Convection ovens are by far the most popular ovens in Australia. They are a verstaile oven that often have a number of settings for various types of cooking. A fan or fans placed in the in the back of the oven moves the heated air around in the oven compartment, this allows the hot air in the oven to be distributed more evenly. The food inside your oven is insulated by a thin layer of air. The fans force the air around the oven removing the thin cool air and this creates a faster cooking time.

Some advantages of a Convection Oven are:

• food is cooked more evenly.
• faster cooking.
• even cooking on top middle or bottom racks.
• less burning.

Tips for cooking in a convection oven:
Lower the temprature of your cooking by 25 degrees less than in a regular oven, also cut the cook time down by up to20 percent.  Always use good quality baking pans. Pans with low sides help the air circulate more freely. The fans in a convection oven can be strong so if you are covering foods with a backing paper or a foil weigh the paper down so they dont blow around inside your oven.

What about Convection Microwave Ovens?
A convection microwave is a combination of a microwave and convection oven. You can usually run them sepratly or at the same time depending on what your cooking. Microwaves are often used for convience as they are the fastest form of cooking.  As microwaves only heat the fluid in the food it can often leave the food soggy or with poor texture. Finishing off with the convection part of your microwave/convection oven will leave you with much tastier results.

Do you have any tips on how to create the pefect dish in a convection oven or convection microwave oven? Leave a comment below!