How to Preheat a Convection Oven
Convection ovens are famous for providing quick and evenly cooked food. They work way faster than conventional ovens, however, require some conditions to get the most use of them- preheating is one of them. So, you cannot miss learning how to preheat a convection oven.
Well, it’s even not something hard to do. You only need to wade through a few easy steps. And, luckily, you will find things easier since we are here with a huge explanation regarding the topic. Also, there are some additional points you should never miss before using a convection oven for the first time.
So, let’s check them out!
Why to Preheat a Convection Oven
Every convection oven needs to be preheated. Sometimes, in several modes, you will need more than one element for preheating your oven that may lead your food to burn. You will get an indication from your oven when it’s done with a preheat cycle.
It’s best to always begin with a hot oven because it gives the process better control over the heat.
So, the process of preheating an oven is for turning that oven on. Also, it lets the oven reach its desired temperature to cook. You will find requirements in many recipes to preheat your oven because ovens take a few more minutes to warm up after you turn them on.
An important note should be kept in mind that, you don’t need to preheat a convection oven to cook poultry and meat since these foods tend to be overcooked.
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How to Preheat a Convection Oven- 4 Easy Steps
Here you go with some easy steps to preheat a convection oven. No worries, it’s not a hard nut to crack!
Step 1: Read the Instruction Manual of Your Oven
The functions of a convection oven are quite different from a regular oven. So, you will find the instructions for a convection oven different from a regular oven. However, spend a few minutes looking over the owner’s manual that comes with your oven.
And, in case, you don’t have any instruction manual with your convection oven, then, you should use a search engine for reading the manual’s online version.
Step 2: Turn On The Convection Setting
It’s time to deal with the convection setting. You can do the job simply by turning a dial to convection or pressing the convection button. Some of the ovens also come with a roast or convection bake setting. Use the individual setting that works for exactly the food you are cooking.
For example, in the case of making pies, cakes, or cookies, you need to set your oven to convection bake. On the other hand, if you intend to cook a turkey or a pot roast, setting your oven to convection roast is needed.
Step 3: Preheat Your Oven to 25℉ Lower than The Traditional Oven Temperature
You need to start with a reduced temperature here because a convection oven cooks the food more evenly compared to a traditional oven. So, keep your eyes on the recipe you are intended to cook and reduce your oven’s temperature to 25℉ (basically, a bit less than your recipe calls for).
You can either turn the dial of your oven to the ideal temperature or input the required temperature into the keypad. Also, there is some convection oven in the market that can automatically adjust the temperature. Read the user’s manual carefully to get to know whether your oven can automatically adjust its temperature or not.
Step 4: Hit the Start Button
If your convection oven doesn’t automatically raise its temperature, then, you will have to press the start button. After that, your oven will start rising in temperature. And, now, you should wait for a few moments to hear a beep or see a light as an indication of your oven reaching the desired temperature.
And, yes, you are done preheating your convection oven!
Things You Should Keep in Mind While Using a Convection Oven
Just like the other kitchen appliances, convection ovens also come with their individual characteristics. However, they are not hard to use or maintain, you only need to consider a few things while using them. Such as…
- While dealing with a convection oven, you always need to set the temperature 25℉ less than the required temperature for your recipe. Well, it’s okay to have the original temperature for your convection oven but it cooks faster as well as has more efficiency to absorb heat compared to a conventional oven.
- To prevent your food from being overcooked, you must keep an eye on the food throughout the cooking time because even with the lower temperature, a convection oven cooks your food 25% quicker than a regular oven.
- For making sure that the heat is distributed more evenly, you should use pans that come with low sides while you are using them in your convection oven.
- Do not place too much food in your convection oven, it will overcrowd the oven and it cannot circular the air evenly inside.
- You can use every rack in the oven until you watch for browning. To make it clearer, if you want to cook a well-browned roast slowly, then you can turn the oven on both at the beginning and the end, as well as turn it off throughout the cooking.
- You should think about buying an oven thermometer that will make your roasting and baking even better. Through this gadget, you can be sure that there is the right temperature when you are cooking the food.
