How to Use Convection Cooking
Convection ovens differ from conventional ovens: They have built-in fans, which circulate the hot air around the food during the cooking process, cooking more quickly and evenly than a conventional oven. Because the majority of recipes are written for conventional ovens, their temperatures and times won't translate neatly to a convection oven. You'll need to tinker with recipes to get good results. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Adjust the recipe accordingly. There are three ways to do this: The first is to decrease the recommended temperature by 25 degrees F, then cook the food for the full time recommended in the recipe. (This method is best for foods that need to cook 15 minutes or less, such as cookies.) The second is to set the convection oven to the temperature recommended in the recipe and decrease the cooking time by about 25 percent. The final method is a combination: Drop the temperature by 10 to 25 degrees F and remove the item from the oven 5 to 10 minutes early.
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Always fully preheat a convection oven before use.
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Cover any items that need to cook longer than 45 minutes with aluminum foil. Remove the foil about halfway into the cooking process. If the food isn't covered part of the time, it will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked.
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Begin checking the food about 10 minutes before it is set to be done, since convection ovens can cook (and burn) foods much more quickly than conventional ovens.
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Tips & Warnings
The best types of dishes to cook in convection ovens are those that can be prepared on cookie sheets or in shallow roasting pans. These types of bakeware allow air to circulate around the food.
