Convection ovens were formerly the sought white whale for home chefs with a love for baking, often spoken about in reverent tones and seldom seen outside professional kitchens. Every freshly rebuilt kitchen appears to have one these days, but just because we have one doesn’t imply we know how to use it.
Do you need any pointers? Here are five tips to help you feel comfortable baking with your convection oven.
Contents
Understanding Your Convection Oven
To begin, realize that “convection” is a setting on your oven, not the oven itself, and that it is normally controlled by a switch or a button alongside the other settings. When it’s turned on, you’re baking using convection heat; when it’s turned off, it’s simply a conventional oven that bakes normally.
What happens when you turn on the convection setting? Your oven continues to heat normally, but a fan and exhaust system are activated. These blast and draw hot air through the oven and around your meal, respectively. This means that the air immediately surrounding your food stays at a highly consistent temperature, allowing it to cook more quickly and evenly. The exhaust system also draws moisture out of the oven, making food crisper and browner.
Is Convection Bake Good For Cookies?
When it comes to making cookies, there are many schools of thought.
Convection baking is preferred by some, whereas conventional baking is preferred by others.
So, which technique is the best for making cookies?
Convection baking utilizes hot air to circulate to evenly cook food. This technique is often used for huge roasts or casseroles.
Convection baking may help prevent cookies from spreading too much and becoming thin and crunchy.
Food is cooked in a traditional bake using radiant heat. This approach is often employed for tiny goods such as cookies.
Traditional baking produces more consistent cookies, although they may not be as crispy as convection baking.
So, which approach is superior for making cookies? It all comes down to personal choice.
Convection baking is usually the best option if you want thinner, crisper cookies.
However, if you want thicker, more consistent cookies, conventional baking may be best for you.
Temperature For Baking Cookies In Convection Oven
Baking cookies in a convection oven ensures that they are uniformly done, crunchy on the exterior and soft on the inside.
When baking cookies in a convection oven, the key to success is to utilize the correct temperature.
Most cookie recipes will offer you a temperature range to pick from.
However, if you’re using a convection oven, stay to the lower end of the temperature range.
This will keep your cookies from burning on the exterior while remaining uncooked in the inside.
If you’re unsure what temperature to use, start with 325°F and modify as required.
You may need to try a few batches of cookies before determining the ideal temperature for your oven.
But once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to create flawlessly cooked cookies every time!
How Long To Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies In A Convection Oven?
You’ve come to the correct spot if you’re seeking for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.
This is the greatest convection oven chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever tried.
They’re not only soft and chewy, but they also have that wonderful crispy edge we all like.
Because they’re prepared in a convection oven, they cook evenly all the way through – no more burned bottoms!
So, how long should chocolate chip cookies be baked in a convection oven? The answer could surprise you… It just takes 8-10 minutes!
Yes, these cookies are ready in a flash.
So preheat your oven and prepare to enjoy freshly cooked cookies in no time.
Is It Better To Bake Cookies In A Convection Oven Or Regular Oven?
There are advantages to baking cookies in a convection oven rather than a standard oven.
Convection ovens circulate hot air around food, allowing cookies to bake more evenly and quickly.
This is extremely useful for making huge quantities of cookies.
You may also use your oven’s convection setting to assist avoid overcooking or burning by lowering the total cooking time.
Tips for Baking with the Convection Setting
Lower the temperature by 25°F.
Because convection ovens are so effective at heating and cooking, you don’t need as high a temperature to get the same results. A decent rule of thumb is to set the oven to approximately 25°F lower than the recipe’s specified temperature.
Check food frequently toward the end of cooking.
Because of all of this efficiency, your meals will normally cook a bit faster than usual. Check on your meal midway through the suggested cooking time to assess how rapidly it seems to be cooking, and then more regularly at the finish. Use your senses rather than the timer to determine when your meal is done. As you grow accustomed to baking using the convection setting, you’ll gain a better sense of how fast particular foods cook and will be able to forecast the time with more confidence.
Don’t crowd the oven.
Because convection depends on the ability of air to circulate, avoid overloading the oven and restricting the flow of air. The food will still cook, but it will take longer and you will lose the benefit of the convection setting. It’s acceptable to bake on numerous racks, but try not to load them all the way to the top.
Use low-sided baking sheets and roasting pans.
When baking cookies or roasting vegetables, the convection setting works best if you use low-sided pans or rimless baking sheets. This improves air circulation around the dish and causes crispy foods to become even crisper. (However, for foods like casseroles and cakes, which depend on the high sides of their pans to keep their form and where crisping isn’t as necessary, this is less crucial.)
Don’t use convection for cooking cakes, quick breads, custards, or soufflés.
While these foods would benefit from a consistent heat, the movement of air from the fan and exhaust system might lead them to cook unevenly or rise less dramatically. Custards may sometimes develop an unsightly crust on the top as they dry out in the oven’s wicking action.
Conclusion
When baking cookies in a convection oven, the usual guideline is to set the oven to 25 degrees Fahrenheit lower than the recipe asks for.
As an example, if a recipe asks for baking cookies at 350°F, you would set your oven to 325°F.
Another thing to remember is that convection ovens bake things quicker, so check on your cookies a few minutes before the timer goes off.
I believe you now have a good understanding of how long to bake cookies in a convection oven.