"True" convection ovens

[dj-gabriele]

I was wondering who, among you, use true convection ovens, where the baking element is around the fan and not on top and bottom.
Especially in the US and Australia, how commonplace are those?
Over here (Italy), unless you're going to buy the lowest end line, all the oven at least have a fan assisted cooking (top+bottom+fan) and many have the circular element too.
There even are many forced convection gas ovens, especially upper range, even if you'd have to torture me before I'd chose a gas one of those over an electric.

I love to bake in my mother's oven, as you can use 4 trays on each slider and everything gets evenly cooked and the door keeps cold and it's catalytic self-cleaning, my favorite method.

This oven has just one top heating element that both does grilling/broiling and superior heating instead of the conventional two as the element is switched on and off by the electronics to modulate the heating.
I hate that in 2009 it cost almost 1000€ while now you find the following model at 400€ less! And the cooking cavity bigger too!

 

[countryguy]

I love my convection oven and use it most of the time for baking and roasting.  Mine is a Kenmore with true convection.

 

Gary

 

[petek]

Our Kitchenaid has the 3rd element surrounding the fan. I don't quite understand something about ours in particular.. There are 3 selections.. Convection Bake, Convection Broil & Convection Roast.

Now on Convection Bake, only the 3rd element around the fan is utilized whereas on Convection Roast it isn't and the top/bottom elements cycle on and off while the fan blows.

BUT in the nice cookbook that came with it when referring to cooking roasts like beef, turkey etc it says to use the Convection Bake feature NOT the Convection Roast.. In fact I can't see anywhere in the cookbook for this stove that shows where you use the Convection Roast button? Weird

Regardless though it does a great job roasting beef on Convection bake.

 

[countryguy]

Mine has Convection bake and convection roast also.  I use convection roast for roasting beef, turkey, etc. and convection bake when baking.  Selecting convection bake automatically sets the temperature 25 deg. less i.e. key in 350 and it sets it at 325 whereas with convection roast set it at 350 and it stays at 350.  Also the lowest temperature available is 325 F when using convection roast. 

 

[launderess]

My Only Experience With "True" Convection Ovens

Rests with my vintage countertop convection ovens, one by Cuisinart, and the other by Maxim. Both have the heating element located around the fan, and give excellent results in terms of roasting meats.

When using convection for roasting meats ideally you want heated air moved around the food, not air already heated. Most common way to roast meats in a convection oven is to put it on a rack with some sort of drip pan underneath/on the floor of the oven. By moving heated air around the food it allows for more even cooking as the hot air follows a pattern. This is opposed to moving air heated by conduction (heating elements located on top and or bottom of the oven), then blown around.

Your oven's "Convection Roast" sounds like it is more for persons wishing to cook something in a covered pan and or one with high sides, that is a traditional roast. In either case the use of "true convection" would be a waste because the heated air cannot reach all sides of the food. Persons with true convection ovens who make roasts in covered pans bemoan the fact it takes just as long or not nearly as fast as the process was claimed to be. Well that is because the meat is enclosed in something so there really isn't a need for fan assisted air.

 

[petek]

Well that makes sense Laundress. Gary.. I never checked that out about the temp thing..on convection bake it does automatically show up as 325 degs iirc. The convection broil feature allows you to broil with the door closed (top element only) but come to think of it I've never used it. Don't broil

What else I like about it is is that you really don't have to preheat the oven, even for bread etc. just put it in and start baking/roasting.

 

[countryguy]

I always cook my turkey using either the broiling pan or a very low sided roasting pan and on convection roast.  This browns the turkey quickly and seals in the juices and of course it cooks much quicker. 

 

Gary

 

[launderess]

Oh Another Thing

From my research I've found out that certain foods do better with the radiant heat via conduction (oven heat from top or bottom elements such as found in regular gas or electric ovens), versus true convection.

Agian if one wishes to make something in covered pan or pot such as a roast or using a Dutch oven. Most cakes also require the slow heat of conduction versus being hot air being blasted at them.

Roasing via true convection takes a learning curve, and each oven is different. Done well you will get delicous results; crispy skin with moist tender and juicy meat inside. Done badly and you'll end up with a dry leather skinned brick! *LOL*

It is no accident that convection ovens also function as dehydrators! *LOLx2*

 

[jerrod6]

My oven has this, where the heating coil is around the fan. I use it for some things but not all. It also has an element in the top and a concealed element under the oven floor which I think makes it take longer to preheat.[this post was last edited: 5/14/2011-21:00]

 

[parunner58]

I have a GE Profile with the true convection element and I love it. Use it all the time. I bought my first one in my Kithchen in the old house in Pennsylvania and when we bought this house in FL we needed to replace all the applicances so I bought the same stove here. I used the convection roast a few times and convection bake all the time.

 

[launderess]

Convection can be a useful tool in the kitchen, but as with so many other things you have to know when it's worth the bother.

Love it for roasts (did some chicken thighs and a pork loin just this past week in the Maxim, all came out great), but probably wouldn't use convection for baking delicate cakes.

Some say that for thick/dense cuts of meat such as large roasts or poultry (such as whole turkeys), true convection is either wasted or won't shave that much time off the process to be worth the bother. Anyone thinking they will get one of those huge ButterBall turkeys done in "half the time" (that is two hours or so) in a convection oven is dreaming IMHO. Perhaps in a convection microwave, but even there highly doubt it.

Convection also shines when you want to make multiple racks of something, such as cookies due to the even air flow distribution. However again YMMV depending upon *your* oven. Some persons find doing multiples of cookies or pies come out badly in a convection oven, and go back to their regular setting.

