I always think I know most of the basics to cooking and baking, and then every single video Helen posts reminds me that I dont know crap 😂 Helen is the guardian angel of all of our kitchens
Let's not forget convection means hot air flow. Since the hot airflow takes the vapor away form the top surface take into account that the top will not just bake more but it could dry out more significantly too.
I use convection for getting rid of excess water too! This can be really helpful when trying to brown things like zucchini before it turns to total mush.
Now I know my phone is listening. A couple hours ago I said to my son, that the oven we have has a convection option, but that I had no idea how or when to use it. And instantly here you are to answer my question!
This explains so many things that have gone wrong with my recipes. Thank you very much for just stating without embellishment and yet with a very pleasant voice the ways to cook with confection. And thank you so much for no background music!!
Convection is also useful for removing lots of moisture, which can help or hurt. For example when trying to roast bones for a stock, without a convection oven, all of the liquid releases onto the pan and pools up, and I have to wait for it to boil off. But with convection, that moisture gets wicked away as it is released, and helps lower the time it takes to get to browning. In fact, once browning begins, I'll even turn off convection so I can get more even radiant browning instead of those little burnt edges you can get from convection. Moisture control with convection is super useful. It can also create faster rises in baked goods, but dries them out more quickly.
I own a 30 yr old stand-alone Farberware. I live in S. Florida. I follow manual instructions: reduce both temp & time by 25%. Best & only convection oven I've ever purchased.
My oven has a "pizza" setting that turns on the convection, and I discovered after a while that it is best to only used it at the end, to toast the cheese a little bit and get it nice and bubbly, otherwise the cheese and topings might burn. Nice to hear that this is the right technique!
Big help here. Today I made a German style apple cake. I first used over under heat for the first 35 minutes then finished using convection for the last 10 minutes - perfect. 🤩
I use an "air fryer," and since it's really just a tabletop convection oven, I've been experimenting with the range of fan speeds, temperatures, and cook times to create beautifully browned foods that are still cooked all the way through. Having access to such high-powered convection can be quite useful, as can changing the speed of that fan!
@@englishliterature7403 It depends a bit, on what you mainly use it for. Baking cake and bread? Pizza or such for more then one person? Large roasts? Not so much. Making roasted veggies, potato wedges or chicken/fish? Absolutely. Especially, if you only cook for one or two people. It's just super convenient for making delicious, yet healthy meals on a daily basis. Just just chuck stuff in there and boom, dinner is ready in 20 minutes. No spattering and less smell then with a frying pan are also great advantages. The only downside is: they take up a lot of counterspace. But that's it, really. They're really useful appliances, imo, not just some fad.
@@raraavis7782 You've nailed it. They're a small countertop convection oven. I recommend the tray-based models where you just pull out the tray and put the food in it. Do not buy the little toaster-oven like units, because you'll have to fiddle with pans and racks and they're much harder to get food in and out of and much harder to clean. I have a large tray-based model that can be divided into two separate chambers, so I can either cook one large item in it - like a whole chicken, or a dozen cookies - or two smaller sets of items, like chicken thighs on one side and green beans on the other, a different temperatures and for different cook times. Because they're much smaller than a traditional oven, you get a LOT more radiant heat bouncing off the walls onto your food since the food will be sitting very close to the walls. That rapidly speeds cooking and browning. The fans are also much more intense than in a convection oven. Think about how wind chill factor makes it feel colder outside in the winter - the same goes in reverse in a convection oven. The more hot air passes over the surface per second, the faster heat is transferred to the food. If you put a lot of oil on something - like breaded chicken - it'll behave as much like frying it as baking it. You can get some pretty amazing results, fast, with a lot less mess and expense. You can also burn things to a crisp rapidly in an air fryer, so check the contents often until you get a good feel for how yours cooks. Another great thing about them is, they use a lot less energy because of the small size, shorter cooktimes and eliminating the need to preheat in most cases (I almost never preheat, even when the recipe calls for it).
I've used air fryers for years. I recently replaced my Ninja Max with a Cosori Dual Blaze (top and bottom heating elements). It's Bake function reduces the heat generated by the top element, focusing more on the bottom one. It works great. After watching this video, I'll pay more attention to the fan speed between Air Fry and Bake settings, to see if the fan speed for Bake is reduced. i.imgur.com/Ltef7Of.jpg
@@englishliterature7403 Air fryers are great for small quantities. If you are looking to cook a large meal--say, a turkey--it won't do much. I suggest getting a Cuisinart Airfryer, which is like a toaster oven.
I like the "moving to the top shelf" trick. You get browning without using more energy. I have convection on my new KitchenAid dual-fuel (electric oven, gas range) model, but have never used it. Your comments make sense, so I may try it on some recipes. Since it's just my husband and me, I use my air fryer a lot however, and that's basically just a counter-top convection oven. It's great for making crispy garlic bread, reheating pizza, etc. without having to warm an entire oven.
An American who moved to Europe with my wife and family, thanks so much for this, very informative explanation. Makes sense to me based on my experience cooking in my convection oven. I vary on when I use convection on my personal experience with my oven. Thank you for this info!
I have a Samsung NQ70M9770D and it needed servicing. While there the tech pointed out that most modern ovens have the fan come on intermittently even when not in convection mode to speed up heating. The manual does actually allude to this.
Thank you so much for this explanation! I've always heard about convection making it cook more evenly or just hotter, but never about how it affects top browning. Valuable information!
I have a Fisher Paykel dual fuel range. It’s my first electric oven since my childhood home. I continue to learn new oven tricks. Convection is still pretty new to me. I’d love to be more confident using the convection setting.
