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What is a Convection Oven?

Valerie Albarda

By Valerie Albarda
Updated December 29, 2023

A convection oven is a mystery to many people. Some may have a convection setting on their existing oven and aren’t sure how to use it. In this guide we’ll tell you what a convection oven is, what sets it apart from a traditional oven, reasons for using it and when you should and shouldn’t use it.

A kitchen with sage cabinets, a stainless-steel refrigerator and a Whirlpool convection oven.

What is a Convection Oven?

A convection oven typically consists of two heating elements, one on top and one on the bottom, and one fan (or sometimes two) to circulate hot air around the inside of the baking chamber and directly onto food. This equalizes the internal temperature and helps food on each rack to cook evenly. It reduces hot and cold spots throughout the oven as compared to a conventional oven where heat rises, making foods baked on the upper portion of the oven warmer than foods placed on the lower portion.

Some convection ovens have three heating elements. This type of oven is called a true convection oven or a European convection oven. This third heating element is located behind the fan and helps food cook even more uniformly than a two-element convection oven and it may even cook food faster.

Convection ovens are available in many forms, including freestanding ranges, as well as wall ovens or built-in ovens including:

Oven features vary, including convection ovens with a warming drawer to keep hot cooked food at serving temperature, a digital display for easy reading and delay bake which lets you set a specific time for the oven to turn on by itself and, in some cases, turn off.


Good to Know

Most recipes are written for conventional ovens. Because the air circulates around the food in a convection oven, food tends to cook faster than with a conventional oven, so you should adjust your recipes to suit the shorter cooking time. While convection ovens may vary, if your oven doesn’t have a feature called "automatic convection converter" (which automatically converts the cook time and/or temperature to suit the recipe), expect to reduce the cooking time by 20 to 25 percent and/or reduce the temperature by 25 percent.

What Types of Cookware to Use in a Convection Oven

Aluminum bakeware on a counter with eggs and muffins.

Some cookware works better than others in a convection oven. Choose thinner, lightweight cookware with a high heating point to allow the heat to hit the food from all sides. Thicker pans like heavy metal or cast iron deflect heat and aren’t as effective in the oven. Good cookware materials to use include:

  • aluminum
  • clay
  • ceramic
  • stone
  • heat resistant glass

Other Types of Convection Ovens

Convection ovens allow you to cook food evenly and faster than with conventional ovens. In addition to gas and electric convection ranges, convection ovens are available in other types as well.

Microwave Convection Ovens

A GE countertop convection microwave beside canisters and salt and pepper shakers.

A microwave convection oven works much like a standard convection oven. It has an integrated fan that circulates the heat around the food so that it cooks and browns evenly. It’s a good appliance to have if you’re short on kitchen space and don’t have a conventional oven. Many microwaves have a convection setting so you can use it as a traditional microwave and a convection microwave.

Caution

Familiarize yourself with your microwave convection oven. While metal products should never be used in a traditional microwave oven, they can be used in a convection microwave. However, for proper use, you should ALWAYS follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your specific model.

Convection Toaster Oven

A stainless steel GMZR convection toaster on a counter with bread and blueberries.

A convection toaster oven also has a built-in fan to circulate heat throughout the oven. The upside to the addition of a fan is that food is prepared faster than with a conventional toaster oven. A conventional toaster oven heats food slowly using direct heat from the heating elements. It also conducts heat from the pan inside of the toaster oven and relies on the warm air inside the oven. With a convection toaster oven, the fan is key. It creates the circulation of air, keeps the heat constant and removes moisture, which is great for browning foods. With a convection toaster oven, you can expect foods to be crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Commercial Convection Oven

There isn’t much difference between a commercial convection oven and a convection oven designed for home use. Both ovens cook with the use of elements and fan(s), however commercial convection ovens are often larger, more powerful and often more durable than home convection ovens. You can install a commercial convection oven in your home, however, installing it in accordance with applicable building codes is a must.

Convection Oven vs. Conventional Oven

As previously mentioned, convection ovens have a fan which directs the heat throughout the oven cavity and cooks food from every angle. While conventional ovens also have heating elements on the top and bottom to cook, bake and roast food, they lack a fan. However, some conventional ovens have a convection setting, allowing the oven to be used as both a convection and conventional oven.

