Convection Toaster Oven Cooking Tips

With a little practice, somebody with a convection toaster oven can quickly turn that simple appliance into a trusted kitchen workhorse. Mastering the tricks to countertop convection cookery is well worth the effort because it results in tastier dishes while saving time, energy and money.

Why Cook With Convection?

Not long ago, I splurged on a convection toaster oven. At 18 inches deep and 20 inches long, it easily fits a 9-by-13 inch lasagna pan or a standard pie pan. But I ignored the convection feature, and only used the toaster oven for basic jobs, such as browning bread and heating frozen foods.
Then I read an article by Susie Middleton, a professional chef writing for Fine Cooking, and discovered the magic that is convection cooking. A regular oven raises the temperature, but the heated air is still, and barely moves around the dish That can lead to air pockets of different temperatures in the oven, causing hot spots or uneven cooking.
A convection oven has a fan to ensure that the heated air circulates around the oven and your dish. The food cooks faster and at lower cooking temperatures because the heat is constantly and evenly distributed throughout the cooking process.

Roasting Basics

Here are few tricks for working with smaller convection ovens:
Roast meats at the same temperature as indicated in a recipe or cooking instructions. Concentrated heat sears the surface of meats, which traps the juices inside, but the smaller oven space and convection feature reduces the overall cooking time.
Set the timer to about half the time stated in the recipe. When the timer beeps, use a meat thermometer to check for done-ness. If it's not done, use the thermometer to recheck it at regular intervals. Some convection toaster ovens are large enough to cook roasts or whole fowl with long cook times, so a dish may be done as much as an hour earlier than in a standard oven.
Convection heat is perfect for roasting potatoes and vegetables. It yields the deeply caramelized, fully flavored vegetables.
When baking vegetables or side dishes, tweak your recipes so that the temperature is lowered by about 25°F. As for cook times, use the same process as with meat: Scale back the baking time by 25 percent, set the timer and check for done-ness. If it's not done, check frequently until finished. Before long, you'll be able to estimate the correct time difference for the majority of your dishes.
Use shallow pans and casseroles for better air circulation. For the same reason, skip using a lid or foil to cover the dish, if possible.

The Sweet Stuff

The cooking time on desserts also can be drastically reduced with a convection toaster oven, so cut the recipe time in half and set the timer. Test cases at Fine Cooking showed that a convection toaster oven delivered a batch of cookies in 7 minutes, even though the recipe indicated 16 minutes.
Desserts that require gentle browning, such as cookies and cakes, cook best on shiny baking pans and sheets. Bright bakeware reflects the heat, which allows the dish to brown slowly without scorching. To get the deeper browning that is best for flaky pie crusts or puff pastries, opt for darker, matte-finish pans.

Safety Tips

• Look for convection toaster ovens with an automatic shut-off feature. Many newer models will shut themselves off when used with a timer.
• Get into the habit of unplugging the oven after each use. It conserves energy and lessens any chance that the oven was accidentally left on.
• Avoid using metal utensils inside of a toaster oven. Opt for silicone or wood instead. Even if the oven is off, the coils can still deliver an electric shock.
• Keep the oven clean and make sure crumbs don't collect on the bottom, as food bits and drippings are often the cause of burnt smells, smoke and toaster oven fires.
• If food inside the oven ignites, pull the plug immediately. Then wait for the flames to die out before opening the door.

Resources

• Fine Cooking
• Consumer Reports
• The Toaster Oven Guide