The Best Convection Oven Options in 2020 for the Kitchen – BobVila.com

Many ovens, toaster ovens, and microwaves have a convection setting, but sadly, many go unused. We either forget to use the setting or never knew what it was for in the first place. Convection ovens offer faster, more even cooking by using a fan and exhaust system to circulate heat through the oven. That warm, moving air keeps the temperature around the food constant, reduces cooking times, and crisps food in ways a conventional oven cant. And because cooking times are reduced, convection ovens also save energy and money.

Convection settings can be found on full-size ovens, as well as wall-mounted and microwave ovens. Convection lets you make pizza, rotisserie chicken, casseroles, and desserts in less time, but what makes a good convection oven? The following list includes a selection of the best convection ovens, each with features and functions to diversity your cooking options.

Convection ovens come in many sizes and with a wide range of features. Some are simple and straightforward, and others are 12-in-1 models with presets and accessories that let you use a variety of cooking methods.

The convection function is available in different kinds of ovens, ranging from wall ovens with 6-cubic-foot capacities to small countertop convection ovens with .5-cubic-foot capacities. Many countertop models measure size in terms of slices of breadas in how many pieces of bread the oven can toast at once. The capacity of these countertop ovens ranges from 4 to 18 slices of bread. Wall ovens and full-size ovens with a convection setting generally have a capacity of 4 to 6 cubic feet.

A good rule of thumb is to buy the largest convection oven you can afford that fits within the available space. Convection ovens rely on heat circulation to evenly cook food. The more space there is for that air to freely move and circulate, the more evenly the food cooks.

All convection ovens have a fan to circulate air. True convection ovens have a heating element near the fan to warm the air and maintain a more consistent temperature. The terms third-element and European convection mean the same thing as true convection. If youre comparing convection and true convection, true convection offers the most accurate cooking temperature.

Countertop convection ovens are typically less expensive than wall-mounted models. Theyre also portable and often come with a long list of extra functions like air frying, browning, roasting, rotisserie, and toasting. Many people use these ovens as second ovens in addition to their full-size ovens.

Wall-mounted convection ovens can be more expensive, but they are full-size ovens that can cook larger dishes and meals. Many of these ovens also function as conventional ovens, giving cooks the flexibility to make foods like bread and souffles that dont cook as well with convection.

Both countertop and wall-mounted ovens can be convection or true convection. Gas ranges may also have a convection option. However, to use it the oven must also work with electricity because gas cannot power convection.

Convection relies on a fan and exhaust system. The fan blows while the exhaust pulls the air and heat throughout the oven. As the hot air circulates around the food, it maintains the ovens temperature, reducing cooking times while crisping and browning food. True convection adds a heating element near the fan to more efficiently regulate the temperature.

Convection oven displays range from bright LED-lit buttons and backlit displays to mechanical dials with no digital display. Backlit displays are the easiest to see, with LED-lit displays and buttons coming in close behind them.

High-tech countertop convection ovens may have touch screens instead of manual dials or knobs to adjust settings, time, and temperature. In general, the more settings and presets an oven has, the higher quality and more complex its display. However, that also means its price tag is probably higher, too.

Theres a wide variety of settings on convection ovens. A simple countertop oven may roast, broil, bake, and toast. Newer models boast air frying, rotisserie, dehydrating, fermenting, and warming modes, too. Its worth spending a little more on a fancier oven if youll actually use those extra settings. If baking pizza and roasting meat and vegetables is as adventurous as your cooking gets, however, you really only need a basic convection oven that will cook enough food for your family.

Cooking modes arent the only extra settings to think about. Many convection ovens simplify your baking even further by including preset options for bagels, toast, pizza, or cookies. These settings are handy for some home cooks but may not be necessary for others. The best convection oven for your needs is one that simplifies and improves cooking youll be doing anyway, not one that complicates a simple culinary routine.

The more settings a convection oven has, the more likely it will come with extra accessories like a rotisserie fork, fry basket, one or two removable wire racks, food trays, and cookbooks. The kind of food you plan to cook in the oven should inform which accessories you prioritize; a vegetarian chef wont lose sleep if his oven doesnt accommodate two chickens on its rotisserie. If you dont think about which accessories are important to you as youre shopping for the oven, you may end up buying them later on.

Other useful oven features are timers, automatic shutoff, and interior lights. Timers and automatic shutoff features often go together: The auto-shutoff feature turns off the oven once the timer has run out. These features can save you from overdone or burned food or an oven thats left on after you leave the house.

Interior lights arent a dealbreaker, but they do make it easier for you to monitor your food as it bakesand they illuminate the oven as you are cleaning it.

The top convection oven picks offer consistent heating and convenient settings, and some have long lists of extra features. Weve included countertop and wall-mounted models, so you can find an oven that works in your available space.

Photo: amazon.com

The Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven brings Element IQ to the kitchen. This technology transfers and adjusts heat across five quartz heating elements to maintain an even temperature throughout the oven. Of course, its supported by a built-in fan that adds convection to the already effective elements. The combination results in fast, even cooking in its six-slice interior.

Among the ovens nine cooking functions are bells and whistles not found on every convection oven, like presets for cookies, pizza, bagel, and slow cook. A bright backlit LCD display is easy to read, and all the dials are simple to understand. Overall it heats quickly and evenly and brings a sense of predictability to your cooking routine.

Photo: amazon.com

The Oster comes at half the price of comparable convection ovens, but it still offers seven preset cooking functions, including favorites like toast and pizza. You can adjust the temperature or time settings to bake, roast, or brown your favorite dishes to your specifications.

