If you’ve gone shopping for a new oven or range over the past decade, chances are you’ve seen some models offering “convection” baking. This type of oven has become much more popular in recent years, but you’re probably wondering what the difference is between convection bake vs regular bake? The answer should help you decide which style works best for your needs.
Convection Bake vs Regular Bake
Asking which kind of oven is better can be a tricky question. Both offer their own strengths and weaknesses, but knowing the difference between convection and regular baking makes all the difference in the kitchen.
How Does Convection Bake Work?
Sure, it sounds very sophisticated, but what is convection bake exactly? Simply put, it’s when an oven uses one or more fans along with an exhaust system to circulate air throughout the oven cavity and produce more even cooking temperatures.
Instead of heat only radiating from the top or bottom of the oven, convection fans evenly disperse the heated air around your dishes as they cook. An exhaust system also helps to remove any lingering moisture inside the cavity during operation.
Your food will be more evenly cooked, but it will also be done faster and should be cooked at a lower temperature. Follow the “25 rule” for convection cooking: Reduce the temperature by 25° F, and cook your dishes for 25% less time than in a conventional oven.
How Does Regular Bake Work?
Most of us are familiar with the basics of how a conventional electric oven works. They use either a radiant bake element on the bottom or a broil element on the top to generate direct heat toward your dishes.
The biggest difference when it comes to convection bake vs regular bake is the lack of fans inside a conventional oven. Without constant air circulation inside the cavity, certain areas will be heated more than others, and more moisture will be present in the air.
These aren’t necessarily bad things though. As we said before, both types of ovens have things that they do well, but also not so well.
When Should You Use Convection Baking?
Not all foods fair well with convection baking. For instance, if you like to bake cakes, you may want to stick with your conventional oven. Most dishes though not only cook faster but turn out even better when prepared using a convection oven.
The best uses for convection cooking include:
- Cookies & pies
- Crusted breads
- Roasting
- Dehydrating
And if you’re not sure about replacing your regular oven just yet, consider purchasing a countertop toaster oven with convection features.
Now that you know the difference between convection bake vs regular bake, you should be able to choose the right type for your kitchen. And for all of your oven service and repair needs, be sure to call the experts at Cody’s Appliance Repair right away.
