My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell became
live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a long and
glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. It was replaced with a
Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine product in
the 10 days I've had it. I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.

I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking, and
the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for everything so far,
reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of thumb. So
far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent rolls -
the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the more-recessed
portions. Everything else has been fine.

Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal?
Thanks!

Art

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:11:23 GMT, (Arthur
Shapiro) wrote:
>
>Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal?
>Thanks!
>

Convect is one of those features I can live happily without. I use it
for roasting chicken, because it browns the skin beautifully. I know
some people think convect is wonderful for cookies. I'm not so sure.
I'd certainly never use it for pizza. I did it once and that was the
last time.


--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

In article >,
(Arthur Shapiro) wrote:

> My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell
> became
> live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a long and
> glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. It was replaced with a
> Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine product
> in
> the 10 days I've had it. I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
> Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>
> I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking, and
> the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for everything so far,
> reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of thumb. So
> far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent rolls
> -
> the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
> more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the more-recessed
> portions. Everything else has been fine.
>
> Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal?
> Thanks!
>
> Art

I once cooked 5 veal rib roasts at one time in a convection oven. They
were evenly browned and cooked relatively rapidly. I don't think a
conventional could touch that.

D.M.
--
greatvalleyimages.com

Arthur Shapiro wrote:
>
> My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell became
> live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a long and
> glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. It was replaced with a
> Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine product in
> the 10 days I've had it. I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
> Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>
> I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking, and
> the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for everything so far,
> reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of thumb. So
> far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent rolls -
> the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
> more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the more-recessed
> portions. Everything else has been fine.
>
> Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal?
> Thanks!
>
> Art

Convection in a full sized or commercial sized oven helps even out the
temperatures and reduce hot spots, something that is particularly
helpful when you have four sheet pans of cookies in the oven and don't
want to have to rotate them more than once during baking. On the scale
of a toaster oven, I'm not sure how much difference convection really
makes.

Arthur Shapiro wrote:
>
> I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular
> baking, and the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for
> everything so far, reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the
> general rule of thumb. So far the only thing that didn't come out
> well was a package of crescent rolls - the bottoms were somewhat
> browner than the tops and some of the more-protruding portions of
> each roll browned more than the more-recessed portions. Everything
> else has been fine.
>
> Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs.
> normal? Thanks!
>
> Art

I have a toaster/convection/baking/broiling/rotisserie countertop unit.
I've used the convection feature but can't really say I've noticed a
whole lot of difference between that and regular baking.

Dora

In article >,
(Arthur Shapiro) wrote:

> My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell
> became
> live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a long and
> glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. It was replaced with a
> Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine product
> in
> the 10 days I've had it. I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
> Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>
> I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking, and
> the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for everything so far,
> reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of thumb. So
> far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent rolls
> -
> the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
> more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the more-recessed
> portions. Everything else has been fine.
>
> Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal?
> Thanks!

I have a Black & Decker toaster oven with a convection oven feature. I
have had it for at least a year and I love it. I never use the regular
baking feature. Just the other day, I baked some chicken legs in it with
the convection oven on and they came out fantastic!

On Jan 21, 6:45*pm, sf wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:11:23 GMT, (Arthur
>
> Shapiro) wrote:
>
> >Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal? *
> >Thanks!
>
> Convect is one of those features I can live happily without. *I use it
> for roasting chicken, because it browns the skin beautifully. *I know
> some people think convect is wonderful for cookies. *I'm not so sure.
> I'd certainly never use it for pizza. *I did it once and that was the
> last time.
>
> --
> See return address to reply by email
> remove the smiley face first


I use the convection part of my oven for cookies, heating prepared
frozen foods like mini tacos, quesadillas, chicken strips, French
fries, etc.

According to my manual, what fares best with convection is anything in
a flat, shallow pan, so that's what I use it for. I generally don't
decrease the temp by 25 degrees, as it suggests - more like 10 or 15
degrees, and for my chocolate chip cookies, I bake at 325 just like I
do in the regular-heat oven. I really like the convection feature.

N.

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
...
On Jan 21, 6:45 pm, sf wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:11:23 GMT, (Arthur
>
> Shapiro) wrote:
>
> >Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs.
> >normal?
> >Thanks!
>
> Convect is one of those features I can live happily without. I use it
> for roasting chicken, because it browns the skin beautifully. I know
> some people think convect is wonderful for cookies. I'm not so sure.
> I'd certainly never use it for pizza. I did it once and that was the
> last time.
>
> --
> See return address to reply by email
> remove the smiley face first


I use the convection part of my oven for cookies, heating prepared
frozen foods like mini tacos, quesadillas, chicken strips, French
fries, etc.