I have a Blue Star gas range. This is my first gas. I’m still getting used to it. Things cook very unevenly and too hot. After watching your video about the fan it makes sense. At first I didn’t use the fan and things took forever to bake. Then I noticed that the front knobs were getting way too hot and thought the lack of fan was the reason. Now I use 5he fan all the time and things get browned too quickly but the knobs are cooler lol. All this rambling to say, thank you for this information, it explains and helps a lot. I was ready to ditch this oven for an electric flattop. ❤
Thanks Sooooo Much! I'm new to convection oven use and have not used it successfully at all. Your video explained sooooo much to me. I've subscribed to you (which I never do) because you explain things soooo well. Thanks again.
Very helpful! I have a convection option on my oven but have never used it as I did not have an understanding of how it worked. Now I do and will give it a go! Thank you Helen!
Thank you! We recently bought a convection oven and I have been using it and was wondering if I was supposed to unless the recipe specified. You've cleared that up, thank you!
Thank you for this immensely helpful video Helen. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into creating your outstanding videos to educate us home cooks. 🙏🥰
Omg you explained this so clearly. I have this setting on my oven and I’ve never used it. But I have a few recipes that this would make sense to use. Thank you beautiful lady 😊😊😊❤
I NEVER knew about the dangers of raw garlic under the conditions you explained. THANKS for saving us from possible sickness. I'm throwing out my old vinegrette that I made and had at room temp. LOVE your channel I just found you!
Incredibly helpful! Thank you so much! I now understand some problems I was having. I was using convection all the time and was having problems with insufficiently baked things. Loved your video
Great video helen . I just ordered a ge gas convection oven .to replace a gas oven which will go on deck beside bbq for summer cooking keeping house cool .we bake 25 loaf batches of homemade bread i do pizza pies ect briskets hams and your tutorial was a good reminder for moving food up and down with rack hieght . Plus i was clueless on convection oven .I only used a air frier before. And with price of food nobody wants to be exsperimenting with the browning .thanks again ! good job.
Thanks for the tips on placement as well as convection. I'm using a Wolf Dual Fuel which has an electric oven. I was baking tonight after watching your video and decided I needed a little browning on the top of my apple pie so went top shelf with fan - would have been great if I had stayed close and checked often but I set a 10 minute timer, walked away, and burnt my little darling a bit. So I learned to utilize the power of convection and placement and also the importance of attention and patience. As always, thanks.
This was very helpful. I recently moved into a condo with an electric range and combo oven (both new to me). I'm still learning how to use the convection option, and your information helped speed up that process. Now I know why it dried out my chicken, but makes wonderful cookies. I'm looking forward to more exploration. Thanks for the handy tips!
Thanks Helen-good content. I use a Breville Smart Oven (with convection) which has so far lasted me about 12 years (only has a finicky start button which sometimes takes a couple of pushes to get the right outcome). For cauliflower crust pizza, NO convection! Comes out with perfectly even browning and crispy crust. Most reheated foods use convection to get faster results. Banana bread, NO convection. The sugars caramelize WAY too fast and you get a burned crust. The latest ovens just use a simple timing process to start the oven hotter, ramp down after “initializing” the cooking, perhaps a ramp-up at finish for better browning (depending on whether or not a cover is used). Amazing just how much we can all learn from one another by sharing.
Thank you so much for the comment about the oven walls radiating and moving to the top or bottom rack based on where you need more browning. I never knew why some recipes say to cook on one rack VS another.
No convection fan on my electric oven. The last couple minutes of the cook, I brown with the broiler element using the second rack from the top. Of course, a keen eye and an aware nose are paramount.
Thank you for those tips. I’m always confused about this. Just upgraded to a LG convection. When I turn it to bake. I still hear a fan🤷♀️. Guess it’s time to look at the manual 😊
For pizza, I always use highest temperature (300 degrees celsius / 572 degrees farenheit on our oven), convecton fan and pizza stone, to mimic a pizza oven. Comes out perfect every time.
Thank you so much for this. It explains why my pizzas are always slightly soggy underneath with slightly burned cheese on the top. I should have realised why but never have. I'm in the UK with a British-made Belling electric convection oven that we bought new over 20 years ago. I've had to replace the top element a couple of times but it cooks at exactly the temperature it says on the dial (allowing for the 20 degrees when using the fan) and I absolutely love it.
my mother in humid florida has a new convection oven and does not know how to use it. this was very helpful and i can talk to her about it and maybe get her to watch your video. thank you!
Thank you for this information...I just bought a new oven with convection and had no idea of how and when to use it. I have a Kitchenaid Gas, and I love it.
Thank you Helen for some great tips, I just purchased a Cosori Convection Oven so Im a 66 yr old beginner here in Arizona, hoping to learn more ways of cooking on this and keeping the home cooler here in the Desert 🌵
Convection allows you to bake more than one tray of cookies, or two trays of muffins at the same time with good results. Also, uncovered meat that is convection roasted tastes so much better. I have an LG electric stove/oven with optional convection that automatically lowers the temperature 25 degrees.
Good info, I use a Electric (Induction that I LOVE) Electrolux convection. It's a beaut and has many modes. Proofing, drying, cook from zero temp, too many to name. It's been awesome. Got it for a song. It has dual fans, making these issues a little less of a problem
Thanks for this! I always wondered when to use convection so this was SUPER helpful to me. Our JennAir propane gas oven went kaput so we are using our toaster oven, air fryer and slow cooker as alternates. We dont bake much and only cook for 2 or 3 so this approach is working great for us.
I have a GE Profile gas stove (25+ years old) has convection roast and bake. Love it! Also have a newer Ninja air fryer for smaller amounts of food. As far as the right temperature settings on the oven when following recipes with no convection instructions, I first cook the recipe using their instructions. The second time I try it I adjust for what I have experienced using convection. Third time is a charm:
Thank you. I have had a convection-capable gas oven for several years and have had no idea how to use it. LG double oven range with convection only on the lower, larger oven. Now I'll start experimenting.
