Replacing a conventional oven with a convection oven brings many benefits involving even distribution of heat, faster cooking and amazing taste and crispness. But to ensure the oven roasts and bakes properly, you have to know how to use it. Here is a guideline to help you handle the convection oven like a pro.
Step 1. Adjust recipes to convection oven
Most recipes are made for a conventional oven. So, when a more powerful convection oven steps in, you need to make the recipes conform to it. Otherwise, you risk overcooking the food given the convection heating being more intense and fast. First of all, convert the temperatures.
You have to subtract 5�C from the initial temperature. If the recipe says to preheat to 150�C, you must set 145�C. But this doesn’t guarantee yet that you will not overcook the food.
You also have to adjust the time. A good rule of thumb is to multiply the initial time by 0.75. In result, a dish that is cooked in a conventional oven for 40 minutes will get ready in 30 minutes if placed in a convection oven.
Keep in mind, though, that the cavity size and the fans’ number and power vary from oven to oven, so it’s good to monitor the cooking process in detail to make half-way time and temp adjustments if needed. Check out the https://shop.kenwoodworld.com/kw_my/cooking/convection-ovens.html to make yourself familiar with the types of ovens available and their characteristics.
Step 2. Preheat
Once you have prepared the ingredients and have converted the time and temperature, you can proceed to cooking. First is preheating the oven, which takes place much faster than preheating a conventional oven.
However, if guests are already knocking at the door, you can activate the bonus convection feature which heats the oven in the blink of an eye.
Step 3. Cook, roast, bake
Turn on the convection setting, place the food on the racks and let the oven do its job. Use the convection roast when you want to get a crispy and brown crust. When the crisp is not necessary or when you don’t want the food to be fully cooked from inside, deactivate the convection heating and let the oven work in the conventional mode.
Useful tips
– Use bakeware with low sides. This will allow for free circulation of air and not impede heat from reaching the bottom of the dish.
– Adjust the temperature to avoid overcooking the food.
– Keep yourself from overloading the oven. Food that takes up much space in the oven can block the fan, making it less efficient. To get the desired brown crisp, roast smaller portions.
– Avoid using the convection feature for fine desserts and cakes. The extreme heat can dry the cake on the top, while keeping it raw from inside. For delicate and moist food, conventional cooking is better.
– Add a bowl with water in the oven before cooking artisan bread or roasting a chicken. The steam will help create a crispy crust, while maintaining the bread or meat soft and juicy on the inside.