Food cooks faster in a convection oven than in a conventional oven, because a convection oven has at least one built-in fan that circulates hot air around the food. If cooking in a convection oven is new to you, you'll need to experiment a little and adjust the cooking times and, in some cases, temperatures of your favorite recipes. Does this Spark an idea?
First Things First
Gourmet Sleuth suggests that before you start cooking with your convection oven, you consult the manufacturer's guide for recommendations. If you don't have a guide, you can usually get one from the manufacturer's website or by mail. The guide will include general recommendations for adjusting cooking times and temperatures, as well as helpful tips.
Baking Cookies and Breads
Consumer Reports recommends baking cookies and breads for the time specified in the recipe, but at 25 degrees lower than the recommended temperature. Gourmet Sleuth, on the other hand, suggests that you reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and then set your kitchen timer for a period 10 to 25 percent shorter than the recipe specifies.
Baking Cakes
Dense or large cakes may not bake any faster in a convection oven. Gourmet Sleuth recommends turning the heat down a little more than 25 percent for these items. Smaller or lighter cakes also may take the same length of time as in a conventional oven.
Roasting Meats
Both Gourmet Sleuth and Consumer Reports advise using the specified temperature to roast meats while reducing the cooking time by about 25 percent. If you're cooking a big roast like a stuffed turkey, you'll need to drop the temperature by 25 percent and be prepared for the roast to take almost the same amount of time as it would in a conventional oven.
Pay Attention
Above all, the key to learning to cook successfully in a convection oven is paying close attention at the outset. As Consumer Reports observes, the best way to learn the ropes with your new appliance is to use it for some recipes you know well. That way, you'll immediately learn how much faster your lasagna cooks in your convection oven, and you can use that information to adjust the cooking times of other dishes.
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