Hi Helen, I use an electric Miele Walloven. I almost only use the classic top and bottom heat. I use convection when I want to dry something in a very targeted waynor, as you said, in the last minutes to give a good browning Thank you very much for your great videos and greetings from Berlin. Stephan
Same but smaller version. The convection is a big help in a smaller oven and always helps in cooking on multiple trays at once. European convection (only the invisible element by the back fan heating up) doesn’t cause as much browning but is way more even from shelf to shelf.
Another thing to keep in mind about the rule of thumb that says to adjust your oven temp down 25°F for convection is that some modern ovens do this automatically. It's important to know whether or not your oven does this, because it means you might need to adjust the temperature UP to keep it at the same temp with the fan on!
Yes! I bake bacon rashers in flat rectangular glass pans, and while running convection does a great job of producing the level of even crispiness I like, the automatic reduction of 25 degrees my Bosch Electric sets up simply won't work: you can't bake bacon at 32F, it simply won't return the results I want, so I override the temperature to get back to 350F. A second point: I don't agree with Helen about Pizza: my oven dopes an outstanding job of pizza using its specific pizza mode. I think it turns on the convection fan for a limited period of time during the process, so it may be that that is the secret. In general, though, since I converted from gas to electric cooking with induction cooktop, I've had much better results with baking, especially with induction; and anybody who's made the switch to induction will already know that that is simply a joy - once you get used to the technology and the new pans you had to buy for it.
Probably a good idea to get familiar with different features of your oven and if you have a gas oven find out where the broiler is. I've seen a lot of different Broiler locations on gas stoves with some of the newer ones actually having it in the oven cavity itself the same spot in electric oven would have it.
Thank you so much! I have a new LG electric double oven/gas cooktop range, and I just don’t know when to use convection and when not to. I’m still getting used to it. When I made shortbread in it for the first time, I did not use convection, and I just couldn’t get any golden color on the top. The 2nd time I used convection, and it was much better. I can’t wait to continue experimenting.
Breville Smart Oven BOV900BSS. Bakes pizza all the way at the bottom, cooks veggies at the bottom, air fries small potatoes in the middle, broils meat at the top. It's also large enough to toast 9 slices of bread.
With the internet now I think people that write recipes should still specify whether they're using a convection oven or not. I appreciate the ones that do.
Hi Helen, I find your videos most informative. I'd like to know, when baking large pieces of meat that require long cooking time, like a whole turkey for example, would you also recommend not using convection until the last 30mins or so?
it's a good summary. i would add some technical details for those who are interested, along with some conclusions. conventional ovens employ 3 types of cooking: conduction, radiant, and convection conduction is the flow of heat from a hotter object to a cooler one when they contact each other. the burn you get on your hand when you accidentally touch something hot is an example of conduction. so is bottom browning when the food rests on something hot, like a pan or a stone or a steel radiant cooking is cooking with light. it's invisible light but it is light called infra-red. infra-red light bounces all around an oven and is absorbed by food surfaces. the light itself has no temperature but when it is absorbed it makes the surface hot. as the surface heats up, the heat conducts slowly to the inside of the food and eventually cooks it. an example of pure radiant cooking would be broiling. broiling does not brown the bottom because the bottom is shaded from the top, so normally you would flip things in a broiler if you want them to brown on both sides. hibachi and other open types of grills also use intense radiant heat to cook, though there is some conduction from the steel grate (those beautiful grill marks), and convection from hot gasses-- discussed next convection cooking involves immersing the food in a hot fluid. when the fluid is heated from below it expands and buoyancy causes it to rise, forcing cooler fluid to fall, where it gets heated at the bottom, and a cycle continues like that. the purest form of convection cooking is probably boiling. if you've ever cooked chinese wheat flour noodles you will see once they get a little soft they'll flow upwards in the center of the pot and continuously open like a flower as they rise to the surface and then fall around the sides of the pot. air is also a fluid and a similar thing happens in ovens, except your food is not floating and so it doesnt move with the flowing air. in this sense all conventional ovens are convection ovens that also use conductive and radiant cooking, but those called 'convection' ovens also use a fan to increase the movement of air, resulting in more convective cooking. with the fan on, faster moving air causes heat to exchange more quickly between the oven and the food. it's the same principle in reverse when you use a fan to cool your body, it causes heat to exchange more quickly. also note that convection, like radiant cooking, also relies on conduction from the outside to the inside of the food to cook food to its center, which is why, for example, the center of a potato cooks last this is a simplified explanation that leaves out some nuances, but it accounts for most of what is happening so when should you turn your convection fan on? if you didnt detect a clear rule on this from helen it's because there isnt one. but for most purposes i ask this question: how much do i want this food item to be cooked through conduction from the bottom up? if it's pizza, the answer is, a lot. if it's cake, the answer is, just a little. with that cake then, by turning on the convection fan it'll cook faster on the top and the sides, which reduces cooking time and leaves less time for conduction from the bottom
🤔very knowledgeable. Can you tell me why my cupcakes won’t rise, even though I tried doing conventional & turning off the conventional? And they tend to get dark on the bottom. If I turn the temp down, then they take longer to bake.
@@EstherJohnson-m1q more convection would always be better with cupcakes, tending to produce a loftier rise while avoiding bottom burn. but that's not necessarily an answer to why your cupcakes dont rise, because other factors could be involved
What a great video! Thank you! I have an IKEA wall oven (made by Whirlpool) with a convection setting. I use it only occasionally, like when I want to roast vegetables or bake fries. Unfortunately my fan is off balance or something (it was like this from the day we bought it) and the fan makes a horrible vibration noise and I don't like using it when I have company over.
