Advantages of a Convection Oven

What is a Convection Oven?
The fundamental difference between the working of a convection oven and the other ovens is that the former makes use of circulated heated airflow to cook food. The layer of air that acts as an insulation around the food in commonly used ovens is stripped away in the convection ovens. It creates a 'wind chill' effect and warms the food quickly. The human body loses heat to the surroundings by means of the process called convection. The heat is lost quickly if the wind speed is greater. The convection oven uses of the same principle in cooking food. If a warm flow of air is circulated throughout the oven, it helps in cooking the food quickly. This is because the layer of insulation that develops around the food in traditional ovens is removed in this oven. The structure of a convection oven could be roughly described as that of having a heating source, 2 - 3 racks, and the provision for air to flow.

Advantages of a Convection Oven
There are many advantages this kitchen appliance offers in cooking food efficiently. Here is a list of the same:

• The most important of the advantages is the faster rate at which this over warms or cooks the food.
• The convection oven facilitates even cooking owing to heated air circulation. Thus, the position or placement or food doesn't matter for proper heating in this oven. The circulated air heats the food placed on racks, even if it is away from the source of heating.
• The temperature needed to cook the food in convection ovens is much lesser as compared to the conventional radiant ovens. The reduction in temperature needs is about 25 degrees. The time required in cooking the food is reduced by around 25% in this oven.
• The above mentioned advantages allow us to derive a conclusion that convection ovens are energy efficient.
• Cooking with the help of convection ovens retains the internal or inherent moisture present in the food. Bakery products like pies and bread turn brown quickly in convection ovens as compared to that in the traditional ovens. The internal moisture too is retained.
• The vitamins and nutrients present in the food are retained even after cooking in this cookware. This is a definite advantage over using traditional ovens or microwave ovens where nutrients are lost in the process of cooking.
• Reheating the food in radiant ovens could be difficult at times. This is because, the uneven heating in these ovens spoils the food. The food might get dehydrated, thereby reducing its quality. A convection oven overcomes the above mentioned disadvantage of a traditional oven and helps in reheating the food quickly.

How to Use a Convection Oven
To make optimum use of the efficiency of the convection ovens, one should keep two things in mind. The first thing to be considered is that these ovens could be set at temperatures that are 25 degrees lower than that required in the traditional ovens. The next thing is to set the cooking time lesser by 10 - 15 minutes than that of the traditional ovens. The above mentioned points enable us to use the convection ovens effectively.

The advantages of a convection oven over the traditional ones make it a better alternative for cooking. Although convection ovens are a bit expensive, having one at home saves your valuable time. The fact that these ovens are energy efficient makes the convection oven an environment friendly device. Thus, one should try to use convection ovens for the numerous benefits it offers.