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How to Cook with Convection. [Get Confidence in the Kitchen!]

by Stephanie

How to Cook with Convection. [Get Confidence in the Kitchen!]

A couple of weeks ago during my cooking class, I talked briefly about using the convection setting on my oven. I had forgotten to pre-heat my oven for the class and I was able to pre-heat and then roast my vegetables in no time.

Someone in the class had mentioned that my oven must be fast and hot as she was still roasting.

Do you have convection? Do you use it? Do you avoid it because you don’t know what the heck to do with it?

That was me too. 

I had absolutely no clue about how to use this setting on my oven. The only time I thought about it was when I was about to cook something but had no time to figure it out.

Then one day I was watching one of my favourite cooks on Instagram, Pamela Salzman. She mentioned that if you’re going to use it, make sure to decrease the temperature of your oven by 25 degrees. 

This piqued my interest and I looked into it. I cooked a few things and after having tried it out several times, I’m now a convert!


First of All, What’s Convection?

The convection setting is found on an oven (it should be found on most newer models — I had one on my old Kitchen Aid).

The oven pulls in outside air, heats it, and then and circulates it around the food. The regular oven setting simply heats the oven without air circulation.

Both gas and electric ovens have this setting.

Convection ovens can have two or three heating elements. If you want the best ‘coverage’ for heat, look for one with three heating elements found at the top, bottom, and back of the oven.

You might notice you have two convection settings: one for baking and one for roasting. The baking setting lowers the fan speed, while the roasting setting has a higher fan speed to brown and crisp food like red meat and poultry.


What are the Benefits?

  • Pre-heat and cook much faster than a regular oven setting.
  • Improve browning and crisping of certain foods.
  • Cook greater volumes of food than regular oven settings as a result of the oven air movement.
  • Help to eliminate any ‘hot spots’ that might occur with regular heat producing a more even cooking heat.


Cooking Tips

You might still be wondering how to use this setting in real life! Here are some tips I’ve found helpful:

  • Convection can be used in two ways: if a recipe says to pre-heat your oven to a certain temperature, pre-heat it to 25 degrees less than what a recipe indicates.

    OR you can cook it for about 5-10 minutes less than the recommended time. Make sure your oven doesn’t change it automatically for you when you press the convection setting.

    For example: If a recipe says to roast vegetables at 400°F, set your oven to 375°F. Alternatively, you can keep it at 400°F, but make sure to start checking the vegetables at least 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

    Convection cooks much faster, especially if you have a smaller oven, so be sure to keep an eye out! I typically cook at a lower temperature and check the food with 5 minutes until the end of the cooking time.
  • Use a pan with low sides so the air can circulate over your food. Light-coloured aluminum pans work best to help prevent over-browning and burnt vegetables (make sure to use parchment paper, however, as you don’t want to cook directly on aluminum).
  • Don’t cover your food when using the convection setting. The purpose is to have the air hit the food to cook it faster. The oven can’t do its job if the air isn’t reaching the food.


When to Use it

  • The baking setting works best for pizza crusts, scones, and biscuits–foods that need quick heat. I also learned that if you make pies, use this setting when baking two pie crusts to help with more even baking.
  • Convection is really good for cookies, rolls, and croissants because it helps to give the food a crispy outer layer while keeping the inside fluffy.
  • Add water to a pan at the bottom of the oven if you’re making bread baked at high heat. The steam from the water helps to make a nice bread crust.
  • Use it when toasting or dehydrating.
  • Great for meats that don’t have to be cooked all the way through like beef. Convection helps to brown the meat on the outside for example, but maintain the meat’s moisture on the inside.
  • I love using it for roasting root vegetables and one pan meals. It browns the food nicely!
  • Tip! If you’re in the market for an air fryer, try the convection setting first as it uses the same technology!


When Not to Use it

  • Try not to use convection for baking quick bread, wet muffins, cakes, and sweet yeast baking however if you bake with heartier grains like I do you might be ok.

    The air from this setting can dry out the tops of cakes or create a ripple effect on them from the blowing air.

I hope this gives you the confidence to cook with convection! Try it out the next time you roast potatoes or sweet potatoes. Here’s a quick recipe for you:


Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400°F using the convection setting (I typically roast at 425°F on a regular oven setting so 400°F is 25°F less than what I usually set the oven to).

  • Chop 2-3 potatoes/sweet potatoes into 1-1.5 inch pieces (wedges are nice too).
  • Cover with salt, oregano, pepper, and 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Mix well.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes (check them at 20 minutes).
  • Top with another tablespoon of olive oil and a bit more salt when they’re done.


