CONVECTION BAKE VS. BAKE: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? The main difference between baking and convection bake is how heat is distributed. An air circulation system circulates air inside the oven cavity with a convection bake. While with a conventional oven, it’s just two heating elements that heat the air inside the hole.
Heating levels depend on the model, with some having a third heating element called true convection that can help certain foods cook faster than traditional thermal bake settings. If you have a convection oven or large-capacity wall oven with convection bake settings, like this model by KitchenAid brand, knowing when to use a particular baking setting for your dish can be helpful when cooking. Knowing these settings can also help achieve the perfect cooking environment for your recipe.
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WHAT IS CONVECTION BAKE?
A convection oven can help you create optimal temperatures using fan-driven heat dispersion. The fan used in a convection oven helps to evenly distribute hot air and remove excess moisture from the surface of food, creating consistent results across dishes when cooking on multiple racks.
HOW DO CONVECTION OVENS WORK?
Convection ovens, like the True Convection range from KitchenAid, use one heating element and a fan or tube positioned to deliver hot air throughout the oven cavity. Some high-end convection ovens, like this model, also feature a third heating element that can help your food cook faster than a traditional thermal-bake cycle. Unlike in a convection bake cycle, conventional ovens don’t have an air distribution system. Instead, they distribute heat via only two heating elements.
WHAT IS CONVECTION BAKE USED FOR?
People use convection ovens for recipes that could benefit from the even heat distribution of hot air circulated through a fan and the oven’s exhaust system. This is especially helpful when baking multiple batches of cookies or dishes on numerous racks, as you can achieve crispy, flavorful skins on meats and delicious caramelization on vegetables.
WHEN SHOULD I USE CONVECTION BAKE VS. BAKE TO COOK?
In addition to the even baking setting, convection bake settings are great for cooking specific recipes. Convection settings can cook a wide range of foods, including meats, vegetables, casseroles, cookies, pies, and more. Use convection bake to achieve light and flaky baked goods, or use it for cooking through layered casseroles or pasta bakes.
Using conventional oven settings, you can also use convection baking to provide the dry environment necessary to experiment with new recipes involving dry or toasted ingredients. Certain baked goods may not be well cooked using the convection setting because they’re delicate. In contrast, others are best cooked using the conventional oven settings, like cakes, quick bread, custards and other light desserts and pastries.
DOES A CONVECTION OVEN COOK FASTER?
When cooking in a convection oven, you get evenly distributed heat across the pie and a beautiful golden crust. You may indeed achieve this by baking in your conventional oven. The baking style isn’t just limited to that–it’s also used for baked goods like desserts and loaves of sourdough bread. So try out a few different types to discover the many possibilities available on convection bakes for homemade creations!
IS CONVECTION BAKE GOOD FOR PIZZA AND OTHER HOMEMADE RECIPES?
A convection oven’s even cooking, and heat distribution makes it an ideal environment for baking various dishes. With convection baking, hot air is delivered to each portion of the pizza for even cooking across the entire pie. While most conventional ovens distribute heat using the bottom heating element, this leaves the crust without targeted heat. With convection baking, you may achieve a crispier crust because of the circulated hot air inside the oven cavity. Experiment with the many cooking possibilities of convection bake by trying out recipes like baked desserts or golden, fluffy loaves of sourdough bread.
A convection oven is a great way to bake at home. The even heating distribution it provides makes it perfect for making just about anything, including pizza. It usually seasons the crust, leaving crispier pockets that are more tender and juicy than a conventional oven. So why not experiment with other recipes you’d want to make in the range, like baked desserts or fluffy sourdough bread loaf?
