Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

Baking has long since been a comfort in the home.  Today, we have options in our home ovens, but some of us don’t know or understand the difference between the types of bake settings available. Convection bake vs regular bake; how do you know which one to use?

The Difference Between Convection Bake vs Regular Bake

If you’ve been wondering what the big deal is in convection bake vs regular bake, we’ll spell it out.

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

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How does convection bake work?

So what is convection bake anyway? In a convection oven, a fan system kicks in and circulates the oven air around the food. This provides faster and more even baking.

When using the convection bake vs regular bake setting, you have to adjust the recipes a bit to ensure your desired final product.

Since convection baking is faster, lowering the oven 25 degrees and checking the food about 3/4 of the way through its cook time is a commonly preferred way to do things.

Once you get the hang of the difference between convection and regular baking, you’ll know exactly which setting to use depending on what you are cooking.

Once you try different settings… you may find convection to be your new love! Wolf, Viking, and Gaggenau make some incredibly high-quality convection ovens.

How does regular bake work?

The main difference between convection bake vs regular bake is the lack of circulating air. In a regular bake oven, there is no fan to circulate the air inside the oven.

The oven heat in a regular oven comes from the heating elements on the top and bottom of the oven cavity. This heat is not forced through the oven interior with fans, so the intensity of the heat depends on the continuity of the heating element.

Regular bake ovens use passive circulation, which just means that the air filters around the food on its own. The downside to this is that the oven can have hot spots, which makes the food cook unevenly.

Regular thermal bake ovens take a little longer to bake food since the heat is not being distributed evenly by the fans. If your heating elements are getting old, you may also find it even more difficult to maintain even temperatures in the oven.

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

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When should you use convection baking?

One of the key points to convection bake vs regular bake is the ability to choose the setting according to the type of food you’re cooking. Generally speaking, convection is fantastic for baking, roasting, and browning, and dehydrating.

Baking: Due to the even circulating temperature, baked goods cook more evenly with convection. You have to be careful to reduce the cook time by about 25 percent to avoid over drying. Cookies, pies, and breads do great with convection baking.

Roasting & Browning: Meats cooked by convection have a delightfully crisp layer on the outside while being tender and moist on the inside. You’ll love the convection roasting for vegetables too!

Dehydrating: Proper dehydrating is difficult to achieve in a regular bake oven. Then even heat of convection is perfect for dehydrating because it evenly dries out the food without burning in a fraction of the time.

Do you love your oven but need it to be serviced? Contact the Appliance Service Station and we’ll take care of you!

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Conventional ovens feature heating elements on the top and bottom of the oven cavity. Convection ovens have these elements in addition to a fan that helps circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity. This can help dishes placed on different racks bake at a similar rate. Some models also integrate a third heating element at the back of the cavity.

Although convection and conventional ovens look similar on the outside, it’s easy to see the difference between the two when you look inside. Use this guide to learn more about convection and conventional ovens to find the right one for your family’s needs.

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake
Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

What is a convection oven?

A convection oven has a fan and exhaust system that helps circulate hot air around the cavity of the oven, helping to reduce hot and cool spots and for more even results with multi-rack cooking. Convection ovens can also have a third heating element, called True Convection, to help foods cook faster by distributing hot air around the top, bottom and sides of your meal. They are ideal for roasting meats, baking and may eliminate the need to rotate your dishes in the oven.

While cooking with a convection oven, be mindful that recipe times and temperatures may need to be adjusted. Select Whirlpool® gas and electric convection ovens are equipped with a Convection Conversion feature that does the math for you and automatically adjusts the cooking time and temperature for your next meal.

What’s a conventional oven?

A conventional oven has two heating elements that heat air inside the oven. The bottom heating element is the primary source of heat and is ideal for roasting large cuts of meat, like turkey or whole chickens. The upper heating element delivers intense top-down heat and works best for broiling and browning casseroles. The middle rack may be considered the “default” position for casseroles and baked goods.

