Cooking with convection
Photo: Garlic Pork Roast
Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
The convection setting is quickly becoming a rule rather than an exception on most new ovens. However, this feature often goes unused because people are wary of experimenting with cooking times and temperatures that differ from their favourite recipes. To encourage use of the convection features, we have created model recipes to highlight baking recipes, vegetables, turkey and a roast of pork that demystify this energy-saving, time-efficient and effective cooking method.
Convert to convection
In a convection oven, a fan blows heated air around the food throughout the cooking process. The advantages of this are that the food cooks more quickly and evenly than in a conventional oven. As well, because the shorter cooking times and lower temperatures save energy, cooking becomes more economical. Although you should always consult the manufacturer's instructions, here are general rules when converting conventional oven recipes to convection.
• When roasting, reduce cooking time by 25 per cent and cook at the same temperature as indicated in the original recipe.
• When baking, reduce baking temperature by 25°F(13°C), especially for less than 15 minutes cooking time, and cook for the same length of time as indicated in the original recipe.
• Remember to write down the new cooking time or oven temperature on the conventional recipe for future recipe.
Recipes
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Garlic Pork Roast
To ensure that this pork roast recipe is perfectly roasted, keep in mind that a convection oven reduces roasting time by about one-quarter. For a 4 lb... -
Potato Pesto Pizza
You might think that cooking anything on the bottom rack of the oven will result in a burnt mess, but pizza needs intense heat. The base of a hot conv... -
Roasted Parsnip Soup
Chef Andrew Nicholson of Government House in Prince Edward Island serves this incredible cream soup at official functions. He garnishes the soup with ... -
Sage and Cider Roast Turkey
Turkey cooks more quickly in a convection oven than a conventional one (about an hour less) and the stuffing might not have time to reach the safe tem... -
Maple-Glazed Salmon
Linda Stephen, author of The Best Convection Oven Cookbook (Robert Rose, 2003), says that you can also use trout or salmon trout in this recipe from h... -
Multigrain Bread
You can get a perfectly lovely loaf of bread in a conventional oven, but a convection oven gives bread an even crispier crust. -
Winterberry Pie
This pie has a traditional bumbleberry-type filling using winter-available frozen fruit. Mix the juice from the fruit with morning juice or into smoot... -
Orange Butter Cookies
When making a large batch of cookies, there's no better way to bake more than one rack at once than in a convection oven. The heat and air circulation...
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