If you’re not a whizz in the kitchen and don’t know your convection versus conventional oven, don’t worry. We’re here to help resolve what may be considered a confusing part of your kitchen - your oven. While they look practically the same, a convection versus conventional oven do have their differences. If you have a convection oven in your home and you’ve not used it before or have a conventional oven with a convection function, which you also haven’t taken advantage of, we’re here for you. Let’s take a closer look at the main differences and uses of these two oven types.
Convection oven versus regular oven
An oven is just an oven, right? It does the same thing - it cooks food. Well, this is where you’d be partially wrong. While a conventional and convectional oven appear similar, there are important differences. We explore these in more detail below.
Their external appearance
In terms of appearance, both convectional and conventional ovens look pretty similar on the outside. They also both perform the same function. Namely, heating up the internal cavity of the oven so that food can be cooked inside it. However, there is one fundamental difference between the two and that is that convectional ovens have a fan that, when switched on, circulates hot air around the entire cavity of the oven, heating food up more evenly and also more quickly. Conventional ovens on the other hand have a heating element at the bottom, top or both sides and the heating in these oven types can result in pockets of hot or cold air.
Temperature and time for food preparation
Another difference between the two is the temperature setting that you’re going to use. Because convection ovens spread heat more evenly throughout the oven cavity, food cooks much faster. As a result, convection oven times versus a regular oven differ as well. Therefore, when looking at cooking recipes to prepare, which are almost always designed and written for conventional ovens, you need to remember that if you use the convection setting on your oven, the temperature should be reduced by around 25 degrees Celsius to ensure that your food doesn’t overcook.
Types of food that can be cooked
Another important difference between these two ovens is the type of food that can and should be cooked inside them. Convection ovens, since they spread heat around more evenly and quickly, mean that they’re ideal for cooking roasts, veggies, fish, oven roasted chips, and more. However, they should be avoided for baking fine baked goods such as cakes and other desserts because the chances are high that the convectional oven setting will cook the outside of the cake first, not reaching the middle yet, and resulting in a lopsided or undercooked cake on the inside. Therefore, those who love baking should rather opt for conventional oven settings instead.
Different types of pans and dishes to cook with
Finally, when it comes to the actual utensils, pans and dishes you’ll be cooking with, remember that convection versus regular baking will require that you use lower dishes to get a more even cooking. Therefore, casserole dishes with a high side will be less preferable to lower dishes or oven trays that are only one to two centimetres high. It’s also highly recommended that you don’t overstuff your convection oven with a variety of dishes and rather exercise patience by cooking one dish at a time. After all, cooking times are generally faster this way so you should still be able to prepare your meal on time.
Conclusion
Looking at the differences between a convection versus a standard oven, we see that they are and should be used in different scenarios and for different food types. Although they look quite the same, convection and conventional ovens cook food differently. As a result, you may wish to take this into account when you’re preparing your next dish. Doing so can help you improve your appliance’s energy efficiency and ensure you cook up a tasty meal each and every time.