Conventional ovens do not have a fan to circulate hot air, like convection ovens, so your oven rack placement is key for quality results, and dishes may need to be rotated.

Whirlpool brand offers a wide variety of conventional gas and electric ranges, as well as wall ovens, to complement a separate cooktop.

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake
Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

What are the benefits of a convection oven vs. a conventional oven?

Depending on your family’s needs, both convection and conventional ovens can provide benefits that help keep dinner prep running smoothly and allow you to spend more time enjoying meals, rather than making them. Learn more about the advantages of a convection oven below:

  1. Ideal for multi-rack cooking; may eliminate the need to rotate dishes between oven racks
  2. Promotes browning, crisping and roasting
  3. Intense heat may help cook food faster, depending on the recipe
  4. Quick preheating
  5. Run long baking cycles without drying out foods

Explore the ranges and wall ovens from Whirlpool brand with True Convection Cooking to find the model with features you need.

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake
Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

When to use convection baking

Use the convection setting on your convection oven for most cooking, roasting and baking needs, including meats, vegetables, casseroles, cookies and pies. Convection ovens can also be used for air frying, though not for deep frying.

With convection roasting, meats like chicken and turkey can get a delicious crispy outer layer, while staying juicy on the inside. Cookies and brownies may also bake better without the need to rotate or change racks throughout the cooking cycle. For optimal results, leverage multi-rack cooking by centering your baking dishes on multiple racks within the oven cavity.

Shop Whirlpool® convection ovens and ranges

Whirlpool® convection ovens and ranges are equipped with a variety of features to help you simplify dinnertime, like True Convection Cooking that is ideal for multi-rack cooking, or Frozen Bake™ Technology that lets you skip preheating to cook frozen favorites quicker. If you are considering a convection oven, measure the cutout dimensions for wall ovens or stoves to ensure a proper fit in your kitchen. Make sure to consult the manufacturer’s recommended cut-out dimensions before you buy.

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake
Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

What are the benefits of a regular oven vs. a convection oven

A conventional oven is likely what most people are familiar with using for baking, roasting and broiling. Many convection ovens even have a setting to allow you to use it as a regular oven as well. Whirlpool brand offers a wide variety of gas and electric conventional ovens with benefits such as:

  1. More familiar functionality
  2. Most recipes are designed for these models
  3. Achieve different results based on oven rack placement
  4. Electric ovens tend to have drier heat; ideal for browning foods, like biscuits
  5. Gas ovens tend to be more humid; ideal for keeping cakes and bread moist

When to use conventional oven baking

The environment of electric and gas conventional ovens are ideal for baking a variety of desserts, such as:

  • Cakes

  • Breads

  • Custards

  • Pastries

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake
Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

Explore Whirlpool® conventional ovens and ranges

Whirlpool brand offers a wide selection of conventional ovens and ranges with features designed to help you keep dinnertime moving, like EZ-2-Lift™ Hinged Grates for easy access and quick cleanup. Find the model that helps you have meal time on your time.

Learn more about cooking in convection or regular ovens

Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake
Whats the difference between convection bake and regular bake

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Is it better to use bake or convection bake?

This causes the heat inside the oven to be drier and more evenly distributed, so dishes cooked with convection will cook about 25 percent faster than those on your oven's conventional bake setting. In addition to saving time, this makes convection cooking slightly more energy-efficient.

When should you use convection bake?

When to use convection. Convection cooking is ideal for foods that do better in a dry climate and where you want to encourage browning and crisping. So roasting meats, potatoes and vegetables are all ideal, and it's great for reheating things like fried chicken or baking pizza.

Is convection bake hotter than regular bake?

Convection ovens are hotter and cook faster than conventional ovens. They also cook more evenly thanks to some simple additions to the appliance. All of this adds up to yummier baked goods, meats and more. Here's how convection ovens work and how they compare to their more basic oven relatives.