Convection oven cooking for Steve/MA

Hi Steve :-) I'm just up the road from you in Amherst. Here is some information that I found for you on the internet. I have a countertop convection oven that I rarely use anymore since it takes up so much space. Having not used it in a long while, I wanted to check some things before I advised you regarding convection oven cooking. I did love the way baked goods (quick bread etc.) turned out and the one turkey that we used it for was wonderful. We never did it again though because the directions said to start it breast side down, then turn it over halfway through to brown it evenly. Well, it turned out great but turning it was way too tricky for me to repeat that step. Anyway, here is some info that I hope you will find helpful.

Convection Oven
Convection ovens use fans to move hot air around, which helps speed cooking times. Generally, food prepared in a convection oven cooks 25 percent faster than it would in a conventional oven. The rapid moving of hot air also browns foods more evenly, locks in juices on roasts, and eliminates the hot spots found in conventional ovens.

To convert conventional oven recipes for a convection oven - heat the convection oven to 25F lower than the recipe calls for. Also, expect food to be done in 25 percent less time than it would be in a conventional oven. Start checking for doneness about 10 minutes before the food is scheduled to be done, and even sooner for foods that cook for extended periods, such as roasts.

To choose the pans - no special pans are required for convection cooking, but baking sheets and roasting pans with low sides will allow food to cook more quickly and brown more evenly.

To roast meats by convection - place the meat directly on the oven rack and position a drip pan on the lowest rack. The forced hot air will seal the outside surface of the meat to help lock in juices. Thus, the meat will drip less and brown more evenly, so you won't need to turn it or baste it as you would in a conventional oven.

Cooking baked foods by convection - a convection oven will dry out the surface of food, creating a thicker crust on baked foods. As a general rule, use convection for breads, pies or other foods where a thicker crust is desirable. When no crust is desirable, as in cakes and rich desserts that have a high moisture and fat content, it's best to stick with conventional oven cooking. Pastries and meringues cooked by convection could set at a tilt due to circulating air currents.

Convection Oven Cooking
Convection ovens have a fan that provides continuous circulation of hot air, which cooks food more evenly and up to a third faster (even when the oven's crowded). The hot-air circulation makes convection ovens particularly suited for foods like baked goods and roasted and broiled meats and fish.

When converting a recipe from a conventional to a convection oven, reduce the temperature by 25 to 75F (follow manufacurer's instructions).

Because they heat up so fast, convection ovens usually require little or no preheating.

Unlike microwave ovens, convection ovens require no special cookware or major adjustments in cooking time or technique.

For meats and fish, the convection-oven temperature can be lowered 25F, and the roasting time decreased by 25 to 30 percent.

Convection ovens can easily overbrown baked goods, so be on the safe side and lower the oven temperature by 50 to 75F, but keep the baking time about the same

Here is a website for you to check out for cooking a turkey:

http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/cookinfo/convec.html

Here is a cookbook that you can order from Amazon for around $14.00, I think. My own feeling is that you don't really need a cookbook since you basically use a convection oven like a regular oven but lower the heat and reduce the cooking time by 1/4th to 1/3rd. If you are worried at all, use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat.

The Best Convection Oven Cookbook
by Linda Stephen