Convection Oven - Do you use it?

[maccers]

SO and I are shopping for appliances for our new place and we're not sure if we should get a convection oven -- it's not a huge price difference maybe an extra $200 but we'd rather put that towards curtains or sod or anything else that we'll need for our house. Our current place has a convection oven but we've never read the instructions so we never use that feature. Am I missing out on some big thing if we don't get convection? How do you know what length of time to cook things for when using convection? Is there a rule of thumb?

Just interested to know if convection has blown some people's minds and I'm missing out on some great baking secret.

 

[ponder]

I have a convection oven and I am really not all that impressed. I was hoping for decreased cooking times and more even heat distribution, but really haven't seen either. I would rather have the space that the fan takes up so that I could fit two cookie sheets side by side.

 

[Missy]

We have a regular oven and also a convection oven and my dh does use it for cooking etc when we have lots of people over and the regular oven is also being used. I will ask him what he thinks of it (since he is the one who does all the cooking and baking and I have no clue about ovens at all) and check back here and let you know what he said.

ETA: Here is exactly what my dh said: not worth if you just use it for baking cakes, cookies, etc because most recipes don't provide convection oven adjustments, but well worth it for roasts, casseroles and the TDay turkey -- there you will save lots of time -- 20lb turkey in less than 2 hours for example.

 

[ponder]

We have a regular oven and also a convection oven and my dh does use it for baking etc when we have lots of people over and the regular oven is also being used. I will ask him what he thinks of it (since he is the one who does all the cooking and baking and I have no clue about ovens at all) and check back here and let you know what he said.

I'm interested to see what your DH thinks. I also have a regular oven. The regular oven is smaller so I tend to actually see more even cooking. I really chose which oven to use depending on the size of the think I'm baking.

 

[Missy]

We have a regular oven and also a convection oven and my dh does use it for baking etc when we have lots of people over and the regular oven is also being used. I will ask him what he thinks of it (since he is the one who does all the cooking and baking and I have no clue about ovens at all) and check back here and let you know what he said.

I'm interested to see what your DH thinks. I also have a regular oven. The regular oven is smaller so I tend to actually see more even cooking. I really chose which oven to use depending on the size of the think I'm baking.

I just posted an ETA above with my dh's thoughts...

 

[maccers]

Thank you for the replies. These are all good points. And now I understand WHY I can only fit one cookie tray in the oven -- the FAN! Can't believe I didn't connect the dots. I'll have to discuss with SO this information and get his pov -- it'd be nice to cook whole chickens faster but I'd also like to bake two trays of anything at the same time! This will be our only oven in the house so....hmmmm.

Any other annoying or excellent things about convection ovens?

 

[JulieN]

do it. I love it for things like low & slow prime rib, and things cook more evenly.

For things like cookies, I don't bother. I could see it for cake, though.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Yes, I do use it. On a regular basis.

cheers--Sharon

 

[JewelFreak]

I use mine sometimes -- less than originally, though. It is faster for roasts & fowl & baking potatoes, etc. & makes a nice crispy crust/skin. One thing that annoys me -- when cooking a bird or anything with a fair amount of juice or grease, the fan blows a little of that onto the oven sides, so I have to clean the oven more often. Not a big thing, but less than ideal.

--- Laurie

 

[ChristineRose]

One major advantage is that you don't have to leave large spaces between your roasts, and that you can jam things in there practically up to the walls. As long as there is a crack, everything cooks. And you don't get things that are done in the back but not in the front.

They make a nice second oven. You can buy a little convection smaller than the average microwave and cook a 14 pound turkey in there while the main oven cooks everything else. Whether it is worth it depends on your cooking habits.

 

[maccers]

Wow, this has been really helpful. So much I hadn't considered. If we do get convection I'll make sure to use it otherwise it will be for naught. Thanks all!

 

[marcy]

We have one and use it a lot. It cooks meat really well and it will crisp up veggies and potatoes really nicely. I don't use it for cookies though.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I use mine almost exclusively. I rarely use my regular oven. It does cook things faster, and that makes a difference to me. I love it and wouldn't ever be without one again. Because of the fan, I put multiple cookie sheets with cookies in at one time and I move them maybe once. I just find, for me, everything comes out better in the convection than in the regular oven.

 

[maccers]

Just told SO about all the comments, we're going to go with the convection. And I'm going to read the manual this time, I swear!

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I use mine all of the time. For me, I have to have a gas cook top and a convection oven. I bake a lot and a convection oven makes a huge difference. I don't use it for cakes/ cupcakes though as I find the air swirling around makes the tops of the cakes slope to one side or another. If you're a true baker I suppose you cut the tops off of cakes anyway and then it doesn't matter. For cookies, I can bake 3 trays all at the same time and all are evenly baked. Without convection it's one tray at a time. I find the convection feature makes just about everything bake more evenly.

I like the convect roast feature a lot too.