The Oster heats quickly and efficiently and will help you cut your cooking times and save energy. This model comes with a baking pan and a removable crumb tray that makes cleanup simple. Two rack positions accommodate deep and shallow dishes. This Oster does the basics well, and it can cook enough food for two or three people.

Photo: amazon.com

The Osters extra-large convection oven has ample room for up to 18 slices of breadthats enough space to accommodate a whole chicken or two pizzas. We also like that it has a defrost setting and a 90-minute timer with an auto-shutoff feature.

This ovens digital display and preset buttons are intuitive: You can set the temperature and time manually or operate the oven in one of the six preset modes. It comes with two racks, a baking pan, and an integrated broiling rack so you can start cooking right away.

Photo: amazon.com

Any appliance that has multiple functions gets bonus pointssaving counter space is always welcome. This Toshiba offers the convenience of a microwave with the precision of a convection oven. With four auto-roast menus and four auto-bake menus, it really takes presets to a new level. Fear not if the foods you want to cook arent on the preset list, because this oven also has a smart sensor that monitors humidity to adjust cooking times and temperatures.

This oven is a terrific bet for families who eat meals at different times because it has a warming setting that can keep food at safe temperatures for up to 99 minutes. At cleaning time, the durable stainless steel interior is easy to wipe and resists rust and scratches. Another bonus: the Toshiba has an ECO mode to save energy and money.

Photo: amazon.com

The Breville BOV900BSS offers super convection technology. By super, the manufacturer means two speeds for the convection fan and six quartz heating elements controlled with smart Element IQ. Fan control lets you adjust the speed based on what youre cooking. Meals that dry easily can be cooked at a lower fan speed, for example. Element IQ automatically adjusts the temperature of each heating element to maintain even cooking temperatures.

This ovens large capacity and the fact that it air fries makes cooking for a crowd a cinch: It is spacious enough to hold a 14-pound turkey or even a 5-quart Dutch oven. In addition, it has 13 cooking functions that range from proofing, air frying, and cookies to dehydrating, slow cooking, and warming. This is truly a multi-use appliance that reduces cooking times and diversifies your options in the kitchen.

Photo: amazon.com

With a 60-minute timer and an auto-shutoff feature, this Cuisinart makes burnt food a thing of the past. It gives you all the benefits of a convection oven, like baking, broiling, warming, and toasting, with the added benefit of air frying. This model also has a cool toast-shade selector that browns your bread just the way you like it.

The TOA-60 comes with a baking pan, air fryer rack, and oven rack to get you cooking as soon as you open the box. Its a great option because it is simple to use, but the features it does have are actually useful.

Photo: amazon.com

The Empava wall oven is designed to maximize the use of a small under-counter space. It offers 2.3 cubic feet of cooking space and five rack positions. Sensitive-touch controls with a rotisserie setting among nine other options provide a wide range of cooking techniques.

The convection heat cuts preheat times and evenly circulates air well enough that you can cook large and small meals with equal precision. The interior is covered in an easy-to-clean stain- and heat discoloration-resistant enameled surface. Because its designed with three layers of tempered glass, its exterior remains cool to the touch. For those with bigger kitchens, this oven is also available in 30-inch and 36-inch models.

Photo: amazon.com

Minimalists will love the COSORI, which combines several functions into one versatile convection oventheres no need for a multitude of single-function appliances anymore. Its brightly lit LED display helps you see letters and digits clearly as you select presets or adjust the temperature. Some of its 12 presets are really cool, tootheres a rotisserie and warm, of course, but theres also a ferment selection.

Another advantage of this 12-in-1 is that it comes with a bunch of useful accessories including a rotisserie form and rotisserie handle, recipe book, food tray, wire rack, fry basket, and crumb tray.

There are distinct advantages to owning a convection oven rather than a conventional model:

Certain types of food do better in convection ovens than conventional ones: meat, vegetables, and anything that you cook covered works well in convection because of the even, consistent heat. Convection also speeds up the dehydration and toasting processes because the circulating air evaporates moisture.

It takes some trial and error at first, but cooking with convection can change your cooking habits for the better. Once you understand how the convection feature affects your cooking, you can speed your way through many of your favorite recipes.

A convection oven has a fan and exhaust system that pushes and pulls air through the oven. The resulting air circulation maintains an even cooking temperature that reduces cooking times. Conventional ovens rely on heat alone rather than heat and air circulation.

While there are many great countertop convection ovens on the market, the Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven is a definite standout. This oven has 10 cooking functions and an Element IQ system that maintains temperatures with a fan and five independently adjustable quartz heating elements.

The fan will run continuously as long as the oven is on the convection setting. It will turn off if the oven door is opened. Some models allow you to manually turn the convection setting on or off, which turns the fan on or off as well. That allows you to choose the cooking environment thats best for the dish youre cooking.

Convection ovens can be cleaned just like conventional ovens. Remove the racks or any other accessories and wash them with soap and water. Use an oven cleaning solution inside the oven to remove grease and buildup. Scrub spills, and return the racks to the oven when theyre clean and dry.

Flan, souffles, cakes, and breads dont do well in convection. The moving air can cause some foods like souffles to collapse. Cakes and breads often dehydrate on the inside due to the circulating air, which is why they taste better when baked in a conventional oven.

You can use ceramic, glass, aluminum, and clay cookware in a convection oven. Cookware thats thinner often works better because the heat can reach the food from all angles. You may also want to use pans and cookie sheets with lower sides to put as much of the food as possible in direct contact with the heat.

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The Best Convection Oven Options in 2020 for the Kitchen - BobVila.com