13
Using the Oven
Conventional and Convection Cooking
Because of variations in food density, surface texture and consistency, some foods may be prepared more successfully using the
conventional bake setting. For this reason, conventional baking is recommended when preparing baked goods such as custard. The
user may find other foods that are also prepared more consistently in conventional bake. This is perfectly normal. Convection cooking
is a cooking technique which utilizes fan forced air to circulate heat throughout the entire oven creating the optimum cooking
environment. Cooking with convection is intended when performing multi-rack baking and for baking heavier foods. Below are tips
which will allow you to get the best results out of your oven when cooking with convection.
• As a general rule, to convert conventional recipes to convection recipes, reduce the temperature by 25°F (-3.9°C) and the cooking
time by approximately 10 to 15%.
• Cooking times for standard baking and convection baking will be the same. However, if using convection to cook a single item or
smaller load, then it is possible to have 10-15% reduction in cooking time. (Remember convection cooking is designed for multi-
rack baking or cooking large loads.)
• If cooking items which require longer than 45 minutes, then it is possible to see a 10-15% reduction in cooking time. This is
especially true for large items cooked in the convection roast function.
• A major benefit of convection cooking is the ability to prepare foods in quantity. The uniform air circulation makes this possible.
Foods that can be prepared on two of three racks at the same time include: pizza, cakes, cookies, biscuits, muffins, rolls, and frozen
convenience foods.
• For three-rack baking, use any combination of rack positions 2, 3, 4, and 5. For two-rack baking, use rack positions 2 and 4 or
positions 3 and 5. Remember that the racks are numbered from bottom to top. See “
Oven Features
” illustration on page 18.
• Items cooked in a convection function can be easily over-baked. This being the case, it is usually a good idea to pull items out of
the oven just before they seem to be done. Items will continue to cook right after they are set out of the oven.
• Some recipes, especially those that are homemade, may require adjustment and testing when converting from standard to
convection modes. If unsure how to convert a recipe, begin by preparing the recipe in conventional bake. After achieving
acceptable results, follow the convection guidelines listed for the similar food type. If the food is not prepared to your satisfaction
during this first convection trial, adjust only one recipe variable at a time (cooking time, rack position, or temperature) and repeat
the convection test. Continue adjusting one recipe variable at a time until satisfactory results are achieved.
