The Black and Decker convection oven works by using a fan to move hot air around the oven cavity to ensure the hot air penetrates all food surfaces and cooks faster and more evenly. As the fan circulates hot air throughout the oven, it causes food to cook faster, more evenly, and with less energy than traditional ovens.
The convection feature speeds up cooking by reducing hot and cool spots in the oven, ensuring faster and more even cooking. This is especially helpful when cooking multiple items at once or when dealing with large roasts or whole poultry.
The Black and Decker convection oven also has a unique “Rack Swap” feature that allows you to easily adjust the height of the rack in the oven, allowing you to fit larger items in the smaller oven cavity.
With a digital display, adjustable temperature control, and preset cooking functions, you can easily select the right setting for your specific needs.
What should you not bake in a convection oven?
It is generally not recommended to bake certain types of items in a convection oven, as results may vary. For example, delicate pastries, like meringues and souffles, are best baked in a regular oven as convection ovens may result in an overly crisp and brown exterior and an overcooked, dry interior.
Additionally, some cakes can be challenging to bake in a convection oven as the air circulation can make the cake rise too quickly and then collapse. Furthermore, items with a high sugar content should not be baked in a convection oven as sugar can easily burn and caramelize in the high heat of a convection oven, resulting in a burnt exterior.
Finally, any items that require an “oven-spring”, like some types of bread, may not rise sufficiently due to the altered flow of air.
Do you have to flip things in a convection oven?
It depends on the dish you are making. If you are making a dish that typically requires flipping, such as fried chicken or grilled cheese, you should definitely flip the food in a convection oven. This helps ensure even cooking and prevent sticking.
Additionally, rotating the pans or baking sheets halfway through cooking ensures the item cooks evenly on all sides. For other dishes, like pizza and cookies, flipping the food is not necessary. Instead, you should rotate the baking sheet or pan halfway through baking for more even cooking.
What does the convection button on my oven do?
The convection button on your oven is used to turn on the convection fan feature. This feature helps to circulate the hot air around the oven more evenly, resulting in faster and more consistent cooking or baking.
When using convection, the oven usually needs to be set at a lower temperature than a standard bake or roast cycle. The air is circulated by a fan, usually located at the back of the oven, and sometimes combined with a heating element.
As a result, the heat is distributed more evenly, meaning food cooks faster and more evenly than with a standard oven. Additionally, the fan will help to reduce hot and cold spots in the oven, providing more consistent results throughout the entire bake.
What is the difference between a regular toaster oven and a convection toaster oven?
The main difference between a regular toaster oven and a convection toaster oven is the way in which heat is distributed. Regular toaster ovens use a simple heating element that heats up the air within the oven and cooks your food.
This generally requires longer cooking times at lower temperatures, which could lead to uneven cooking and can often cause items to become dry or overcooked.
A convection toaster oven, on the other hand, uses fans to circulate heated air around the oven cavity. This significantly speeds up the cooking process, and allows for even cooking at higher temperatures.
Additionally, convection toaster ovens often have other useful features such as temperature controls and multiple cooking modes. Finally, convection ovens generally take up slightly less space than regular toaster ovens, making them ideal for use in smaller kitchens.
Is a convection toaster oven same as air fryer?
No, a convection toaster oven and an air fryer are not the same. Convection toaster ovens utilize a heating element and fan to circulate heated air in the oven cavity. This helps to provide even cooking on all sides of the food, and some of them can also be used to bake, reheat, toast and more.
Air fryers, on the other hand, don’t use a convection fan but rather use rapid air circulation technology to circulate hot air around food to cook it. This technology also helps to deliver a crunchy texture to food, without needing high amounts of oil.
Additionally, air fryers often include a temperature control, timer setting and pre-programmed settings for different types of food.
What are the disadvantages of a convection oven?
The main disadvantage of a convection oven is that it tends to cook food faster than a traditional oven. This can lead to overcooking unless the user is attentive. Since convection ovens rely on fans to circulate air, they also make more noise than traditional ovens, which can be disruptive in certain settings.
Additionally, due to the convective heat of the oven, food may have uneven browning or cooking on the outside before it is cooked through. Lastly, some items may not be suitable for a convection oven and require a traditional oven, such as custards, delicate sauces and foods that don’t require browning on top.
Can you use aluminum foil in a convection toaster oven?
Yes, you can use aluminum foil in a convection toaster oven. To ensure the foil doesn’t stick to your food, you should place a sheet of foil on the pan and then spray it lightly with cooking spray before laying your food down on top of it.
This also helps your food to cook evenly. However, you should avoid covering the whole inside of the toaster oven with foil as this can affect the circulation of air and cause hot spots. Additionally, you should avoid placing the foil too close to the heating elements as this could cause the foil to melt or become damaged.
Do chefs prefer convection ovens?
Generally speaking, chefs tend to prefer convection ovens over traditional ovens because they offer more even heat distribution, faster cooking times and better browning of foods. Convection ovens work by using a fan to circulate hot air around the food, which helps maintain an even temperature and eliminates hot and cold spots in the oven.
This allows for more even and consistent cooking, as well as a faster cooking time. Additionally, the circulating air can help to create a more crispy and flavorful food, due to the heightened browning.
This is especially helpful for cakes and pastries, where a golden-brown finish is desired. Therefore, convection ovens are ideal for chefs who are looking to create restaurant-quality food quickly and consistently.
Is it safe to use parchment paper in a convection oven?
Yes, it is generally safe to use parchment paper in a convection oven. Parchment paper is specifically designed for baking and is heat resistant up to 420°F (215°C). This is higher than the maximum temperature of most convection ovens, which are typically set to a maximum of 400°F (204°C).
Just make sure to position the parchment paper on an oven-safe tray so that it doesn’t get too close to the heating element. Also, remember to check the parchment paper throughout the cooking process and replace it if it starts to scorch or burn.