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Follow me on Instagram • @lealoulemonade

On Mother’s Day weekend, we hosted my family for On Mother’s Day weekend, we hosted my family for brunch. I bought a few quiches to eat for brunch mixed with bacon, croissants, and fruit.⁠
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No need to make everything from scratch friends!⁠
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According to the quiche reheat instructions, the internal temperature was to be 165° so after I baked it for about 18 minutes I checked the temp with my digital meat thermometre.⁠
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My mom’s husband looked over at me and said to her: “Look honey, she uses a thermometre too!” My mom laughed and said that her husband uses one for everything and uses a timer for all of his cooking.⁠
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When we were growing up my mom simply smelled and looked at the food to tell if it was done. ⁠
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“Mom, how do you know the turkey’s done?"⁠
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“Oh, I just know.”⁠
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My mom would smell it first in the kitchen and then she would peek at the food in the oven and decide it was done by how it looked.⁠
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It’s interesting how those experiences help us to establish what we do in our own kitchens when we start to cook for ourselves.⁠
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I use a thermometre and timer for many things, but I still use the smell and look method to help me decide if it’s done.⁠
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A balance of both of these approaches while cooking is important.⁠
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If you’re new to cooking, you might simply use a timer for a recipe, but once the timer is done, it might not be cooked all the way through. ⁠
⁠
A more experienced cook would observe that the dish is not quite browned enough and that it needs more time in the oven.⁠
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Every oven has a different temperature, so it’s important to balance that with the time. This is why I find using a thermometre really helpful. It can also prevent overcooking and drying out the food.⁠
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Chicken is notoriously overcooked because people are afraid to undercook it. ⁠
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A thermometre will tell you exactly when the chicken is finished at 165°. It stays somewhat moist and juicy at that temperature.⁠
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If you wait until it’s browned on the outside, it might be too dry to eat. Alternatively, just using a timer could result in either a dry or under-cooked chicken breast.⁠
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I made this nifty graphic you can keep handy the next time you’re cooking. Use it to cook moist meat, not dry!⁠
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xo
Happy Friday 13th!⁠ ⁠ Do you find eating salad Happy Friday 13th!⁠
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Do you find eating salads scary??? 😱⁠
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According to my highly unscientific research, there are two types of people who don’t like to eat salad:⁠
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1️⃣Those who think eating salad is boring.⁠
2️⃣Those who think that salad isn’t filling enough to be a full meal.⁠
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Ok, one more… those who don’t like eating vegetables!⁠
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If you fall into one of the first two categories, I’m here to tell you that maybe… just maybe… you’ve been making salads wrong.⁠
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I know... People don’t like to be told that what they’ve been doing is wrong (I don’t like to be told that either) but I can guarantee you that salads can be fun and filling and it’s all in how we put them together.⁠
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On the blog, I have all the tips on how to make the perfect salad just for you: ⁠
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>>https://lealoucooks.com/howtobuildasalad/⁠
>>or get the link in my profile here: @lealoucooks
I love the idea of looking into the cupboard and c I love the idea of looking into the cupboard and creating something from what seems like nothing.⁠
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I do this to use up the food I have before bringing more food into the house.⁠
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I'm not sure about you, but when I don't use up the food I have, it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and then lands right into the compost bin. ⁠
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This is one of the ways groceries can get expensive.⁠
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So before you make your next grocery list, look in the cupboards and fridge first. What do you have in there that can be used up?⁠
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Then search for a recipe that uses those ingredients.⁠
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Shop your kitchen first, then make a list.⁠
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If you have food in your house you're not sure what to do with, comment below and I'll think of what to make with it!⁠
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#mealplanning #mealplanningtips #mealhelp #dinnertime #supper #eatleftovers #fridgefood #recipes #savemoney #foodwaste⁠
This weekend is a bit of a doozy - a fun doozy!!⁠
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💛My street is hosting a giant street sale (if you're in Etobicoke you can DM me for the address).⁠
💛It's my anniversary (14 years!)⁠
💛AND it's Mother's Day (on the same day as my anniversary! Sorry hunny).⁠
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I'm hosting my sisters and mom for a brunch and I asked them what their most favourite brunch meal is to eat... I'll make the menu a combination of everything for them!⁠
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My sister asked me the question back and I, of course, thought of eggs.🥚⁠
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(Why are all of my posts about eggs??)⁠
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This photo is of a breakfast I had last week and it was so good!⁠
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💛Sourdough GF bread from @thebreadessentials⁠
💛Topped with hummus⁠
💛Topped with a yellow heirloom tomato (fun!)⁠
💛Topped with eggs (duh)⁠
💛Topped with jalapeno sheep cheese from @blythfarmcheese⁠
💛Topped with Broccoli sprouts from @livingearthtoronto⁠
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That brekky was a favourite hands-down.⁠
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Eat what you love friends! 🌱⁠

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About Stephanie

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Hey! I'm Stephanie. I'm a Writer, Culinary Nutrition Expert and Cooking Instructor helping families cook nourishing meals. Read more about me {here}.

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