Overall, the convection oven setting is a great choice if you want a crisp, quick, product, but if you want your dish to maintain moisture or rise before it is finished baking, then stick with the conventional oven.
It's often recommended to use a conventional oven when baking cakes. The blown air of convection ovens may help cause lopsided results in foods like cake, souffles, custards and flans, while conventional ovens are often better at helping baked goods retain the moisture necessary in many recipes.
For a majority of bakeries or pastry shops, having a convection oven that allows for versatility and uniform baking is paramount to their success.
Professional chefs swear by the advantages of convection ovens. That's because it cooks food slightly differently. But what is a fan oven and when can you use it? Let's take a look.
Some recipes will suggest regular bake or convection, but as a general rule, don't use the convection setting for delicate desserts and pastries such as custards, souffle, chiffon and angel food cakes, to name a few.
“If you're trying to get a crispy crust, or you want some caramelization, or you want a more even bake on your pastries, that's when most people will select the convection setting.”
The Usage of Parchment Paper
A seemingly harmless sheet of parchment paper can quickly become a baking disaster in a convection oven. The force of the fan can lift the paper, causing your cookies or other baked goods to topple over.
The quick answer is, an air fryer is a simply a smaller convection oven with a catchy name. There is no actual frying going on inside an air fryer—that's because an air fryer cooks food via convection baking. So air fryers are, in essence, convection ovens.
Some recipes provide a convection oven conversion. If not, a general rule of thumb is to reduce the recipe temperature by 25°F and begin checking for doneness with 20-25% of the time left.
Cons of a Deck Oven
Commercial deck ovens are typically larger and more expensive compared to other types of ovens. They require ample space in the bakery, which may be a limitation for smaller establishments with limited square footage.
A convection oven cooks by blowing hot air all around the food with a fan with a vent allowing the air to escape. If the foil blocks or gets too close to the fan or vent, the foil could get so hot that it ends up catching fire.
An oven set too high will scorch food quickly. Troubleshooting: Use an oven thermometer to check if the temperature inside matches what you've set it to. Fixing the Issue: If the temperatures don't align, recalibrate your oven. Calibration methods vary by model, so consult your oven's manual or a professional.
One of the biggest disadvantages is that they tend to be slower to heat a space. Because they rely on air movement, it takes time for the room to reach a comfortable temperature, particularly if the room is large or has high ceilings. Additionally, convection heating can cause drafts as the warm air circulates.
Don't use convection for cooking cakes, quick breads, custards, or soufflés.
"The continual movement of the air leads to more even cooking, shorter cook times, and an all-around more efficient way to cook." The even cooking produced by a convection oven is especially useful for baked goods, but it also helps to create juicy, well-browned meat and poultry.
Do not ever use parchment or wax paper in the broiler. Despite its heat resistance, parchment paper can't handle the heat of any broiler, which can reach temperatures upward of 500°F. And wax paper? It should never come near the high heat of the oven or broiler.
When you are using a convection oven, you would need to adjust the recipes. If you don't adjust the recipe correctly, you can end up with burnt or overcooked food. Baked foods such as bread, cookies, and cakes are most susceptible to this.
In contrast, convection ovens have a fan that circulates hot air around the food, resulting in more even cooking and a faster cooking time. This fan also helps to reduce hot spots and promote browning, making it ideal for baking cookies.
Overall, the convection oven setting is a great choice if you want a crisp, quick, product, but if you want your dish to maintain moisture or rise before it is finished baking, then stick with the conventional oven.
Convection is good for:
Roasting ham, turkey, roast-ready beef cuts, and similar meats. Roasting vegetables and potatoes for an extra crisp. Cookies and muffins—especially when you have a big batch to bake at once. Pies and pastry.