Even if you know your way around the kitchen, you may still not be up to speed on the differences between a convection oven vs standard oven. You’re not alone.
Understanding the ins and out of these two oven styles is elusive to many. Let’s take a look at some common questions to guide your baking efforts.
Convection Oven vs Standard Oven FAQ
How Do Convection Ovens Work?
There is a unique feature of a convection oven vs standard oven – a fan. Convection ovens have an internal fan that circulates the heat around the food while it cooks.
Convection fans are great for even cooking and baking and eliminate hot spots in the oven that cooks food unevenly.
Another nice perk with a convection oven vs standard oven is that the circulating heat means a reduced cook time. In addition, adjusting the temperature down by 25 degrees helps prevent food from overdrying as a result of the fan.
How Are Convection Ovens Different From Regular Ovens?
One of the key differences between a convection oven vs standard oven is the convection oven cooking time is less than a regular oven. This is due to the fan circulating the heat, allowing the entire food to cook all at once.
Most recipes need to be adjusted to accommodate for this faster cooking time, and it is recommended to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. This is a downside to convection bake vs regular bake, however.
If you bake bread, you will notice that the crust of the bread develops quicker than the inside of the bread can cook and set, making for undercooked, doughy bread. When baking cakes, you will notice the cakes don’t rise quite as nicely as in a standard oven.
So when it comes to baking foods that require a slow rise time, you are better off using a standard oven, unless your convection oven offers you the ability to turn the fan off.
Best Foods for Convection Models
Use the convection oven for baking foods with low sides, or shallow and uncovered dishes:
- cookies
- roasted meats
- vegetables
- shallow, uncovered casseroles
Best Foods for Standard Ovens
Use the standard oven (or turn off the convection fan) for these foods:
- cakes
- bread
- covered dishes
- casseroles with higher sides
- anything covered with aluminum foil
If your appliance is in need or service or repair contact Just-in Time Appliance Service – our qualified technicians are experts in both convection and standard ovens.
