What/when is convection oven best??

Dazlin · ‎03-14-2010

I just got a new cooking range, with both conventional and convection oven. I never had convection. I know it's air circulation , but I'm not sure what's best to cook on convection.

How do baked potatoes come, do roasted chickens get crispy, and brown. Are there foods NOT recommended for convection? Do you bake cakes, cookies or stay conventional for sweets?

Oh...do you lower temperature for convection?

I have a manuel, but not too helpful. I'm looking online too....would love your experiences ...thank you!!

Tribesters · ‎03-10-2010

@Dazlin

I don’t use mine much but I do know that, at least on mine, it automatically lowers the temp 25 degrees for convection. So if I start oven in convection mode 375 degrees it will only go to 350 degrees. Not sure if it works that way on all brands? Mine is a GE Profile.

AuntG · ‎03-09-2010

My new Samsung stove has a convection oven. The manual says to use it for baking things like bread. Also for things like an uncovered pot roast. For me, it will be trial and error until I get used to the convection feature.

NAES1 · ‎09-02-2011

@AuntGwrote:
My new Samsung stove has a convection oven. The manual says to use it for baking things like bread. Also for things like an uncovered pot roast. For me, it will be trial and error until I get used to the convection feature.

@AuntG

I have had my new convection / to induction oven range / smooth top delivered about 1 week ago.

I am learning, also.

" ....I had a very long time trying to just stand and push tabs".

All I really wanted to do was bake 16 rolls -which took about ( as I played around with with every control) over 1 hour for me, because I could not PROGRAM my mind to a lower heat, so finally after reading over & over, I had evenly baked rolls...and to this day have no idea what the temperature actually was-----,,,,,,,,,,,,,, HAHAAAAAAAAAA because I kept on setting the clock.

Trying my luck with a roast ( hopefully in the next two days). I have special convection cookware.

I would not use my induction pot/pans..

This is my challenge!!!!!!

I do know everything about the convection smooth TOP, though. I must be getting there.

I find reading a manual almost a lost cause...PREFER hands on instructions'......

I have a middle warmer and an entire bottom tray for keeping foods warm. Not going there-yet

And! I do not label myself as a cook.

( I'm in a medical teaching profession) and my world isn't around the kitchen .

We did need a new oven, though. Back to reading.

Q-Anu · ‎09-29-2013

@Dazlinwrote:
I just got a new cooking range, with both conventional and convection oven. I never had convection. I know it's air circulation , but I'm not sure what's best to cook on convection.
How do baked potatoes come, do roasted chickens get crispy, and brown. Are there foods NOT recommended for convection? Do you bake cakes, cookies or stay conventional for sweets?
Oh...do you lower temperature for convection?
I have a manuel, but not too helpful. I'm looking online too....would love your experiences ...thank you!!

@Dazlin - I have enjoyed convection oven baking and roasting for years. I use mine most often for roasting larger cuts of meat, including whole chickens and turkeys, that will brown and crisp on the outside (like a rotisserie) while staying tender on the inside. Mine came with the plug-in thermometer which can be programmed to set the internal food temp, rather than roasting time. That is a huge help. If yours didn't, any meat thermometer that you can leave in will help until you become more accustomed to your new oven.

Roasted vegetables are great, too, but keep a close eye on them, as they will get done more quickly, on a lower (-25°) temp. When you select Convection when setting up your oven to bake, the temperature may self-adjust for it - mine does. I do still stir/flip them and rotate the pans for more even browning.

Whole baked potatoes - no. The skins will burn before the inside is done. Best to cut them up for roasting.

Otherwise I use it a lot for baking cookies, and other such snack foods - including roasting nuts and granola. Grilled cheese sandwiches turn out great, too!

Breads, cakes, muffins, pizzas, soufflés - or anything else that rises and you want to keep moist turns out best in the conventional oven, in my experience. Like the whole potatoes, these will often get done on the outside - and so burn - before they're completely done on the inside. This includes convenient, frozen foods like pot-pies, dinner rolls or biscuits, etc.

Fast and crisp = convection

Slow and moist = conventional