According to my manual, what fares best with convection is anything in
a flat, shallow pan, so that's what I use it for. I generally don't
decrease the temp by 25 degrees, as it suggests - more like 10 or 15
degrees, and for my chocolate chip cookies, I bake at 325 just like I
do in the regular-heat oven. I really like the convection feature.

N.

There is some sort of setting on mine that automatically adjusts the
temperature that is called for, to change it to the proper convection
temperature when you change it to convection.

I just can't be bothered with that -- I know I should 'larn it.' But I go
with the setting it calls for -- so far my oven doesn't run hot, so I'm ok.

Dee Dee

Nancy2 > wrote in
:

> On Jan 21, 6:45*pm, sf wrote:
>> On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:11:23 GMT, (Arthur
>>
>> Shapiro) wrote:
>>
>> >Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs.
>> >norma
> l? *
>> >Thanks!
>>
>> Convect is one of those features I can live happily without. *I use
>> it for roasting chicken, because it browns the skin beautifully. *I
>> know some people think convect is wonderful for cookies. *I'm not so
>> sure. I'd certainly never use it for pizza. *I did it once and that
>> was the last time.
>>
>> --
>> See return address to reply by email
>> remove the smiley face first
>
>
> I use the convection part of my oven for cookies, heating prepared
> frozen foods like mini tacos, quesadillas, chicken strips, French
> fries, etc.
>
> According to my manual, what fares best with convection is anything in
> a flat, shallow pan, so that's what I use it for. I generally don't
> decrease the temp by 25 degrees, as it suggests - more like 10 or 15
> degrees, and for my chocolate chip cookies, I bake at 325 just like I
> do in the regular-heat oven. I really like the convection feature.
>
> N.
>

The concept in a convection oven is to cook using the hot fan driven air.
It works only if that fan driven air can reach the food. Think cooking
with the winds of hell and place all food items in a manor in which the
moving air has best access to those winds. So cook on raised platforms or
grills with pans under to catch any drippings.

If you use a high walled roasting pan then the meat is shielded from the
full effect of the convection oven and won't do as well.

Spatchcocked chicken comes out especially well in a convection oven.
Roast beef and lamb taste great as well. I don't roast much pork so I
have no oppinion on how it roasts pork roasts.

Baked goods come out good too.

There is a learning curve and reducing temperatures won't help you to
learn your new ovens capabilities in the long run. Better to keep
temperatures where they were and use a digital thermometer and keep a
close eye on stuff for the first while. As Judy G said this ain't Kanas,
Toto.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

On Jan 21, 4:11*pm, (Arthur Shapiro) wrote:
> My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell became
> live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a long and
> glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. *It was replaced with a
> Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine product in
> the 10 days I've had it. * I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
> Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>
> I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking, and
> the manual isn't much help. *I've used convection for everything so far,
> reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of thumb. *So
> far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent rolls -
> the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
> more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the more-recessed
> portions. *Everything else has been fine.
>
> Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal? *
> Thanks!
>
> Art

I had a hard time baking anything that requires a water bath-
custards, cheesecake, etc.-seemed to take much longer to bake.

On Jan 22, 4:23*pm, merryb > wrote:
> On Jan 21, 4:11*pm, (Arthur Shapiro) wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell became
> > live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a long and
> > glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. *It was replaced with a
> > Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine product in
> > the 10 days I've had it. * I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
> > Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>
> > I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking, and
> > the manual isn't much help. *I've used convection for everything so far,
> > reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of thumb.. *So
> > far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent rolls -
> > the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
> > more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the more-recessed
> > portions. *Everything else has been fine.
>
> > Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs. normal? *
> > Thanks!
>
> > Art
>
> I had a hard time baking anything that requires a water bath-
> custards, cheesecake, etc.-seemed to take much longer to bake.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

That's because of the process as explained by Hahabogus in this thread
- food which isn't above the edge of the pan or dish doesn't use
convection to its fullest talents.

Open roasting, cookies, anything flat on a rack or pan works great.
You're having trouble because the custards, cheesecakes, etc., are all
"sunk down" into the baking container, and the hot air doesn't reach
them. Use regular "Bake" instead for these things.

N.

Nancy2 > wrote in
:

> On Jan 22, 4:23*pm, merryb > wrote:
>> On Jan 21, 4:11*pm, (Arthur Shapiro) wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the
>> > shell
> became
>> > live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had
>> > a lon
> g and
>> > glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. *It was replaced with
>> > a Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a
>> > fine prod
> uct in
>> > the 10 days I've had it. * I haven't used the main oven in that
>> > time -
> the
>> > Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>>
>> > I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular
>> > baking,
> and
>> > the manual isn't much help. *I've used convection for everything so
>> > fa
> r,
>> > reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of
>> > thumb
> . *So
>> > far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of
>> > crescent r
> olls -
>> > the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
>> > more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the
>> > more-recesse
> d
>> > portions. *Everything else has been fine.
>>
>> > Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs.
>> > norm
> al? *
>> > Thanks!
>>
>> > Art
>>
>> I had a hard time baking anything that requires a water bath-
>> custards, cheesecake, etc.-seemed to take much longer to bake.- Hide
>> quote
> d text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> That's because of the process as explained by Hahabogus in this thread
> - food which isn't above the edge of the pan or dish doesn't use
> convection to its fullest talents.
>
> Open roasting, cookies, anything flat on a rack or pan works great.
> You're having trouble because the custards, cheesecakes, etc., are all
> "sunk down" into the baking container, and the hot air doesn't reach
> them. Use regular "Bake" instead for these things.
>
> N.
>

