Does a Convection Oven Cook Differently Than a Regular Oven?
Using a convection oven can certainly be a benefit to your time in the kitchen, and you may even see an improvement in the cooking of your food. However, if you are considering replacing your regular oven with a convection oven, there are a few things you'll need to know since the two ovens operate differently. Does this Spark an idea?
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Regular Ovens
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For most applications, such as baking or roasting, regular ovens are heated from the bottom. When broiling, a top heating element is used.
The bottom element radiates heat to the air, heating the air itself and creating a sort of natural convection via heat waves. The walls of the oven are also heated by bottom element, deflecting heat of their own.
Imagine that the bottom heating element of your oven is a ball launcher, and those balls represent heat. As the bottom heating element is ignited, it launches tons of balls into the air, which also deflect from the walls of the oven in random directions.
Convection Ovens
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Convection ovens cook food differently in that moving air is used. True convection ovens use fans that blow hot air into the oven cavity. In addition to the bottom and top heating, a third heating element is stationed near the fan, both of which are located in the back of the oven outside of the cavity. Thus, when the oven is ignited, the fan blows uniformly heated air into the cavity.
These ovens are often called "true convection," "third-element convection," or "European convection," the latter because they were first popularized in Europe. You may find other names that suggest the oven is indeed a true convection oven, but no matter the case you will want to make sure the oven you're considering has both a fan that blows air into the oven cavity and a third heating element stationed near the fan.
Real convection ovens are usually found as in-wall or range models.
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False Convection Ovens
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False convection ovens can come in two different configurations: the fan is either located inside the oven cavity or outside of the cavity.
If the fan is located inside of the cavity, it will be used to circulate air that is already being heated by the bottom heating element. The air will not be uniformly heated.
If the fan is located outside of the cavity, it needs to have a heating element stationed nearby. If it does not, it is not a true convection oven. Without this third heating element, unheated air will be blown into the oven cavity, combining hot and cold air.
In either case, food will not be cooked as evenly as with a true convection oven.
Faster, Even Cooking
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When your food is placed in the middle of a regular oven, it receives the heat being radiated by the bottom heating element, the walls, and the air. Because of the irregularity at which the heat bounces around the oven cavity, the cavity may not heat evenly all around. This also prevents you from placing several racks of food into the oven. If you place three racks of cookies, for example, the bottom rack will cook the fastest and the middle rack the slowest.
In a convection oven, the continuous flow of heated air will cook the food more evenly as the hot air is circulated around the entire cavity at a constant rate, evenly heating the entire oven. The heat will distribute faster because of the hot air blowing onto the food and not just around it. Also, with the circulation of heated air, you can place more food into the oven without worry of uneven cooking, thus saving you additional cooking time.
As a result of convection, the cooking process is approximately 20 to 25 percent faster than a regular oven.
Tips for Using a Convection Oven
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Since food cooks faster and more evenly in a convection oven due to circulating hot air, you'll need to use the appliance a little differently.
It is recommended that you lower the temperature by 25 degrees when following a recipe meant for a regular oven. You'll also want to cut the cooking time down by 25 percent.
To take advantage of the circulation, use baking pans with low sides.
Due to the circulation of air, you may need to find a way to pin down foil or parchment paper if using them to cook. If you don't, the foil or parchment paper might be blown open or off.
Some ovens have the option to turn off convection. You can experiment with this to your liking. For instance, if you want to slow-cook something, you may want to keep the convection off and use the oven like a regular oven, rotating your food at regular intervals.
And, though a convection of oven is supposed to cook your food more evenly, you still want to keep an eye on your food. Convection oven construction differs from brand to brand, so it's always safe to check on your food for even-browning and readiness during the cooking process.
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