Using Ranges Equipped with Convection Options
A newer feature in cooking is having your oven have convection cooking. Our Brand Source teams love seeing people install convection ovens and or ranges in their kitchens. They are becoming more popular and customers are seeing great results with their meals. Here is a closer look as to what the big deal is with convection cooking.
What is Convection?
Let’s fist start by explaining what convection cooking is. A convection range or oven has a fan and exhaust system. These are normally not in conventional ovens or ranges. The fan and exhaust helps circulate the airflow while cooking something in the oven. When you turn on the fan, the hot air will move constantly throughout the whole oven and then the air will push back to the end and vent out. This makes the food cook more evenly and more quickly rather than conventional ovens and ranges.
Why would you want convection?
1. Saves Energy & Cooking Faster
The food in the oven cooks faster with convection ovens. Most of the time it also uses lower temperatures. These two reasons make it more energy efficient and saves more energy rather than a regular oven or range. With lower temperatures and more efficient cooking, this will save you time when cooking.
2. Even Cooking
In normal ovens, there are areas that get hotter than others. Most of the time, the back of the oven is hotter and closer to the door cooks slightly colder. With convection, the fan circulates the heat making the cooking more even.
3. Perfect Browning
Convection cooking creates a dry atmosphere which can better caramelize the sugar faster when roasting. Meat and some veggies will brown on the outside, but still stay moist inside.
How do you use convection?
1. A range with the convection option does not have to be used in convection mode all the time. All ranges with the convection option can be used as a normal range as long as the convection option is not activated.
2. To use convection, you must choose the convection option on the oven control panel.
3. Many brands have a convection conversion option which will automatically convert your settings to optimize the usefulness of convection.
4. If the range does not have a conversion setting, the rule of thumb is to shorten cooking time by approximately 25%. (Be sure to read owner’s manual for each manufacturer’s guidelines)
Following these simple tips for quicker and tastier meals.
When browsing or shopping at an appliance store, ask for more details about convection cooking to see it in person. Most of the brands that offer convection cooking will make the inside of the oven or range a blue color.