Perks of Having a Convection Oven
People have been using convection ovens for years. Although these ovens are way more expensive compared to conventional ovens, the benefits overweigh the pricing. Here are a few of the benefits of owning a convection oven:
- Convection ovens prevent uneven heating or dehydration that you may face while using a microwave.
- These ovens will lead you to have a healthier lifestyle since they work great as an alternative to frying.
- You can get a perfect, evenly-heated cooking space from convection ovens.
- Convection ovens are quick and easy to clean since they come with fewer parts as well as take up less space.
- If you are about to cook a thicker cut of meat, do not worry because convection ovens let the meat retain most of its moisture.
- These ovens work like kitchen space savers especially, when you use them with microwave ovens.
- They require comparatively a lower temperature as well as a noticeable short cooking time, so yes, they are enough energy efficient.
- You can fill your oven with so many pans, you just need to reduce the separate batches that should be needed to bake. So, convection ovens are time efficient as well.
Foods that You Should Cook in a Convection Oven
It’s important to have a clear idea about what you should cook in a convection oven and expect to get the best taste. Roasted vegetables, roasted meat, casseroles, sheet-pan dinners, toasted donuts, and multiple types of cookies are amazing for being cooked in a convection oven.
And, people often get confused thinking why they should use a convection bake or if it is worth using or not. Well, convection bake works great while it comes to roasting, browning, and quick baking. There is a perfect air circulation in convection bakes that leads to a dry, steady temperature inside.
And, if you are willing to bake a cake in your convection oven, you should set an ideal temperature (375℉). You should never bake it less while baking it more can be okay. There are some upgraded models of convection ovens that do an adjustment for you (automatically control the temperatures).
Another question that may pop up in your mind (especially if you are a pizza lover) is whether you can cook pizza in your convection oven or not. The answer is a big yes because there will be a hot air circulation in your convection oven allowing the pizza to be done from every side.
And, when it’s about turkey tales, can you cook a turkey in your convection oven? Guess the answer! Well, yes, you can use all 3 types of ovens for roasting a moist, delicious turkey only if you can carefully monitor the temperature. Keeping the temperature at 165℉ is the safest while you cook a turkey.
Moreover, you may find it confusing if you should use aluminum foil in your convection oven or not. If this bugs you, then listen, it’s totally okay to use aluminum foil in your convection oven. In fact, they are perfect for this type of oven since the foil’s low-rimmed structure lets the hot air circulate more evenly and quickly.
Should You Turn the Oven Off After Preheating?
The rule of thumb is, you should set the temperature of your oven as the need of your recipe. In case you are about to bake something delicate like cakes or cookies, it’s a must to preheat your oven.
Once your oven is preheated, determine if you need to change its temperature, turn off your oven as well as set a new temperature if needed.
How Long Should You Preheat the Oven for Cake?
When it’s about baking cakes, you should preheat the oven for 20-30 minutes according to the recommended temperature. Sounds so long? Listen, that long period will be paying off while you remove your ideally-baked cake from the oven.
Is it Harder to Use a Convection Oven Than a Conventional One?
No! Convection ovens are pretty easy to use let alone being harder to use than conventional ovens. Convection ones are nothing but an exceptional type of kitchen appliances, so, you should spend a fair amount of time learning about how they work.
However, if you once find a way to preheat a convection oven, you will find it is as comfortable as, even more, comfortable than a conventional oven. Also, you don’t need to purchase any new equipment for your new convection oven because you can use those standard tools coming with a conventional oven for your new convection oven.
But yes, you will have to purchase some shallow-sided pans for your convection oven. It’s because you will see that foods will be cooked more evenly when you use shallow-sided pans.
However, you don’t even buy them necessarily. In case, you are not interested in purchasing new bakeware, the regular baking pans or dishes you use will be okay to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Now, you may be able to explain how to preheat a convection oven since we have broken down the topic into bite-sized chunks so that you feel like it’s a piece of cake preheating your convection oven.
One constant piece of advice for no matter which kitchen appliance we talk about, you should know how to properly use, clean, and maintain it. Because it’s the way you add more days to the shelf-life of your appliances. So, try your best to follow the steps exactly how we instructed you to preheat your convection oven and you will do great.
Happy Baking!