My 25 year old Cuisinart countertop electric convection oven still cooks and browns skin-on chicken perfectly. Similar results to an air fryer for breaded foods, frozen french fries, etc. Perfect size for cooking for 2-4 people without using much electricity, or heating the entire kitchen in summer... lol
I am using a Miele convection oven that has settings for top or bottom heat, simple convected air or fan assisted air with a few other variables. Results are predictable: fan assisted air will brown, AND DRY the top surface and as you commented this will be more intense close to the sides and front ( door ) walls. The least affected part will be close to the fan ( back wall ). Straight convection, ie, non fan will result in even heat top and bottom but surface drying and browning will be slower. With yeast goods I have found the following works for me, with this type of home oven. To start use non fan with added moisture, spray or hot water in a bowl, for the first 1/3 of cooking/baking. then remove the moisture for a further third of cooking time, still with no fan followed by fan assisted cooking/ baking for the final third of the cooking period. Every oven I have ever used has its own 'personality' which is governed, in part by the degree of insulation and the force of the fan, cleanliness and recipe. I will not go into all the possible variables of humidity, temperature and manhandling the ingredients as these will be different in the red centre of Australia and the windy cold dry air of western Norway to say nothing of the high humidity in UK where I am now.
May I recommend using a metal grate or grill (I got mine from the hardware store). Place over a baking sheet (I use a very large cast iron skillet) preheated in the over. This radiats top and bottom evenly while allowing for the convection to pull moisture away for browning. I cook poultry and fish this way to get crispy outside with tender and moist centers. Yes, cut cooking time and use thermometer to make sure you hit the target before it gets dry. ❤️ your videos.
Thank you for such an enlightening video! My oven (Model LRE4213ST) has the convection features, and I never understood it. Thank you! Maybe I will attempt to use it!
Thank you for this guide. It has been helpful. I was wondering if you have the recipe for that delicious looking spinach pie in the video. I have never seen spinach baked that way.
I appreciate this information. I recently bought the GE cafe’. I’m impressed how well my recipes are coming out, however, there’s still much for me to learn. ☺️
I am in Spain and I have a Miele electric oven that I, indeed, almost use always with the fan as a default setting. Conventional oven is an exception for me.
I make granola each week and 275 convection for 30 minutes-stir 15 minutes makes crunchy wonderful granola. 350 convection oven for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size of potatoes) makes fantastic baked potatoes with crunchy skin and perfectly baked potato. Because I want them to be resistant starch I bake a number and cool some for another day. Salmon in the last 15-20 minutes is also delicious.
Love this video! I learned something that I had no idea about and you explained a few things that I wish I had known sooner. I have a table-top electric convection oven that I use exclusively because there's only me (and the cat and she doesn't care about which device I cook with) and, since my whole house is electric, it seems to me that using the regular electric oven for one person just wastes energy and costs more money than is necessary. I also frequently cook in my microwave, as well as the stovetop.
Very well explained and helpful advice. I own an Anova combination oven which offers 4 choices, 1. Bottom heating element, 2. Top heating element, 3. Convection centrally located heating element, 4. Steam from 0-100%. Each of the options can be used separately or together. What this does is provide an endless array of options. Your advice about convection is very helpful and explains some of the over browning on top I have experienced. In general I am very pleased with the Anova, but I rely heavily on watching the food to see if My decisions were correct. So typically, I end up removing the food earlier than expected because it has browned. I realize that an oven with steam is probably a niche item, but I would certainly be interested to know if you have any guidance about cooking with a steam oven
I always think I know most of the basics to cooking and baking, and then every single video Helen posts reminds me that I dont know crap 😂 Helen is the guardian angel of all of our kitchens
"I don't know crap" haha...that makes two of us, lol
I know right! I was like I know how to use my oven - oh actually maybe I don’t! 😂
no kidding lol! 🤣
Let's not forget convection means hot air flow. Since the hot airflow takes the vapor away form the top surface take into account that the top will not just bake more but it could dry out more significantly too.
I use convection for getting rid of excess water too! This can be really helpful when trying to brown things like zucchini before it turns to total mush.
Indeed :) I use convection most when making crackers.
@Garlarg
Your tip inadvertently saved an apple pie from being an apple disaster. Thank you.
Now I know my phone is listening. A couple hours ago I said to my son, that the oven we have has a convection option, but that I had no idea how or when to use it. And instantly here you are to answer my question!
This explains so many things that have gone wrong with my recipes. Thank you very much for just stating without embellishment and yet with a very pleasant voice the ways to cook with confection. And thank you so much for no background music!!
Convection is also useful for removing lots of moisture, which can help or hurt. For example when trying to roast bones for a stock, without a convection oven, all of the liquid releases onto the pan and pools up, and I have to wait for it to boil off. But with convection, that moisture gets wicked away as it is released, and helps lower the time it takes to get to browning. In fact, once browning begins, I'll even turn off convection so I can get more even radiant browning instead of those little burnt edges you can get from convection. Moisture control with convection is super useful. It can also create faster rises in baked goods, but dries them out more quickly.
I own a 30 yr old stand-alone Farberware. I live in S. Florida. I follow manual instructions: reduce both temp & time by 25%. Best & only convection oven I've ever purchased.
My oven has a "pizza" setting that turns on the convection, and I discovered after a while that it is best to only used it at the end, to toast the cheese a little bit and get it nice and bubbly, otherwise the cheese and topings might burn. Nice to hear that this is the right technique!
