Convection Ovens

[alan40]

Looking for a counter top size convection oven. I'm tired of waiting 20 minutes for my gas oven to get up to temp. Also need another cook space for pies etc. when the oven is packed with meat. So any recomendtions out there from you chefs? Looked at so many I'm almost as confused as I was when I was tractor shopping!!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif They go anywere from $79.00 to $500.00!!!! Want a good one so I can start practicing on biscuits and pies. My Mom and Dad are in Florida so Christmas and cooking are at my house this year. About the only two things I can't make like Mom is biscuits and pies. Man can she cook!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Take care!!!

 

[TCowner]

Al, I'm not exactly sure what a convection oven is vs. a traditional oven but I think that is what my brother got when he remodeled his kitchen. The result was a less than perfect thanksgiving day turkey. The turkey had a "rubber" texture to it.

I agree with the statement about your mom. My 80 year old mother can make rolls, homemade bread, pies, that the younger generation can't touch. I don't know what she does but there is no comparison. She does this with a 50 year old electric oven. By the way, she owns a microwave but rarely uses it. She also can feed 20 people with one pound of ground beef, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and some potatos. The new generation of cooks needs 2 trips to the supermarket, 3 stops at the convenience store and 3 extra helpers in the kitchen.

 

[fishman]

Alan40,

I've got a gizmo in my house called an Advantium oven. It's made by GE I think, but Sears is also selling them. Mine fits over the stove where the exhause vent is. It has the advantage of serving as a microwave, a regular oven(I'm not sure if it's convection or not, but I think it is), or it can also do something called "speedcook.

We use the microwave function all the time. We also used the oven feature to keep things warm, and occasionally to bake a pie. The carousel helps keep things nice and even. We've used the speedcook function on chickens a couple of times and the results are less than spectacular. Kind of rubbery. The food gets cooked with a combination of microwaves, heat, and halogen lighting. Where the speedcook really shines is if you want some quick hot cookies. We make our own cookie dough and freeze it, but you can also buy it. Pop it in the Advantium, and you will have hot baked cookies in under 10 minutes. You can't tell them from a regular oven for sure.

Downside is the price. Ours cost over $700, but I figured the extra oven capacity would be worth it, and it got the microwave off the counter as well. I have not regretted it.

 

[alan40]

Aren't mom's great!!!! A convection oven usually has two heating elements and a circulating fan that blows the heat around the oven. It cooks faster then a standard gas oven. Of course with my oven thats not hard.!!
Thanks for the inputs.

 

[Richard]

HI Alan..

What we have is a Whirlpool Gold (as I recall) exhaust vent over the stove that is ALSO a microwave and a convection oven.

My wife LOVES it and feels it is probably the most useful thing in the kitchen. We use it all the time to (primarily) keep things warm that are brought over by others for a group dinner, or we will use it straight out to bake something small that we dont want to use the regular (also convection) oven for.

Microwave, convection oven, exhaust fan... all in one over the stove.

The exhaust fan can be plumbed outdoors, or just circulate through the filter.

OH.. it also has a clock that blinks at me after the power goes out /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If I had to find ONE thing wrong with it that I dont like (or more probably, just dont understand since I've yet to read the owners manual)... when we go to bake something, traditionally, you turn oven to desired temp, after it reaches that temp, you place your item inside and then hit the timer.

Keeping in mind that I have never read the manual, it seems the process for this is

Hit the convection bake button... it asks what temp do you want to use (input) it then asks for how long (input). The timer function starts its countown "NOW" even though the oven is not really up to temp /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif soooooooooo I typically put 99 minutes in timer, wait for while to get upto temp then reset it all, or I just use the timer on the stove.

Maybe someday I'll get the manual out /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Richard

 

[BubbaJr]

Hi Al, When we built our new house we bought a new stove/convection oven. I don't think it heats up any faster than a normal electric oven. But it does cook faster by about 10%. The book says to reduce the time by 20%, but we've found that to be a little optimistic. We like it pretty good, and it seems to do a good job cooking most things, but until you've cooked a dish once and been happy with the results, you may have to keep an eye on it and adjust the time some.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Alan, I dont know any thing about the counter top Convection ovens as I have a full size one. You are correct they have a fan that circulates the air. The purpose is for even heat throughout the oven. A symptom winds up being a faster cook time. In regular ovens their is a huge degree of qualty variance. I have a Vikeing which is on the higher end but their are many others available. Some offer both Conventional and convection modes. Bakers overwhelmingly prefer electric for a more even tem while Chef's prefer gas for a more direct heat source. Just like any thing else they will not perform well if not cleaned or kept free of debris. A common complaint is uneven cooking, Typically there is some debris ( aluminum foil ) in the fan. This creates a uneven air flow. The same principles apply in the smaller versions. Best of Luck. Dave

 

[JJT]

I cannot speak to the counter top model, but we do have a double oven by GE - Profile series. The top oven is convection and the bottom is conventional. My wife swears by it for baking bread, pies, pastry, etc. I do know when we built the house this was the only 30inch double oven we could find in our price bracket. All the others were 27"