Have never understood "convection broiling" either. The two aren't exactly the same processes and since the heating elements in most convection ovens are hiddne, just how good the broiling results are seems to vary greatly.

Pre-heating:

Never bothered. Just load up the Cuisinart or Maxim and let them do their thing.

 

[ronhic]

I've a 30yr old Westinghouse double oven. The top oven is a 'element around fan' true fan forced. The lower oven is a traditional top and bottom element convection oven.

Personally, I use the top oven for everything except grilling. Cakes, the lot. Perfect results every time.

I put this down to a few things. Firstly, I've used true fan forced ovens for years. Secondly, the oven has a normal/slow fan switch which is perfect for cakes. Finally, Email/Westinghouse and electrolux/chef ovens have always been very highly rated from a results perspective - they rate as highly as miele in tests.

 

[jerrod6]

I have a convection broiling option but have not used it yet. I think the oven manual states that the first part of the cooking is convection with the external fan, but the last few minutes part is using the broiling element which is supposed to create a harder crunchy crust or something. Again, have not tried this so don't really know.

 

[sudsmaster]

Not to drift too much, but..

Well, I make do with a simple counter top Cuisinart toaster oven with convection fan.

It's false, of course, having both top and bottom heating elements and I doubt that it even has one at the fan.

But when I cook something that comes with convection oven instructions, I'll use that mode. It allows for a lower temperature setting (about 25 to 50 degrees lower) and shorter cooking time. Fish sticks (the quality kind) come out better in convection mode, I think.

I find that pizzas tend to come out better using the "Pizza Bake" mode on the oven, rather than the convection mode, though.

The Cuisinart cooks and toasts significantly better than the Oster convection toaster oven it replaced, even if it has somewhat less capacity.

If I had a true convection mode oven of course I'd use it. Probably not going to happen any time soon here, though, as the wall oven is a 24" model, so no room for a convection oven in that spot. The drop-in range in the patio kitchen is 30", but too shallow I think for convection mode.

It's been my impression that gas ovens tend to be natural convection style ovens, because there is a constant flow of heated air through the cavity, as opposed to non-convection electric ovens, which don't require such flow and don't have it. Am I wrong in this assumption?

 

[dj-gabriele]

Wow a lot of answers

I didn't write more about my oven as I thought it was redundant but here I am.

This model (and the successor) offer a wide range of convection cooking modes:

1 - "ECO" turns on the grill and the bottom (concealed) heating element and the fan, it's said to speed up the cooking of small quantities of food, so to economize on energy use. Never used this one

2 - "fan assisted cooking", where the top and bottom elements are on with the fan. We use this function mostly for tarts and quiches.

3 - "true convection", where the circular element is on: this it the most used function, which allows up to 4 layers to be cooked at the same time, also speeds up the cooking by 20% or allows you to use 20°C less than the "classic" mode

4 - "TURBO", where top, bottom and circular elements are all on, with the fan. This method of cooking is great if you have big pieces of meat like roasts, it really speeds up cooking times! Plus it browns the crust very evenly.

5 - "convection grilling": here the temperature can reach 300°C, it's ideal while cooking thick sausages or big cuts of meat like "fiorentina". Compared to classic stove top or barbecue grilling it takes less than half the time. Figure that many cuts of pork are ready in 6-8 minutes.

6 - "defrosting" : here the fan is turned on with the element and kept at 30°C, it defrosts meat faster than a microwave and doesn't risk cooking it

7 - "delicate heat" : only the bottom element and fan are turned on, this is great to dehydrate food or bake meringues. Other uses I haven't found them.

8 - "circular + bottom" : this is great to bake very thick and humid foods like cream filled tarts or thick pizza (not the classic type) as the added bottom heat will make cooking perfect, even with thick pans and food that is difficult to get right.

Of course other than this modes there are the classic ones with standard cooking, grilling and bottom only plus dough proofing. We opted out of the rotisserie mode as in 30 years it was never used on the previous oven.

 

[zodawash]

convection

I have a Samsung oven with two fans in. There is an element that surrounds the fan area and it also has top and bottom elements for conventional oven. I use the fan oven mostly all the time but do the odd thing on conventional.

Its one of the few ovens you can use the grill with with the door shut too. The only thing is as its one of the new super energy efficient ovens there is no vent in it at all so and steam or smoke etc just builds up inside so you have to remember to stand back when you open the door because you get both a blast of heat and a blast of steam which can easily take your dead skin cells off your face lol

Settings are light on only, fan oven with rear element, fan with top element, fan with bottom element, grill only, defrost with fan only.

 

[yogitunes]

well, without kidding oneself......I can cook a 22lb turkey in 2 hours in mine, set at 400, convection/bake mode, and I do it every holiday, but it is not a stuffed bird, falls off the bone, and is deep golden brown, perfect results everytime.........

I have a DACOR Duel-Fuel range, gas cook top, and broiler, bottom element and fan surround are electric powered....it has 2 modes of convection/bake or pure convection, I prefer the first.....although it is a problem prone stove, I do like the full stainless unit, and full top grate coverage, as well as the griddle, grill, and wok attachments......but I also rather have it full gas, and not electric

use it almost for everything, cakes and pastry best left to regular methods.....

I also have the matching Micro/Convection OTR hood unit, which does a great job on cakes and muffins, almost like having 2 ovens, although my preference for the remodel is a double wall oven, convection too, and the micro/convection above, and warming drawer below, in addition to the regular range....only because of the huge family gatherings, I need the cooking capacity.....a second dishwasher is also on the wish list....