Big help here. Today I made a German style apple cake. I first used over under heat for the first 35 minutes then finished using convection for the last 10 minutes - perfect. 🤩
I use an "air fryer," and since it's really just a tabletop convection oven, I've been experimenting with the range of fan speeds, temperatures, and cook times to create beautifully browned foods that are still cooked all the way through. Having access to such high-powered convection can be quite useful, as can changing the speed of that fan!
if my oven does not have a convection fan, would buying an fir fryer be a good idea?
@@englishliterature7403
It depends a bit, on what you mainly use it for. Baking cake and bread? Pizza or such for more then one person? Large roasts? Not so much. Making roasted veggies, potato wedges or chicken/fish? Absolutely. Especially, if you only cook for one or two people. It's just super convenient for making delicious, yet healthy meals on a daily basis.
Just just chuck stuff in there and boom, dinner is ready in 20 minutes. No spattering and less smell then with a frying pan are also great advantages.
The only downside is: they take up a lot of counterspace. But that's it, really. They're really useful appliances, imo, not just some fad.
@@raraavis7782 You've nailed it. They're a small countertop convection oven. I recommend the tray-based models where you just pull out the tray and put the food in it. Do not buy the little toaster-oven like units, because you'll have to fiddle with pans and racks and they're much harder to get food in and out of and much harder to clean.
I have a large tray-based model that can be divided into two separate chambers, so I can either cook one large item in it - like a whole chicken, or a dozen cookies - or two smaller sets of items, like chicken thighs on one side and green beans on the other, a different temperatures and for different cook times.
Because they're much smaller than a traditional oven, you get a LOT more radiant heat bouncing off the walls onto your food since the food will be sitting very close to the walls. That rapidly speeds cooking and browning. The fans are also much more intense than in a convection oven. Think about how wind chill factor makes it feel colder outside in the winter - the same goes in reverse in a convection oven. The more hot air passes over the surface per second, the faster heat is transferred to the food. If you put a lot of oil on something - like breaded chicken - it'll behave as much like frying it as baking it. You can get some pretty amazing results, fast, with a lot less mess and expense.
You can also burn things to a crisp rapidly in an air fryer, so check the contents often until you get a good feel for how yours cooks.
Another great thing about them is, they use a lot less energy because of the small size, shorter cooktimes and eliminating the need to preheat in most cases (I almost never preheat, even when the recipe calls for it).
I've used air fryers for years. I recently replaced my Ninja Max with a Cosori Dual Blaze (top and bottom heating elements). It's Bake function reduces the heat generated by the top element, focusing more on the bottom one. It works great. After watching this video, I'll pay more attention to the fan speed between Air Fry and Bake settings, to see if the fan speed for Bake is reduced. i.imgur.com/Ltef7Of.jpg
@@englishliterature7403 Air fryers are great for small quantities. If you are looking to cook a large meal--say, a turkey--it won't do much. I suggest getting a Cuisinart Airfryer, which is like a toaster oven.
I like the "moving to the top shelf" trick. You get browning without using more energy. I have convection on my new KitchenAid dual-fuel (electric oven, gas range) model, but have never used it. Your comments make sense, so I may try it on some recipes. Since it's just my husband and me, I use my air fryer a lot however, and that's basically just a counter-top convection oven. It's great for making crispy garlic bread, reheating pizza, etc. without having to warm an entire oven.
An American who moved to Europe with my wife and family, thanks so much for this, very informative explanation. Makes sense to me based on my experience cooking in my convection oven. I vary on when I use convection on my personal experience with my oven. Thank you for this info!
I have a Samsung NQ70M9770D and it needed servicing. While there the tech pointed out that most modern ovens have the fan come on intermittently even when not in convection mode to speed up heating. The manual does actually allude to this.
Always a pleasure to learn something new! Thanks, coach.
Thank you so much for this explanation! I've always heard about convection making it cook more evenly or just hotter, but never about how it affects top browning. Valuable information!
I learned more in under 5 minutes than I did reading the oven manual. Miele Electric.
Im American & i moved into a new to me home about a year ago. I had no idea what that fan was for! Thank you
I have a Fisher Paykel dual fuel range. It’s my first electric oven since my childhood home. I continue to learn new oven tricks. Convection is still pretty new to me. I’d love to be more confident using the convection setting.
I have a Blue Star gas range. This is my first gas. I’m still getting used to it. Things cook very unevenly and too hot. After watching your video about the fan it makes sense. At first I didn’t use the fan and things took forever to bake. Then I noticed that the front knobs were getting way too hot and thought the lack of fan was the reason. Now I use 5he fan all the time and things get browned too quickly but the knobs are cooler lol. All this rambling to say, thank you for this information, it explains and helps a lot. I was ready to ditch this oven for an electric flattop. ❤
Thanks Sooooo Much! I'm new to convection oven use and have not used it successfully at all. Your video explained sooooo much to me. I've subscribed to you (which I never do) because you explain things soooo well. Thanks again.
Excellent discussion of the basics of convection. Thank you so much.
Very helpful! I have a convection option on my oven but have never used it as I did not have an understanding of how it worked. Now I do and will give it a go! Thank you Helen!
Her wisdom made me change my convections!
Thank you! We recently bought a convection oven and I have been using it and was wondering if I was supposed to unless the recipe specified. You've cleared that up, thank you!
Thank you for this immensely helpful video Helen. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into creating your outstanding videos to educate us home cooks. 🙏🥰
Excellent information. Not all convection ovens have the option of turning the fan off.
Since I got my new oven with convection option, I've been asking myself all those questions that you just answered today. Thank you Helen!
Very Helpful Video. You explained very nicely.. Thanks from India..
Omg you explained this so clearly. I have this setting on my oven and I’ve never used it. But I have a few recipes that this would make sense to use. Thank you beautiful lady 😊😊😊❤
too late for this Christmas but hopefully I'll use these techniques all year so I remember for next Christmas! Great video thank you!
