Convection Vexation

These days many people have newer style convection ovens in their houses, but I am learning that there is a good deal of confusion regarding how they function.

What is a convection oven?

In a “normal” or radiant oven, heated air radiates from a source in the bottom of the rectangular box shaped oven, via either electric or gas. This heat rises up and performs in a generally inefficient way. Specifically, with radiant heat baking, heat tends to be blocked by baking sheets and stones and other implements put in the oven. As a result, air does not efficiently circulate over the top of food, because heat is solely coming from below. This causes hot and cold spots in the oven leading to inconsistent baking. Thus anything placed too close to the bottom will receive too much heat, as does anything too high in the oven as this is where heat ends up. This is not to say that radiant heat baking is without merit, but more on that in a second.

Technology developed for professionals solves the problem of inefficient heating. Convection ovens contain fans which circulate the heated air around the oven. Although heat is still generated from the bottom element, it is drawn in by a fan and redistributed around the oven reducing hot and cold spots. The protective air pocket which typically surrounds food in a radiant oven is moved away by the circulating air. The air flow actually sears or browns the surface and allows for faster, more even cooking results, reducing the negative affects of bottom up heating. The modern oven design actually needs convection to bake most foods properly. In fact, “old school” bread/pizza ovens fired by wood or coal heat are designed to create naturally occurring convection.

There is now a new level of convection called True or European convection baking. In this process, air is heated by an additional heating element behind the fan and distributed evenly around the sides of the oven using a panel or baffle. This process provides the most efficient and effective means of even baking. The heat is generated behind the walls and circulated over the oven space without using the main or bottom heating element. This means there are no hotter and cooler racks in the oven. The term for this type of oven function varies by manufacturer and may be called Pure, Tru, True or Aero Bake. Read your owners manual closely when using the True convection setting as some manufacturers further delineate it for pastry versus non-pastry.

Convection ovens with the True feature cost more than standard convection ovens and the option is only available on top end models. The reason for the increased cost is due to the additional heating element and improved design features. As a general rule, gas ovens don’t offer the True or Pure convection feature.

Performance

Both regular and true convection baking can cause your oven to actually burn at temperatures higher than the setting indicates. The general rule of thumb is reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and reduce cooking time by 25%. Using these tips is supposed to save you time and therefore energy.

When using convection baking, watch your food and check it frequently. The longer the baking time required for a particular recipe, the more time will be saved by convection cooking. For example, cookies, biscuits and scones should bake in about the same amount of time and you will notice that individual pieces are more uniformly cooked and browned. However, a large roast or turkey can bake in a lot less time so check sooner than you would think….like maybe 25% sooner. With meats I always advise cooking by temperature and not time to avoid over cooking. This is particularly important with convection baking.

Temperature variations are further complicated by the addition of pizza or baking stones in your oven. because these stones radiate heat as well. In general, you should use an oven thermometer regardless of the type of oven you own as it will tell you the actual temperature so you know how to set your oven to achieve the desired baking temperature.

So which method is best?

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some examples that can serve as guidelines for when each function is best utilized.

- Cookies, biscuits, scones and pies are best on the True Convection if you have it, otherwise use regular convection. The heat of True convection is the most even. Pastry chefs prefer this style of baking.

- Roasted meat or vegetables, casseroles and lasagna are good on either convection setting, but True convection will work better as you want good air flow to get a proper roast. The searing and moisture sealing of convection does wonderful things for roasted meats, gratins and frittatas. You may want to cover some dishes with foil at the beginning to prevent premature browning. Simply remove the cover in the last half of baking to get the desired browning or searing.

- If you are finishing a stew or braise in the oven, any of the 3 options will work well as you are basically placing an oven in an oven.

- Pizza and breads are probably better done in with a regular convection setting. I have used the True convection setting here with great results but it can take longer to heat up the stones or tiles. The stones crisp the bottom crust and the convection air flow sets the top crust. Regular convection will use the bottom radiant heat to keep the stone nice and hot.

- Cakes, quick breads, Bundt and souffles are best on the radiant heat setting or “regular” bake. These are foods where you don’t want a thick or dark crust. Radiant heat works well here as there aren’t a lot of obstacles blocking the heat flow and the lack of additional air flow will give you a more gently cooked and tender result. Also any food prepared in a water bath, such as creme brulee, would be best cooked on the regular bake setting. I have made cakes and delicate dishes using convection settings, but you must be more aware of cooking time, temperature and browning.

What about AirBake pans?

Airbake pans are designed with a gap or pocket of air between two layers of aluminum. The purpose of this layer is to act as a buffer against radiant heat from below. These pans work very well in radiant ovens or settings. They are also useful with regular convection as there is still radiant heat. If you use the True convection setting, these pans will work fine, but the lack of radiant heat makes them superfluous.

Summary

Convection oven functions do improve the performance of the standard home box oven. If you have the extra money and need to buy a new oven, I suggest you get one with a True convection feature. However, any convection oven will improve your baking. Roasted meats will be seared to juicy perfection, baked goods will have better crusts and you will find foods bake faster and more evenly with convection, particularly True convection.

As with any appliance, there will be a learning curve. You will learn which recipes work best with each setting as you become more familiar with the oven. I hope that at least now you know enough about convection to be a better consumer and cook.

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