Convection Bake vs. Bake

Just as you can bake in a conventional oven, you can also bake in a convection oven. What sets the two ovens apart? Baking in a conventional oven relies on two heating elements to bake food — one on top and one on bottom. However, a conventional oven doesn’t have a fan to circulate the hot air.

Convection vs. Air Fryer

Convection ovens and air fryers work in similar ways. They both circulate hot air inside the chamber to cook food evenly and both cook food faster than a conventional oven. The difference is in the size of the appliances. Because of an air fryer’s size, you’ll likely need to cook food in batches; however, food will cook even faster in an air fryer. A convection oven can cook larger amounts of food than an air fryer.

What Foods Can Be Cooked in a Convection Oven?

A KitchenAid gas range convection oven with bread, vegetables and a roast inside.

A convection oven creates the perfect environment for food, especially those foods you want crisped and browned. It can also roast, bake and reheat. Some foods are perfect for a convection oven. 

  • If you think a fried turkey is good, wait until you try a convection oven turkey. 
  • Meats like chicken, beef tenderloin, pork shoulder, leg of lamb and more could benefit from roasting in a convection oven.
  • For flavorful crispy edges, try roasting vegetables in a convection oven. 
  • Do you want a baked potato that’s crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside? You can cook baked potatoes in a convection oven to perfection. 
  • Cookies, especially in large batches, can all be cooked evenly, even when you use more than one rack. Pies work well in a convection oven as well.
  • Convection ovens are great for reheating foods like pizza, French fries and fried chicken to crispy perfection. 
  • Convection ovens can dehydrate foods like meats, vegetables and fruits because they extract the moisture from foods.
  • Convection ovens produce crispy, crusty artisan bread with a golden exterior.

Tip

Don’t use deep pans that have high edges. The air won’t have a chance to hit all sides of the dish which can result in unevenly cooked food.

What Foods Shouldn’t Be Cooked in a Convection Oven?

Convection ovens favor foods that are better suited to a dry environment. Because a convection oven blows hot air around the oven, foods that can splatter or that are moist, delicate or very light, like custard or soufflés, should be saved for conventional ovens. Otherwise, you could end up with unevenly baked, dry food. Also steer clear of baking cakes, quick breads, flan, flaky pastries, cheesecake and meringue.

Tips for Successful Cooking in a Convection Oven

Cooking in a convection oven is easy for people who aren’t familiar with it. In just a short time, you’ll improve your cooking and baking skills, and do it in less time than with a conventional oven.

  • Ensure you’re using the correct setting on your convection oven. For example, for a whole chicken, you should set the convection to roast, whereas a batch of cookies should be set to bake.
  • Allow the oven to preheat before putting food in. If the oven isn’t at the optimum temperature, you risk food cooking unevenly.
  • Always position the oven racks the way you want before preheating as the oven heats up quickly. This avoids having to open the door and reposition the racks, which allows heat to escape.
  • Don’t overcrowd the oven. Too many dishes at one time could block the airflow, resulting in dishes that aren’t cooked uniformly.
  • When cooking a single dish, place the pan in the center of the oven to benefit from the heat all around it.
  • Don’t cover food. Covering food prevents the Maillard reaction — the chemical reaction that occurs when sugars in food are reduced, resulting in browning and deep flavoring.
  • Don’t neglect the steam feature if your convection oven has it. Steam helps retain vitamins and minerals, keeps cheesecakes from cracking and triggers the Maillard reaction. If your oven doesn’t have a steam feature, use a water bath by placing the dish of food you want to bake inside of a larger dish that contains water. This process creates moist heat and promotes even cooking.
  • Convection ovens cook and bake faster than a conventional oven. Once you’ve lowered the temperature 25 degrees Fahrenheit below what is suggested in a recipe, check on the food 10 or 15 minutes sooner than what the recipe suggests or reduce the time by 25 percent.
  • Avoid opening the oven door too often, otherwise you risk losing 50 percent of the oven’s heat and letting cold air in each time you open it.
  • A convection oven is best for crispy bread. For soft, light bread, you’re better off baking in a conventional oven.

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