Thank you for doing this. These questions have been bothering me since long. Never found these answers any where. Thankyou
I NEVER knew about the dangers of raw garlic under the conditions you explained. THANKS for saving us from possible sickness. I'm throwing out my old vinegrette that I made and had at room temp. LOVE your channel I just found you!
Incredibly helpful! Thank you so much! I now understand some problems I was having. I was using convection all the time and was having problems with insufficiently baked things. Loved your video
Samsung gas stove. I use my convection for a lot of my baking but I do reduce heat and increase time. This is very helpful. Thank you Helen!
Great video helen . I just ordered a ge gas convection oven .to replace a gas oven which will go on deck beside bbq for summer cooking keeping house cool .we bake 25 loaf batches of homemade bread i do pizza pies ect briskets hams and your tutorial was a good reminder for moving food up and down with rack hieght . Plus i was clueless on convection oven .I only used a air frier before. And with price of food nobody wants to be exsperimenting with the browning .thanks again ! good job.
Thanks for the tips on placement as well as convection. I'm using a Wolf Dual Fuel which has an electric oven. I was baking tonight after watching your video and decided I needed a little browning on the top of my apple pie so went top shelf with fan - would have been great if I had stayed close and checked often but I set a 10 minute timer, walked away, and burnt my little darling a bit.
So I learned to utilize the power of convection and placement and also the importance of attention and patience. As always, thanks.
This was very helpful. I recently moved into a condo with an electric range and combo oven (both new to me). I'm still learning how to use the convection option, and your information helped speed up that process. Now I know why it dried out my chicken, but makes wonderful cookies. I'm looking forward to more exploration. Thanks for the handy tips!
Thanks Helen-good content. I use a Breville Smart Oven (with convection) which has so far lasted me about 12 years (only has a finicky start button which sometimes takes a couple of pushes to get the right outcome). For cauliflower crust pizza, NO convection! Comes out with perfectly even browning and crispy crust. Most reheated foods use convection to get faster results. Banana bread, NO convection. The sugars caramelize WAY too fast and you get a burned crust. The latest ovens just use a simple timing process to start the oven hotter, ramp down after “initializing” the cooking, perhaps a ramp-up at finish for better browning (depending on whether or not a cover is used). Amazing just how much we can all learn from one another by sharing.
Great timing as I just purchased a convection capable oven and need a thorough explanation. Thank you and love your channel.
Simple & easy illustration.. 👌 thank you ❤
Very timely information. The girlfriend just bought a convection oven and we were wondering when/how to use the fan.
Thank you so much for the comment about the oven walls radiating and moving to the top or bottom rack based on where you need more browning. I never knew why some recipes say to cook on one rack VS another.
Many thanks, Dear Helen, from an old man who trusts you explicitly! [Cuisine-art counter-top convection oven]
No convection fan on my electric oven. The last couple minutes of the cook, I brown with the broiler element using the second rack from the top.
Of course, a keen eye and an aware nose are paramount.
Thank you. I have never used my convection oven as I didn't know what it did. Your video helped alot.
Thank you for those tips. I’m always confused about this. Just upgraded to a LG convection. When I turn it to bake. I still hear a fan🤷♀️. Guess it’s time to look at the manual 😊
For pizza, I always use highest temperature (300 degrees celsius / 572 degrees farenheit on our oven), convecton fan and pizza stone, to mimic a pizza oven. Comes out perfect every time.
yeah! I thought it was odd that Helen didn't want her pizza "top" "burned." Who doesn't want little bubbles and toasty cheese bits! Now I'm hungry.
@@doodaddy1454you don’t want the top ingredients burning before the crust has time to cook.
Thank you so much for this. It explains why my pizzas are always slightly soggy underneath with slightly burned cheese on the top. I should have realised why but never have.
I'm in the UK with a British-made Belling electric convection oven that we bought new over 20 years ago. I've had to replace the top element a couple of times but it cooks at exactly the temperature it says on the dial (allowing for the 20 degrees when using the fan) and I absolutely love it.
my mother in humid florida has a new convection oven and does not know how to use it. this was very helpful and i can talk to her about it and maybe get her to watch your video. thank you!
Thank you for this information...I just bought a new oven with convection and had no idea of how and when to use it. I have a Kitchenaid Gas, and I love it.
Good info, I've always wondered about the convection setting. Thanks
Thank you Helen for some great tips, I just purchased a Cosori Convection Oven so Im a 66 yr old beginner here in Arizona, hoping to learn more ways of cooking on this and keeping the home cooler here in the Desert 🌵
This is genius! I always used convection fan because my mum told me to, but now I know how to properly use it!
Convection allows you to bake more than one tray of cookies, or two trays of muffins at the same time with good results. Also, uncovered meat that is convection roasted tastes so much better. I have an LG electric stove/oven with optional convection that automatically lowers the temperature 25 degrees.
Good info, I use a Electric (Induction that I LOVE) Electrolux convection. It's a beaut and has many modes. Proofing, drying, cook from zero temp, too many to name. It's been awesome. Got it for a song. It has dual fans, making these issues a little less of a problem
Thanks for this! I always wondered when to use convection so this was SUPER helpful to me. Our JennAir propane gas oven went kaput so we are using our toaster oven, air fryer and slow cooker as alternates. We dont bake much and only cook for 2 or 3 so this approach is working great for us.
BlueStar electric. I loved this video. You’re such an inspiration to keep practicing and get better. Thank you.
There’s a rare brand. They make some really interesting stuff. The electric option is fairly new if I understand correctly.
I just purchased a new LG Gas Range with Convection option. Appreciate your explanation, as I really was clueless on how to use.
