $69.00 You save: $40.99 (37%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Bring back family dinners with a three-in-one oven that offers room to experiment! Bake, broil or toast anything - or use the revolving rotisserie rack for moist, juicy meats! Generously sized to accommodate two 12" pizzas and 7.5 pounds of chicken. Includes 120-minute timer and convenient controls for cooking precision. Convection operation saves cooking time by 33%. Easy to clean.Model number may appear as 31197 or 31197R, however there is no difference in the products. Features Extra-large countertop oven with broil, convection, bake, and rotisserie functions 10- to 120-minute timer or "stay on" option; adjustable temperature up to 500 degrees F Spacious interior can fit a 5-pound chicken or 2 12-inch pizzas; easy-to-clean design Includes two cooking racks, two baking pans, broiler rack, rotisserie skewer, and rotisserie lifter Measures approximately 21 by 18 by 15-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Oster 6297 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven, Stainless Steel List Price: $89.99 Sale Price: $59.24 You save: $30.75 (34%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description When inspiration strikes, breathe life into your cuisine with the Oster Inspire 6 slice toaster Oven. This Toaster oven is stainless steel with silver accents to enhance contemporary kitchens. It has a convection technology to speed up results and extra space inside to allow for 12" pizzas. This toaster oven is truly exceptional. Features 6-slice toaster oven with convection technology for faster cooking 2 rack positions; 150- to 450-degree F thermostat; light to dark toast settings Glass door; 60-minute timer with auto shut-off; Cool-Touch side handles Nonstick interior; removable crumb tray; baking pan and broiler insert included Measures 17 by 14 by 9 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Black & Decker CTO6301 Digital Advantage Stainless-Steel 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven List Price: $99.99 Sale Price: $79.95 You save: $20.04 (20%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Enjoy cooking entire meals for your family in this 6-slice counter top convection oven that can hold a 12-inch pizza. The stainless steel oven features a digital display with soft touch buttons, electronic toast controls for consistent toasting, power indicator, 120 minute auto-off bake timer, non-stick interior and slide-out crumb tray for easy cleaning. The maximum bake temperature of 450 degrees accommodates a wide variety of foods and the oven rack can be mounted in two positions. Features Stainless-steel 6-slice convection toaster oven for toasting, baking, and broiling Adjustable temperature control; 120-minute auto shut-off timer; preset functions Extra-deep nonstick interior fits a 12-inch pizza; dual oven-rack positions Glass door; pizza pan and baking pan included; removable crumb tray Measures approximately 17-3/4 by 14 by 11-1/2 inches

Secura Halogen Infrared Turbo Convection Countertop Oven, Deluxe Package W/extender Ring;tong;cook Racks 777MH List Price: $172.72 Sale Price: $129.00 You save: $43.72 (25%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Secura turbo oven uses infrared heating and convection fan to cook food fast and evenly. No need to thaw frozen meat, no need to add oil, saves energy than traditional oven and cooks healthy food in half the time. The oven can broil, roast, bake, grill, barbecue, fry, steam. Manual dial switches Power, timer indicator lights Easy to operate: Just select and set both time and temperature Close to microwave speed with oven quality Thaws out frozen foods in minutes Self cleaning Seals your foods natural juices Cooks an entire meal at one time without blending of flavors Low fat cooking allows you to cook without excess fat or oil Power saving device Detachable power cord Weight: 15.2 lbs Rating: 1,300W Capacity: 11L Standard Accessories: Tong, Dual Rack, Low Rack, Extender Ring Features Close to microwave speed with oven quality Low fat cooking: allows the user to cook without excess fat or oil Self cleaning, Detachable power cord, handle safety button Standard Stainless Steel Accessories: Tong, Dual Rack, Low Rack, Extender Ring UL listed

KitchenAid Convection Countertop Oven List Price: $159.99 Sale Price: $115.99 You save: $44.00 (28%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description The KitchenAid 12-inch Convection Countertop oven offers a spacious capacity which easily accommodates up to two 12-inch pizzas. And to help you prepare for any meal or party, it can fit a 4-lb chicken, four chicken breasts, a variety of bread for toasting, and much more. In addition you will have full-Size Oven Performance on Your Countertop with a Consistent, even heating up to 450°F with Broil and Convection Bake functions. With convection, you’ll enjoy evenly baked cookies and faster cooking times. A 60-minute timer allows you to bake or broil foods that require longer cooking times. You can also use the Warm function to reheat a full plate of leftovers. Features Full-size oven performance on your countertop 12-Inch capacity Convection Bake, Broil and Warm functions with 60-minute timer Non-stick interior Full-width crumb tray

Black & Decker CTO7100B Toast-R-Oven Digital Rotisserie Convection Oven List Price: $99.99 Sale Price: $79.99 You save: $20.00 (20%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, this versatile toaster oven-toasts, cooks, broils and reheats a variety of foods. With the rotisserie heat is applied directly from the side and is great for preparing meat, pork and chicken. Enjoy your favorite 12” pizza, casseroles or whole chicken cooked to perfection right on your countertop. Features 1500-watt 6-slice countertop convection oven toasts, bakes, broils, and rotisserie cooks Push-button control panel with digital display; 1-touch operation for popular foods and functions Adjustable time and temperature; convection fan for even heating; fits a 12-inch pizza See-through glass door; slide-out crumb tray; baking pan and rotisserie spit/forks included Measures approximately 13-4/5 by 21-4/5 by 16-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Cuisinart TOB-60 Convection Toaster Oven Broiler List Price: $235.00 Sale Price: $103.52 You save: $131.48 (56%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Housed in brushed stainless steel for a sleek, commercial look, this six-slice convection toaster oven broiler offers not only an attractive addition to the kitchen counter, but it also provides an array of convenient features. Its spacious 0.6-cubic-foot interior allows for roasting a whole chicken, broiling fish for the family, or toasting up to six slices of bread at a time. It will even accommodate a 12-inch pizza. Use it instead of the full-size oven to save on energy. With 1500 watts of power, the multi-functional countertop oven can produce temperatures ranging from 200 to 500 degrees F--choose from keep warm, bake, convection bake, toast, or broil. Use the always-on function or select the temperature and set the 30-minute timer with automatic shut-off. Other highlights include three easy-to-use control dials, a clear-view window, and a nonstick interior for quick cleaning. With its lower profile and smooth curves, the toaster oven broiler measures 20 by 18-1/4 by 12 inches and carries a three-year limited warranty. Features 6-slice convection toaster oven broiler with a 0.6-cubic-foot interior 1500 watts of power; temperature ranges from 200 to 500 degrees F Keep warm, bake, convection bake, toast, and broil settings 30-minute timer; 3 control dials; nonstick interior for easy cleaning Measures 20 by 18-1/4 by 12 inches; 3-year limited warranty

Hamilton Beach 31199XR Countertop Convection Oven List Price: $99.99 Sale Price: $99.96 You save: $0.03 (%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Hamilton beach countertop oven with convection. Two hour audible tone timer with auto=shutoff. Comes with 2 oven racks, 2-bake pans and broil grid. Cooking functions include bake, convection and broil. Features Extra-large toaster oven with convection User-friendly control knobs; adjustable temperature up to 450 degrees F 2-hour timer with auto shut-off; stay-on option; slide-out crumb tray 2 racks, 2 baking pans, broil grid, and user manual with recipes included Measures 19 by 16 by 13-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty