My wife has been talking about getting a new range with a convection oven in it. Is there any real advantage to a convectiion oven, or it is just some advertising hype ?
Our daughter (which does not have one) mentioned that the cooking recipes will have to be changed when switching ovens. Anything to that ?
Any recommendations on what brand to get ? The local stores seem to have a LG on sale for around $ 700 to $ 800 and the ratings at Lowes web site is very good for about 300 ratings.
Ralph-
My old microwave has convection oven capability. I've tried it and it worked OK. As I recall, an advantage is that it pre-heats to cooking temperature more quickly, and cools down faster than a regular oven.
I was not aware that cooking time would have to be changed. I doubt anything else in a recipe would be affected.
Consumer Union's "Consumer Reports" is a good source of information. I do not trust reviews at a dealer's web site. I once left such a review that was generally positive but with one minor negative comment. A few days later the negative comment had been deleted.
Fred
We recently purchased the LG range about three months ago and the wife absolutely loves it. The oven temp stays more even throughout the oven space and the cooking temp is 25 degrees lower than with a conventional oven. And, no, the recipes do not have to be modified. Wish we had made this change years ago. One other feature that I like is that there are no knobs on the back panel. All controls are activated with push buttons instead.
Gil
When I went ot cooking school, we had two commercial convection ovens. A convection oven has an internal fan to evenly circulate the heat, be it gas or electric. IOW, no hot spots or turning baked goods to bake evenly. The fan does it for you.
Our ovens ran about 50 def F hotter when the fan was turned on. Our instructor sed most bakeries use convection ovens, but we used 'em to do roasts, also.
nb
Convection circulates the air so the contents are more uniformly exposed to it. Its particularly good for browning (a steak cooked in a microwave oven tastes like crap; in a convection oven, it tastes like "real meat").
We have a small toaster/convection oven that we use almost exclusively instead of the large oven -- for things like steak, baked potatoes, etc. (things that can benefit from a shorter and more even cook time).
By contrast, when I bake, I have to play the classic games of rotating the item halfway through the bake cycle, swapping the "bottom" sheet of cookies for the "top" sheet, etc. We had ordered a large convection oven but never got around to taking delivery -- cuz we simply use it so little.
IMO, make the purchase. You can always turn the fan off and have a conventional oven -- until you learn how the fan alters the results and the cooking times.
They work. A fan circulates the air to keep temperature even. You can also get better results on roasting if used properly. The trick is shallow roasting pans so the circulating air can reach the meat all around.
I make chicken or beef roast by setting it on a screen above the roasting pan that catches the drippings. The chicken has crispy skin all around and the meat is very juicy, not at all dried out. The pan has plenty of drippings to make gravy.
As for changing recipes, things will cook faster and can be done at lower temperatures. That said, we do meat roasts at 400 to 425 for great results.
As for brands, I don't know. We have a Bertazzoni and it is above the price you are looking at, but I'd buy it again.
Whatever your final choice, a good range can last 25+ years so get one you want to live with, even if a few dollars more.
The US trade deficit is at an all time high. Together, we can financially destroy the US, buy one made in China.
Both are just blowing hot air :)
My sister-in-law has an LG and there is one big problem with it. If you put something heavy on the rack then the rack bends falls out of the slots and everything falls to the bottom.
"I have (I believe) the exact same wall oven; this is my second one and I am about to get the third. The first one was defective--it happens sometimes and while it took a while, I was able to get a replacement from LG. The one I have has been in my kitchen since October of '09. However, about a month ago, my racks started falling off the guides. Everyone thought I was hallucinating but fall they did. They are now about 1/4" too narrow for the cavity of the oven. I called LG, they told me which repair service to call and they came Thursday. It is not my imagination, the racks no longer fit--the culprit? The self clean cycle. Who knew? I mean it is an integral part of the oven, right? Well, that is what caused it--LG is not the only manufacturer to have this problem, if you google the problem, you will see others who have had the same thing. So now am waiting to see if LG will make it right and replace the oven at no charge. I am already into it for a service call fee which I paid. But even though it is out of warranty, it does seem as though this is something that is their fault, not mine. Wish me luck and think twice before turning on that self clean feature cause if it happened to me, it could happen to you. I would guess that I have used it 3-4 times a year each year and it was only after the last time I used it that the problem occurred."
My oven manual recommends removing the racks before the self clean cycle It is not LG or a convection oven, but there must be a reason for that.
One of the ovens I have had and read the manual on says it is ok to leave the racks in but it will discolor them. So they really recommend removing them during the clean cycle.
The whole idea of it is to speed cook. Air speed breaks own the insulating layer around food items. It may also dry out some things too much.
Unfortunately, I hear some ovens do some kind of conversion to play games with my head, changing heat. That is NOT the point of air flow.
Turbo oven is the name when they first came out. Turbo oven is the correct term. Call it fan induced convection if you want. All ovens create convection regardless of fan.
A fan adds little to the cost, maybe $75 max.
A large oven is different from a little mini turbo countertop unit. A little oven usually also adds radiant heat, further speeding cooking. BUT, my over the stove combo oven does no have radiant heat. The heating element is hidden above the microwave cavity.
It takes little engineering to add fan. The brand should not matter.
Greg
How much cost it adds and how much the selling price changes can be two different things. Typically convection ovens also come with other features, not just the added fan.
Agree with the others who have said the main difference is that it results in more even heat in the oven. The recipe adjustment thing is that you can use a slightly lower temp or alternatively food will cook a little faster at the same temp.
It affects the finish on the racks and they don't slide as easily once heated to the cleaning temperature.
+1
The heat will discolor them and leave them with a bluish tint.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.