How Does a Convection Oven Work and What Are the Advantages?

Convection Cooking

• A convection oven works by constantly circulating heat through the entire oven. This is different from a traditional oven, in which the heat is primarily centered around the heating element at the bottom. The constant circulation of hot air through the entire interior of the oven helps food to cook more evenly, providing better results than a traditional oven.

Evenly Cooked Baked Goods

• Anyone who has ever baked a cake has experienced it at one time or another: When baking a cake, sometimes the bottom of the cake will become hard and burned, while the inside of the cake is still partially liquid batter. The evenly distributed heat in a convection oven combats this problem. Convection ovens heat the entire interior evenly, so cooks can avoid the hot and cold spots found in the traditional oven.

Juicier Meats

• Convection ovens also cook meats more evenly, resulting in juicier steaks, more flavorful hamburgers and even a better turkey at Thanksgiving. Since the heat is distributed evenly throughout the oven, meats brown better and more efficiently. With a convection oven, the interior of the meat is heated at the same rate as the outside, making it easier to get steaks done to the perfect medium rare. Convection ovens are also good at cooking burgers to well-done perfection without drying them out or making them tough.

Shorter Cooking Times

• The even heat distribution in a convection oven means you typically need to shave a bit of cooking time off your favorite recipes. The easiest way to get used to your convection oven is to use it with your usual dishes. When switching to a convection oven, use a slightly lower temperature and cook the food for a few minutes less than you normally would. As you get better at using the convection oven, you can alter your recipes to account for the more efficient heating and cooking of your meals.