I have a GE Profile gas stove (25+ years old) has convection roast and bake. Love it! Also have a newer Ninja air fryer for smaller amounts of food. As far as the right temperature settings on the oven when following recipes with no convection instructions, I first cook the recipe using their instructions. The second time I try it I adjust for what I have experienced using convection. Third time is a charm:
Thank you. I have had a convection-capable gas oven for several years and have had no idea how to use it. LG double oven range with convection only on the lower, larger oven. Now I'll start experimenting.
Thanks for this video. Your explanation makes a lot of sense.
Thank you, very helpful !
Thank you for your explanation because I never knew how to use my convection oven.
Huge thanks for this concise and helpful explanation.
I just found your channel. I love your cooking tips, as much as your wonderful accent. I appreciate you knowledge. Thank you for all you do!
Hi Helen, I use an electric Miele Walloven. I almost only use the classic top and bottom heat. I use convection when I want to dry something in a very targeted waynor, as you said, in the last minutes to give a good browning
Thank you very much for your great videos and greetings from Berlin.
Stephan
Same but smaller version. The convection is a big help in a smaller oven and always helps in cooking on multiple trays at once. European convection (only the invisible element by the back fan heating up) doesn’t cause as much browning but is way more even from shelf to shelf.
Another thing to keep in mind about the rule of thumb that says to adjust your oven temp down 25°F for convection is that some modern ovens do this automatically. It's important to know whether or not your oven does this, because it means you might need to adjust the temperature UP to keep it at the same temp with the fan on!
Yes! I bake bacon rashers in flat rectangular glass pans, and while running convection does a great job of producing the level of even crispiness I like, the automatic reduction of 25 degrees my Bosch Electric sets up simply won't work: you can't bake bacon at 32F, it simply won't return the results I want, so I override the temperature to get back to 350F.
A second point: I don't agree with Helen about Pizza: my oven dopes an outstanding job of pizza using its specific pizza mode. I think it turns on the convection fan for a limited period of time during the process, so it may be that that is the secret.
In general, though, since I converted from gas to electric cooking with induction cooktop, I've had much better results with baking, especially with induction; and anybody who's made the switch to induction will already know that that is simply a joy - once you get used to the technology and the new pans you had to buy for it.
Yes, my Samsung oven does this.
Very helpful, thank you!
Probably a good idea to get familiar with different features of your oven and if you have a gas oven find out where the broiler is. I've seen a lot of different Broiler locations on gas stoves with some of the newer ones actually having it in the oven cavity itself the same spot in electric oven would have it.
Thank you for the short and educational video. Easy to understand.
I learned so much from this, can't wait to apply this knowledge to roasting my turkey this year.
Thank you so much! I have a new LG electric double oven/gas cooktop range, and I just don’t know when to use convection and when not to. I’m still getting used to it. When I made shortbread in it for the first time, I did not use convection, and I just couldn’t get any golden color on the top. The 2nd time I used convection, and it was much better. I can’t wait to continue experimenting.
TY for the info. Very helpful!
Could you do a video about oven temperatures and food categories and why they vary?
Thanks a lot.
Excellent and very helpful for non professional bakers. From Bangladesh.
Breville Smart Oven BOV900BSS. Bakes pizza all the way at the bottom, cooks veggies at the bottom, air fries small potatoes in the middle, broils meat at the top. It's also large enough to toast 9 slices of bread.
I put my pizzas in the middle right on the rack with no pan. Turns out awesome !
With the internet now I think people that write recipes should still specify whether they're using a convection oven or not. I appreciate the ones that do.
Hi Helen, I find your videos most informative. I'd like to know, when baking large pieces of meat that require long cooking time, like a whole turkey for example, would you also recommend not using convection until the last 30mins or so?
it's a good summary. i would add some technical details for those who are interested, along with some conclusions. conventional ovens employ 3 types of cooking: conduction, radiant, and convection
conduction is the flow of heat from a hotter object to a cooler one when they contact each other. the burn you get on your hand when you accidentally touch something hot is an example of conduction. so is bottom browning when the food rests on something hot, like a pan or a stone or a steel
radiant cooking is cooking with light. it's invisible light but it is light called infra-red. infra-red light bounces all around an oven and is absorbed by food surfaces. the light itself has no temperature but when it is absorbed it makes the surface hot. as the surface heats up, the heat conducts slowly to the inside of the food and eventually cooks it. an example of pure radiant cooking would be broiling. broiling does not brown the bottom because the bottom is shaded from the top, so normally you would flip things in a broiler if you want them to brown on both sides. hibachi and other open types of grills also use intense radiant heat to cook, though there is some conduction from the steel grate (those beautiful grill marks), and convection from hot gasses-- discussed next
convection cooking involves immersing the food in a hot fluid. when the fluid is heated from below it expands and buoyancy causes it to rise, forcing cooler fluid to fall, where it gets heated at the bottom, and a cycle continues like that. the purest form of convection cooking is probably boiling. if you've ever cooked chinese wheat flour noodles you will see once they get a little soft they'll flow upwards in the center of the pot and continuously open like a flower as they rise to the surface and then fall around the sides of the pot. air is also a fluid and a similar thing happens in ovens, except your food is not floating and so it doesnt move with the flowing air. in this sense all conventional ovens are convection ovens that also use conductive and radiant cooking, but those called 'convection' ovens also use a fan to increase the movement of air, resulting in more convective cooking. with the fan on, faster moving air causes heat to exchange more quickly between the oven and the food. it's the same principle in reverse when you use a fan to cool your body, it causes heat to exchange more quickly. also note that convection, like radiant cooking, also relies on conduction from the outside to the inside of the food to cook food to its center, which is why, for example, the center of a potato cooks last
this is a simplified explanation that leaves out some nuances, but it accounts for most of what is happening
so when should you turn your convection fan on? if you didnt detect a clear rule on this from helen it's because there isnt one. but for most purposes i ask this question: how much do i want this food item to be cooked through conduction from the bottom up? if it's pizza, the answer is, a lot. if it's cake, the answer is, just a little. with that cake then, by turning on the convection fan it'll cook faster on the top and the sides, which reduces cooking time and leaves less time for conduction from the bottom
🤔very knowledgeable. Can you tell me why my cupcakes won’t rise, even though I tried doing conventional & turning off the conventional? And they tend to get dark on the bottom. If I turn the temp down, then they take longer to bake.
