How to Use a Convection Oven for Baking
A convection oven for baking bread is capable of turning out an evenly baked loaf that is golden brown outside and perfectly moist inside. Although relatively simple, it takes some practice to use a countertop convection oven for baking not only breads but other baked goods as well. You have to look for recipes that specifically use a convection oven rather than modify them.
A common issue of using a convection oven for pizza is the resulting pizza crust that is not as crisp as that produced by a conventional oven. You can resolve this issue by using a pizza screen or a perforated pan specifically designed to hold pizza dough; this pan allows the hot air to bake the pizza from below to make crisp crusts for, typically, two round pizzas measuring 12 inches.
Baking potatoes in convection oven models are the russet variety of the similar size, preferably medium to large size; make sure they don’t have blemishes. Place them directly on the rack and bake them for 45 minutes at 375°F, turning them halfway through the indicated baking time for even crispness and to avoid darkening them on either side. Remove when done.
Breville Smart Convection OvenIt takes around one third faster baking time when baking yams in convection oven models than doing so in a conventional oven and allows you to enjoy this lower-calorie cousin of the potato more frequently. Lower the convection oven’s rack to its lowest position to give more room for larger yams.
Preheat your countertop convection oven at 400°F on its setting and scrub the yams with a soft-bristled scrub under running tap water; make sure all the dirt is removed. Pierce the skins of the yams with a fork several times around their exterior and place them on the rack. Bake them between 45 and 60 minutes or until they feel tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
Adjusting Convection Oven Baking Times
As mentioned earlier, a convection oven cooks – and bakes – so much faster than conventional ovens, hence, the need to adjust the cooking and baking times indicated for recipes. Although using recipes specifically created for convection ovens is preferable, as mentioned earlier also, you can always convert your favorite recipes for use in your convection oven. Here’s how to do it:- Bake the recipe at the same temperature used by a conventional oven but shorten the baking time.
- Reduce temperature by at least 25 degrees but for the same length of baking time as it takes when using conventional ovens.
- The most successful procedure is to bake with both reduced temperature and shorter period of baking time.
- If you want to bake using a convection oven for cookies and the recipe calls for 12 minutes of baking time at 350°F in a conventional oven, bake your cookies instead at 350°F between nine and 10 minutes, at 325°F for 12 minutes or at 340°F for exactly 11 minutes. Take note that adjustments usually have to made for shorter times when cooking different kinds of foods.