10 Convection Oven Recipes, Plus How to Get the Most Out of Your Appliance (2024)

FAQs

What foods cook best in a convection oven? ›

When to use convection. Convection cooking is ideal for foods that do better in a dry climate and where you want to encourage browning and crisping. So roasting meats, potatoes and vegetables are all ideal, and it's great for reheating things like fried chicken or baking pizza.

So cooking in a convection oven means you'll have to convert. This is a fairly simple matter of either lowering the temperature or shortening the cooking time (or a bit of both). The simplest method is to set the oven 25 to 50 degrees lower than the recipe says. So if it says 400 F, you go with 375 or 350 F.

The convection setting also works best if you use low-sided pans or rimless baking sheets, especially when baking cookies or roasting vegetables. This allows for better air circulation around the food and helps crispy foods become even crisper.

Spray or rub oil or butter lightly over potato. Sprinkle salt over the potato. Place potato directly on convection oven rack. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

Avoid convection baking foods like cakes, quick breads, custards and other delicate desserts and pastries.

1. Expensive: Convection ovens can be more expensive than conventional ovens due to their additional technology. 2. Not as user-friendly: Cooking with a convection oven may require adjusting recipes and cooking times due to the oven's faster cooking times and lower temperature settings.

Like anything in the kitchen, an oven with convection is better for some recipes, while it may not be the best choice for all recipes. With any recipes that require rising, such as cakes, bread or other baked goods, you may have strange results with a convection oven.

The oven should preheat to 350° F. within 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: To conserve energy, DO NOT turn on the oven until absolutely necessary - about 15 minutes before actual cooking is to start.)

Can I cook 3 casseroles in the oven at the same time? ›

USE AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

Juggling multiple dishes at once often means pairing sides, desserts or entrees in the oven that don't typically bake at the same temperature. You can bake several dishes at once by setting your oven to the average temperature called for across recipes.

The key benefits of Convection cooking are:

So if you can cook food on multiple racks at one time with no transfer of flavor, then you can easily cook an entire meal in the oven at one time.

If you set the oven to convection bake at 350 degrees F it will run at 350. If your recipe calls for 350 degrees F for say, a roast, you'll need to lower the temp to 325 degrees F to compensate for the air racing around in the oven.

You don't need to switch out your pans or baking dishes for different materials when using convection heat, but you do want to make sure the air is circulating easily so that the time and temperature adjustments are correct.

Did you know that air fryers function similarly to a convection oven? In fact, if you own a convection oven, you may not need a standalone air fryer to get the crispy results that these countertop appliances are known for.

All ovens weren't created equal. While it may not matter to you what kind of oven you've got, it is very useful to understand the difference between an ordinary oven and a convection oven. Professional chefs swear by the advantages of convection ovens. That's because it cooks food slightly differently.

You don't need to switch out your pans or baking dishes for different materials when using convection heat, but you do want to make sure the air is circulating easily so that the time and temperature adjustments are correct. Opt for rimmed baking sheets or dishes with low sides and don't crowd your oven.

Convection cooking also helps promote browning for roasted meats, poultry, baked potatoes, meatballs, sheet pan vegetables, and so on. "Thanks to the delivery of steady heat and even air circulation, 'hot spots' do not exist in the oven in convection cooking," explains Nancy Schneider, a home economist for Miele.

Air fryers and ovens with air fry capabilities are able to create a crunchy, crisp exterior that closely mirrors traditional fried foods, while convection ovens are better suited for roasting and baking. Some of their differences include preheating time, cooking time, capacity and heating elements.