Convection roasting a rib roast as I type. Cooking it at 375 F in my
convection oven for ruffly 1.5 hours ...it will be on the rare side of
medium rare. I'm working evenings so lunch is my main meal and rib roast
is a favorite and allows leftover for suppers at work. I will test it
with a instant read themometer to ensure it to be in the low 140-ish F
range I prefer before resting it for 10-15 minutes. Side will be french
cut green beans. It is rather a larger roast than I normally buy but I've
fallen in love with warm roast sandwiches. And this will suply leftovers
for most of the week. And the microwave at work will warm the sliced beef
nicely for the warm beef sandwiches. I figure I'll be eating around 1pm.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
...
On Jan 22, 4:23 pm, merryb > wrote:
> On Jan 21, 4:11 pm, (Arthur Shapiro) wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the shell
> > became
> > live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had a
> > long and
> > glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. It was replaced with a
> > Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a fine
> > product in
> > the 10 days I've had it. I haven't used the main oven in that time - the
> > Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>
> > I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular baking,
> > and
> > the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for everything so far,
> > reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general rule of
> > thumb. So
> > far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of crescent
> > rolls -
> > the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
> > more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the
> > more-recessed
> > portions. Everything else has been fine.
>
> > Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs.
> > normal?
> > Thanks!
>
> > Art
>
> I had a hard time baking anything that requires a water bath-
> custards, cheesecake, etc.-seemed to take much longer to bake.- Hide
> quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

That's because of the process as explained by Hahabogus in this thread
- food which isn't above the edge of the pan or dish doesn't use
convection to its fullest talents.

Open roasting, cookies, anything flat on a rack or pan works great.
You're having trouble because the custards, cheesecakes, etc., are all
"sunk down" into the baking container, and the hot air doesn't reach
them. Use regular "Bake" instead for these things.

N.

Just thinking aloud: But doesn't using a convection keep hot/cold spots from
occurring in the oven; I think that would help all baking whether or not the
goods reach the circulating air.

Dee Dee

"Dee.Dee" > wrote in
:

>
> "Nancy2" > wrote in message
> ..
> . On Jan 22, 4:23 pm, merryb > wrote:
>> On Jan 21, 4:11 pm, (Arthur Shapiro) wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > My more than 25-year-old GE toaster oven developed a problem (the
>> > shell became
>> > live, as my wife found out the hard way!) and I decided it had had
>> > a long and
>> > glorious life and didn't need to be repaired. It was replaced with
>> > a Cuisinart bake/convection bake/broil unit, which seems to be a
>> > fine product in
>> > the 10 days I've had it. I haven't used the main oven in that time
>> > - the Cuisinart has handled everything I needed.
>>
>> > I don't yet understand when I want to use convection vs. regular
>> > baking, and
>> > the manual isn't much help. I've used convection for everything so
>> > far, reducing the temp by 25 degrees as seems to be the general
>> > rule of thumb. So
>> > far the only thing that didn't come out well was a package of
>> > crescent rolls -
>> > the bottoms were somewhat browner than the tops and some of the
>> > more-protruding portions of each roll browned more than the
>> > more-recessed
>> > portions. Everything else has been fine.
>>
>> > Can anyone share some words of wisdom about choosing convection vs.
>> > normal?
>> > Thanks!
>>
>> > Art
>>
>> I had a hard time baking anything that requires a water bath-
>> custards, cheesecake, etc.-seemed to take much longer to bake.- Hide
>> quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> That's because of the process as explained by Hahabogus in this thread
> - food which isn't above the edge of the pan or dish doesn't use
> convection to its fullest talents.
>
> Open roasting, cookies, anything flat on a rack or pan works great.
> You're having trouble because the custards, cheesecakes, etc., are all
> "sunk down" into the baking container, and the hot air doesn't reach
> them. Use regular "Bake" instead for these things.
>
> N.
>
> Just thinking aloud: But doesn't using a convection keep hot/cold
> spots from occurring in the oven; I think that would help all baking
> whether or not the goods reach the circulating air.
>
> Dee Dee
>
>
>
>

