Convection Oven Cooking Time For TurkeyWhats a Convection Oven, and When Do I Use It If youre fortunate enough to have a convection setting on your oven, you may still be scratching your head, wondering how its different from a regular oven. Should you bake with convection all the time, or are there times when its better than the normal setting Lets find out what convection really is, talk about when to use it, and more importantly, when not to use it. What Is Convection Very simply put, a convection oven has a fan and exhaust system that a regular oven does not. The fan and exhaust help blow hot oven air over and around the food, then vent it back out. As a result, this hot air surrounds the food so that it cooks evenly and more quickly. A great way to describe this comes from Fine Cooking To help understand this, consider wind chill When cold air blows against you on a blustery winter day, you feel colder more quickly than you do on a windless day of the same temperature. Corned Beef And Cabbage Recipe. The same applies with heat and convection cooking Why Should You Use ConvectionConvection Oven Cooking Times For TurkeyIt cooks faster Because hot air is blowing directly onto food instead of just surrounding it, food cooks about 2. It cooks more evenly Regular ovens can have hot spots, depending on where the heating element is, but the fan in a convection oven will circulate the air to help even out the temperature variances. Its better at browning Air in a regular oven can become a bit humid, as moisture cant escape. Convection creates a dry atmosphere that caramelizes the sugars faster when roasting, so foods like meats and vegetables get browner, but the interiors stay moist. It saves energy Because food cooks faster in a convection oven, and generally at a lower temperature, its a bit more energy efficient than a regular oven. When Should You Use the Convection Setting and When Should You Use the Regular Oven Setting Because there are so many benefits to convection, youre probably wondering why most convection ovens still have a regular oven setting. Depending on what youre making, there are instances when you actually dont want a fan circulating hot air around. When to Use the Convection Setting. Any time youre roasting Foods that are roasted, like meats and vegetables, really benefit from convection cooking. They cook faster, more evenly, and the drier environment yields crispy skin and caramelizes exteriors much better. When baking pies and pastries Convection heat melts fat and creates steam faster, which helps create more lift in pie doughs and pastries like croissants. When making lots of cookies Convection allows you to bake more than one tray of cookies at a time evenly without the need to rotate them partway through baking. Any time youre making something thats cooked with a cover If youre covering up the food with a lid, like a braise, or covering a casserole dish with foil, moisture loss is not an issue, so you might as well cook on convection since itll cook faster. Convection Oven Cooking Times Turkey' title='Convection Oven Cooking Times Turkey' />When youre toasting or dehydrating When you toast or dehydrate food, the goal is to remove moisture as quickly as possible, so convection is more efficient than regular. When Not to Use the Convection Setting. The fan becomes a liability around delicate foods that start out as batter and set while cooking. Blowing air on these foods can create lopsided results. Dont use convection when making these foods. Convection Conversion made easy automatically convert any recipe to a convection oven recipe. Convection ovens may be gas or electric. The difference between a convection oven and a traditional oven radial or thermal is that the convection oven has the added bonus of a fan. The fan circulates the hot air, resulting in more even cooking, browning, and crisping. Make the most of the space in your kitchen and put that oftforgotten oven to work tonight. Custards and flans. Souffles. Cakes. Quickbreads. Breads While some argue that convection creates even browning and a great crust, others say that it dries out the interior of the bread. The choice here is really up to you. How to Use the Convection Setting. If youve decided to use the convection setting, here are a few things to keep in mind. Lower the temperature Lower the recommended oven temperature by 2. F. Check earlier Because food cooks more quickly on convection, check on it two thirds or three quarters of the way through the recommended cooking time and make any necessary adjustments. Make sure air can circulate Convection is only effective if the air can circulate well over the food. Use trays, roasting pans, and baking pans with lower sides, and dont cover the oven shelves with foil. Dont be afraid of your convection oven embrace this great feature Play around with it and youll probably be amazed by the results. Article Better Cooking Through a Convection Oven Hot air circulating through your oven cooks food more evenly, at lower temperatures, and often with better and. For holiday cooking, convection is a big help, once you know what the pros know. Consumer Reports and Susan Reid offer tips on cooking in a convection oven. Tips for Baking with the Convection Setting. Lower the temperature by 25F. Because heating and cooking is so efficient in a convection oven, you usually dont. Shop for convection cooking oven at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup.