Convection ovens and regular ovens with convection settings have been around for years now. But not even the owners of ovens with convection capabilities may know the difference between convection bake vs regular bake.
How does convection baking work? How is it different from regular baking, and when should you use it? We’ll provide the answers, so you know what’s best for your baking preferences.
The 411 on Convection Bake vs Regular Bake
It’s certainly easy to play it safe and stick with what you know when baking. After all, a flat cake or burnt cookies can certainly be disappointing. But a little knowledge about the differences between a convection oven vs standard oven can go a long way to improving your baking results.
How Does Convection Bake Work?
The answer is pretty straightforward. Convection baking works by using a built-in fan to circulate the heated air throughout the oven’s interior. In a regular oven, heat emanates from the elements at the top or bottom of the oven. An oven with convection baking capabilities uses the fan to blow heat from the heating elements throughout the entire oven.
How Does Convection Bake Differ From Regular Bake?
When it comes to baking the key differences between convection bake vs regular bake have to do with temperature and timing:
- More even temperatures: a convection oven’s fan distributes heat throughout the oven’s cavity, leading to more even cooking temperatures with fewer pockets of colder or hotter air
- Faster cooking times: a convection oven cooking time for baking will be faster because hot air is blowing directly onto food instead of just surrounding it
- Lower cooking temperatures: because food cooks faster in a convection oven, baking temperatures may have to be lowered by 25-50 degrees less then most recipes recommend
When Should You Use Convection Bake vs Regular Bake?
Now that the differences between convection bake vs regular bake are more apparent, what types of baking work best for each setting? Here are some examples of foods that have the best results with a convection oven for baking as well as a regular oven:
Convection baking:
- Cookies: provides the crispy exterior and soft interior that many prefer in a cookie
- Pies: a golden-brown crispy crust is better achieved with hotter and more even heating
- Crusty bread: as with pies, a crispier, more golden crust results with the hotter, drier, and more even cooking temperatures
- Roasting meats: large cuts of meat like prime rib and turkey will have more of a brown, crispy exterior and juicy interior on a convection setting.
Regular baking:
- Cakes: the circulating air of a convection oven may produce ripples on the surface of the cake while a regular oven’s still air will leave it smooth
- Quick bread, muffins, and cupcakes: the smaller surfaces of these baked goods can actually be blown sideways by the convection fan but will remain still on a regular setting
- Sandwich bread and soft yeast bread and rolls: the gentler cooking of a regular oven can better provide the softness featured in these bread, where a crusty exterior is not desired
Whether you’re pondering the differences between convection bake vs regular bake or wondering about your oven’s self-cleaning feature, Dave Smith Appliance Services has the answers. Call us for local oven repair Toledo needs and all your appliance concerns!
