What’s The Difference Between a Convection Oven vs Conventional Oven?

Even though convection cooking is not a new technology, many still hesitate to purchase a convection oven. What’s the difference between convection ovens and regular ovens? Convection ovens can cook food faster and more evenly with a slightly different heating method. Learn more about a convection oven vs conventional oven so you can make the best decision for your cooking preferences. 

Convection Oven vs Conventional Oven
Pros and Cons

While convection ovens certainly have some advantages over regular models, they may not be ideal for every cuisine or household. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of a convection oven vs conventional oven but, first, here are some more details on how they work.

What is a Convection Oven vs Conventional Oven?

Conventional ovens cook food by heating the air around it. Specifically, this hot air cooks the food’s exterior. The heat from the food’s exterior then cooks the inside. Though convection ovens cook food the same way, they also have a fan that circulates the hot air during cooking. Moving air increases the force with which it contacts food, generating more heat. 

What Are the Pros & Cons of a Convection Oven?

The increased heat that’s generated from the circulating air in a convection oven has its advantages and disadvantages when cooking. 

Here are some of the pros and cons of a convection oven vs conventional oven:

Pros:

• Faster cooking times: Convection oven vs conventional oven cooking times are shorter due to the increased heat.This can decrease energy usage and wait times for busy families, while boosting efficiency.
• More even cooking: Convection ovens create a more consistent internal temperature. This consistency leaves less pockets of warm or cold air that can leave food unevenly cooked.
• Better browning and crisping: Circulating air creates a crispier and browner exterior on foods, making convection cooking ideal for baking pastries and cookies. It also enhances flavor when roasting vegetables and large cuts of meat, like beef roasts and whole turkey and chicken.
• Can cook multiple dishes at once: Loading oven racks with multiple dishes won’t decrease the internal temperature like it does in regular ovens. All dishes should be ready at the same time, making convection cooking ideal for entertaining.

Cons:

• Recipes require adjustments: The temperature and timing of most recipes are calculated in accordance with regular ovens. Most tips for using a convection oven suggest decreasing time and temperature to accommodate the increased heat. This can lead to time-consuming guesswork.
• Not ideal for all baking: The moving air in convection ovens can leave cakes and quickbreads rippled on top, while traditional breads may not rise as well. 
• Overcrowding increases cook times: Loading racks with too many dishes can block the fan, decreasing efficiency and elongating cook times. You’ll need to consult the convection oven instructions in your user manual to avoid overcrowding.
• Higher price tag: Convection ovens are more expensive than regular ovens, though their faster cook times use less energy, decreasing utility costs.

What Are the Pros & Cons of a Conventional Oven?

Conventional ovens still have certain benefits, while some features are drawbacks when compared to convection cooking.

These are the pros and cons of a conventional oven:

Pros:

• Recipes can be followed exactly: Cooking times and temperatures of most recipes are accurate, leaving no need for adjustments.
• Better for baking a wider range of foods: Cakes, quickbreads, souffles and smaller cuts of meat and fish particularly benefit from the gentler heat.  
• Greater familiarity: Cook times, temperatures and functions are recognizable to most cooks, leading to greater ease of use.
• Price: Conventional ovens are generally less expensive than convection models.

Cons:

• Uneven cooking: The stationary air inside a conventional oven can form hot or cold pockets that bake and roast unevenly.
• Longer cooking times: Conventional ovens don’t cook as quickly as convection models, elongating wait times on busy days and when entertaining.
• Cooks fewer dishes at a time: Cooking too many items decreases the oven’s temperature, elongating cooking times.

Which Type of Ovens Are Best?

In light of these pros and cons, the best type of oven is really the one that best suits your cooking needs and preferences. The faster cook times of a convection oven vs conventional oven may be best for busy families who enjoy frequent entertaining. Meanwhile, the greater baking proficiency and lower cost of regular ovens can benefit cost-conscious households that bake a wide range of items.

Whether you’re deciding between convection or conventional models or concerned about self-cleaning oven dangers, we can help. Call Caesar’s Appliance Sales and Service when you need to buy a new oven or schedule a professional repair!