Yes it does eliminate hot/cold spots. Think about wind chill factors now
reverse it for convection ovens. The hot air speeds roasting and
baking...if the food item is exposed to that hot air...Gives you crisper
chicken skins, crackling does a nice job on breads, cookies etc. all in a
reduced time frame

But if the item is in a lided or high sided cooking vessel the timing
doesn't change from a conventional oven as you aren't getting the full
convection benifit.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

I have "hit and miss" results with our convection oven. Its
frustrating. This morning I baked a cake with fruit within it.
Original recipie called for 350 degrees, so I left it at the usual
temp and used a 13x9 standard glass baking dish. The cake would not
finish baking....I let it run 15 minutes beyond its original 30
minutes before it setup and seemed "baked". This sort of thing happens
with quiche too....I have to put bakery items back in for extended
times. Cookies seem fine. Chicken cooks fine. Any ideas? I use
glass 8x8 and 9x13 for almost all my baking.

> wrote in message
...
>I have "hit and miss" results with our convection oven. Its
> frustrating. This morning I baked a cake with fruit within it.
> Original recipie called for 350 degrees, so I left it at the usual
> temp and used a 13x9 standard glass baking dish. The cake would not
> finish baking....I let it run 15 minutes beyond its original 30
> minutes before it setup and seemed "baked". This sort of thing happens
> with quiche too....I have to put bakery items back in for extended
> times. Cookies seem fine. Chicken cooks fine. Any ideas? I use
> glass 8x8 and 9x13 for almost all my baking.
>
Are you at a high altitude?

Jill

> wrote in message
...
>I have "hit and miss" results with our convection oven. Its
> frustrating. This morning I baked a cake with fruit within it.
> Original recipie called for 350 degrees, so I left it at the
> usual
> temp and used a 13x9 standard glass baking dish. The cake
> would not
> finish baking....I let it run 15 minutes beyond its original 30
> minutes before it setup and seemed "baked". This sort of thing
> happens
> with quiche too....I have to put bakery items back in for
> extended
> times. Cookies seem fine. Chicken cooks fine. Any ideas? I
> use
> glass 8x8 and 9x13 for almost all my baking.
>

I have similar problems with my combo micro/convection. I hate
the thing,
always have to bake longer. Part of the problem could be that I
compare it
to my old Panasonic micro/convection that died after almost 15
years. I really
liked that one, worked great. Don't know if the newer Panasonics
work the same way, I couldn't find one locally but think I start
looking. I know they're a bit expensive but.... I like a smaller
oven for smaller baking jobs though the old
could handle a 10 lb turkey easily. Anything larger & it goes in
the stove oven.

In article
>,
wrote:

> I have "hit and miss" results with our convection oven. Its
> frustrating. This morning I baked a cake with fruit within it.
> Original recipie called for 350 degrees, so I left it at the usual
> temp and used a 13x9 standard glass baking dish. The cake would not
> finish baking....I let it run 15 minutes beyond its original 30
> minutes before it setup and seemed "baked". This sort of thing happens
> with quiche too....I have to put bakery items back in for extended
> times. Cookies seem fine. Chicken cooks fine. Any ideas? I use
> glass 8x8 and 9x13 for almost all my baking.

I can tell you what *my* problem is. I've cooked with a conventional
oven all my life. I've had a Jenn-Air convection oven for twenty years,
and all I do is screw up things that I cook with convection. But I only
do it once since I know how to do it the old way. And I rarely bake.
I won't take the time to learn about it because I don't have to.

leo

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:26:09 -0800, Leonard Blaisdell
> wrote:

>I can tell you what *my* problem is. I've cooked with a conventional
>oven all my life. I've had a Jenn-Air convection oven for twenty years,
>and all I do is screw up things that I cook with convection. But I only
>do it once since I know how to do it the old way. And I rarely bake.
>I won't take the time to learn about it because I don't have to.

We've had a Jenn-Air double oven at least 10 years. The upper oven
can be convect or regular. I have learned what not to cook on
convect, but I love it when I want my chicken skin to be crispy and
brown (vertical stand) or I'm in baking casseroles like chicken
tetrazzini where everything is already cooked but I want it to heat up
quickly.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

: I have "hit and miss" results with our convection oven. Its
: frustrating. This morning I baked a cake with fruit within it.
: Original recipie called for 350 degrees, so I left it at the usual
: temp and used a 13x9 standard glass baking dish. The cake would not
: finish baking....I let it run 15 minutes beyond its original 30
: minutes before it setup and seemed "baked". This sort of thing happens
: with quiche too....I have to put bakery items back in for extended
: times. Cookies seem fine. Chicken cooks fine. Any ideas? I use
: glass 8x8 and 9x13 for almost all my baking.

Try turning on the convection fan next time. Baking at the same
temperature will result in shorter baking times when using convection.