A convection oven, as found in the typical home kitchen, is a gas or electrically heated oven. But it’s not a microwave, although SOME microwave ovens feature a convection heating setting. These ovens offer many benefits over conventional models. So in this post, we list some of these benefits of the convection oven.
We find convection oven designs in both over-range and in-range models. There are also counter top toaster ovens, and in both permanent and portable microwave ovens. Indeed, convection ovens come in about every size from small portable units to large built-ins. Most have a fan inside at the rear of the baking chamber. Convection ovens by Kitchenaid, Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, Bravetti, Black and Decker, Whirpool, Europro, et al. These offer many design perks that make them better than conventional ovens at times. These units heat the food more evenly and quickly. Convection toaster ovens more evenly brown, bake, and cook. The same is true of range-based convection ovens also.
Traditional ovens have no circulating fan. So unless they’re very well designed, conventional ovens often create “hot spots” in the food as well as uncooked regions. Traditional toaster ovens can sometimes burn the crusts while leaving the middle of the bread practically unbaked. The same is true of conventional microwave ovens; particularly if they do not include a rotating carousel. However, conventional ovens are often quieter than convection. And as mentioned, these have no fan motor to fail or fan blades that get dirty.
Benefits of the Convection Oven
1. More Even Baking and Browning
Because of the fan, the heating spreads more evenly around the chamber. This means more consistent baking. These ovens bake the edge of that cake just as well as its middle.
2. Faster Baking
You can often get the same cooking amount in foods with lower oven temperature settings. This is due to added heat transfers to the food via the fan driven convection air currents.
3. Bake Multiple Items Freely
Among the key convection oven advantages and disadvantages, is that you can bake more than one item at a time. Load it up. Yet you won’t affect how the oven bakes. The convection oven relies less on radiant heating. Instead, it counts more on the even flow of hot air. So, blocking this heat flow with a second pan of food, has less effect on oven’s performance.
4. Fewer Hot and Cold Spots Inside
Therefore, with a well sized fan, convection ovens have fewer hot and cold spots within. This is due to their more uniform heating characteristics. Thus, the entire inside assumes roughly the same temp.
5. Easier to Regulate Temperature
With fewer hot and cold spots, the over all oven temperature is easier to control, and temp settings give more consistent results.
6. Place Food Items Anywhere Inside and they Still Bake Well
Food placement within the convection oven is less critical as well. The forced air circulation within helps ensure uniform baking. A cake should bake about as well whether placed on the top, middle, or bottom shelves.
7. Cover Shelves with Foil Without Fear
These ovens with the fan work better with foil lined shelves to contain messes. But again, don’t worry about blocking some of the radiant heating. We did this once in our traditional oven, and wondered why it took so long to bake our pizza. But sitting items on cookie trays or aluminum foil in a convection oven should cause no bake time increases.
8. Quicker Browning
They generally brown foods faster than non forced-air oven types.
9. Less Heat on Over Exterior
These ovens run cooler. The heating elements need not warm to such high temperatures. Why? Because more of their heat reaches the food. Plus, the circulating air lowers the number of “hot spots” inside.
10. Cooler Baking
Cooler overall operating, means longer life for the oven’s internal parts in general. But the fan could fail more often, given its moving parts (the motor and blade).
11. Less Dry, More Tender Baking Results
Some say that meat cooks to a more tender and moist consistency in a convection oven, as do vegetables. Pizza crusts and turkeys come out more evenly brown.
12. More Energy Efficient
Thus, said ovens can use less energy and time to cook a given food the same.
Convection Oven Benefits Conclusion
If you’re a pro chef, and care about just how your oven bakes, then go with convection. We hope this benefits of the convection oven list helps you make a good choice about which one works best for you.
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References for Benefits of Convection Oven
Revision History
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- 2023-02-19: First released.