@@EstherJohnson-m1q more convection would always be better with cupcakes, tending to produce a loftier rise while avoiding bottom burn. but that's not necessarily an answer to why your cupcakes dont rise, because other factors could be involved
Thanks for this very detailed explanation!!
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS AND THIS HELPS AS WE BOUGHT ONE IN SEPTEMBER BUT ARE NOT SURE HOW TO USE IT!!!
Thank-you very much for this very valuable advice. 😊
What a great video! Thank you! I have an IKEA wall oven (made by Whirlpool) with a convection setting. I use it only occasionally, like when I want to roast vegetables or bake fries. Unfortunately my fan is off balance or something (it was like this from the day we bought it) and the fan makes a horrible vibration noise and I don't like using it when I have company over.
My 25 year old Cuisinart countertop electric convection oven still cooks and browns skin-on chicken perfectly.
Similar results to an air fryer for breaded foods, frozen french fries, etc.
Perfect size for cooking for 2-4 people without using much electricity, or heating the entire kitchen in summer... lol
Mm summer kitchen heating…Thing we don’t want but get anyway!! 😅
I love your accent and good tips! Thanks
I thought "Convection" meant a SPECIAL air flow , and mine just a lowly fan, now it turns out l have a convection oven! Who knew!!!😅 thanks Helen!
I always learn something, thanks Helen.
I am using a Miele convection oven that has settings for top or bottom heat, simple convected air or fan assisted air with a few other variables.
Results are predictable: fan assisted air will brown, AND DRY the top surface and as you commented this will be more intense close to the sides and front ( door ) walls. The least affected part will be close to the fan ( back wall ).
Straight convection, ie, non fan will result in even heat top and bottom but surface drying and browning will be slower.
With yeast goods I have found the following works for me, with this type of home oven.
To start use non fan with added moisture, spray or hot water in a bowl, for the first 1/3 of cooking/baking. then remove the moisture for a further third of cooking time, still with no fan followed by fan assisted cooking/ baking for the final third of the cooking period.
Every oven I have ever used has its own 'personality' which is governed, in part by the degree of insulation and the force of the fan, cleanliness and recipe. I will not go into all the possible variables of humidity, temperature and manhandling the ingredients as these will be different in the red centre of Australia and the windy cold dry air of western Norway to say nothing of the high humidity in UK where I am now.
This is a very timely video. Thanks!
May I recommend using a metal grate or grill (I got mine from the hardware store). Place over a baking sheet (I use a very large cast iron skillet) preheated in the over. This radiats top and bottom evenly while allowing for the convection to pull moisture away for browning. I cook poultry and fish this way to get crispy outside with tender and moist centers. Yes, cut cooking time and use thermometer to make sure you hit the target before it gets dry.
❤️ your videos.
Thank you for such an enlightening video! My oven (Model LRE4213ST) has the convection features, and I never understood it. Thank you! Maybe I will attempt to use it!
Thank you for this guide. It has been helpful. I was wondering if you have the recipe for that delicious looking spinach pie in the video. I have never seen spinach baked that way.
I appreciate this information. I recently bought the GE cafe’. I’m impressed how well my recipes are coming out, however, there’s still much for me to learn. ☺️
I have wolf gas as well. I’ve had it for ten years could never go back. Wonderful stove/oven.
Love your video, all the info, and you and they way you present it!
Thank you for educating me on this!
I am in Spain and I have a Miele electric oven that I, indeed, almost use always with the fan as a default setting. Conventional oven is an exception for me.
I make granola each week and 275 convection for 30 minutes-stir 15 minutes makes crunchy wonderful granola. 350 convection oven for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size of potatoes) makes fantastic baked potatoes with crunchy skin and perfectly baked potato. Because I want them to be resistant starch I bake a number and cool some for another day. Salmon in the last 15-20 minutes is also delicious.
Love this video! I learned something that I had no idea about and you explained a few things that I wish I had known sooner.
I have a table-top electric convection oven that I use exclusively because there's only me (and the cat and she doesn't care about which device I cook with) and, since my whole house is electric, it seems to me that using the regular electric oven for one person just wastes energy and costs more money than is necessary. I also frequently cook in my microwave, as well as the stovetop.
Thanks! I always wondered what a convection oven might do.
Wow, I didn't know that. This is very useful information, thank you Helen
Very well explained and helpful advice. I own an Anova combination oven which offers 4 choices, 1. Bottom heating element, 2. Top heating element, 3. Convection centrally located heating element, 4. Steam from 0-100%. Each of the options can be used separately or together. What this does is provide an endless array of options. Your advice about convection is very helpful and explains some of the over browning on top I have experienced. In general I am very pleased with the Anova, but I rely heavily on watching the food to see if My decisions were correct. So typically, I end up removing the food earlier than expected because it has browned. I realize that an oven with steam is probably a niche item, but I would certainly be interested to know if you have any guidance about cooking with a steam oven
Steam is used to crisp up crusty artisan breads. Use it during first few minutes of baking bread.
Very helpful! Not going to use my convection for my pies this Thanksgiving. They usually get too brown on top. Thanks!