Convection Ovens for Baking

[Cheerio]

I would love to have a convection oven. We had one at work in the break room and it was fantastic at cooking all kinds of things and it did it so quickly!

Has anyone tried using one for baking? How do you know how to properly adjust the baking time and temperature? This is the only thing that scares me about getting one. I want to be able to use it for more than just cooking meals. The way they cook is so much different than what I am used to.

 

[mommy42]

Hi Cheerio! Yes, I use mine for baking. It is a Kenmore Elite oven. It has regular baking/cooking funcitons and convection baking options. You can also set it per the recipe instructions and then use the convection convert option and it automatically adjusts the temperature for that baking option. It usually lowers it because it cooks it faster. I adjust my baking time to the lowest range (so if it says bake for 10-13 - I bake for 10). Sometimes I will even bake for a little less than the recommended time and check it when the timer is up and sometimes I have to bake longer, and sometimes not. But, I always use caution so as to not over bake since convection is quicker. I love convection! I think it cooks better anyway!

I even use it for doing pizzas - fresh or frozen because it seems to cook the crust more evenly. And, it is good for any baked goods too! My owners manual has "tips" on cooking with convection. So, I would say that would be the first place to start when you are using it to see what they recommend!

Let us know what you decide to do and how it works! I hope this helped?

 

[Cheerio]

Oh, my gosh! This helped a lot! Thank you so much.

I really want to have a convection oven. I know they are a little pricey, but I think for all it does that it will be worth it.

Pizza! Yes, we used the one we had at work for that! It did a great job of reheating pizza so that it was nice and crispy again. Reheating in the microwave just doesn't cut it. Blah.

Thank you mommy42 for the great information,

Anyone else?

 

[zlemune]

Mine doesn't have a convert option, but I usually drop the temperature by about 25 degrees.

 

[OhioTom76]

Our microwave can also double as a convection oven, but we seldom use it for that because the menu layout and options to put it into convection baking mode are so tedious and confusing we give up trying. You literally have to wait through this lengthy list of options to scroll by and answer several questions to get it to work and it takes forever. Lesson learned, if I go shopping for one of these again I am making it a point to walk through the whole process of how to turn it on in the store first.

 

[Cheerio]

That doesn't sound very convenient, Tom. Any chance of going back to that store and having a salesperson give you a demonstration and showing you how it works now? Maybe there are even some videos online that explain things. With all those steps, I have a feeling I wouldn't bother using it much either.

I guess that means if I really want a convection oven, I better make sure that's all it does. No converting over into other modes, nothing complicated,

 

[mommy42]

Cheerio - ours is super simple! We literally just use the convection bake on our oven. Or, we use convection convert to get it going. It is a simple as pushing a button!!! Tom - holy cow! What a pain! I wouldn't be very happy with that set up either! Maybe you could return it?! LOL But, like Cheerio said maybe there is a video or something that would let you bypass all those steps.
Sometimes, when I am having trouble with an appliance I will search the issues on the internet and there always seems to be a solution that they don't tell you about in the owners manual! Sometimes I think owners manuals are short on information on purpose!!! ;-)
Hope you find a good one Cheerio!

 

[Cheerio]

Thank you, mommy42. Would you mind telling me what brand you have, please? I'm glad to learn that it isn't that difficult to convert temperatures and cooking times for baking. I suppose once I get the hang of it, it will become like second nature. What I would really like to do is use it for baking bread. Thanks again!

 

[mommy42]

I have a Kenmore Elite electric range. We got it 8 years ago so they may have new models and varieties now but I would assume the concept is the same. It still works just like new! I am happy with it and wouldn't trade it! It is accurate on cooking/baking. Although there are times that I think it might cook a little bit hotter. I always assumed it was because it was newer. But now that I see how long I have had it I guess it is just that it cooks hotter!!! LOL But, it is a great brand as far as I am concerned! The owners manual was helpful in figuring out anything you weren't sure of. But I would think you could also do an online search if you needed extra help.
Hope your search goes well!!!