Convection is a fan forced heat, which maintains a more even heat in the oven. Consequently, you bake and brown more evenly. Of course, there are a number of different types of convection.
Frigidaire DGGF3032KW - $769 |
Bosch HGS5L53UC - $1,119 |
The basic stove oven has a bottom element for baking and a element on the top for broiling. Convection is an added fan on the back wall of the oven. This fan moves the heated air continuously throughout the oven supplied by the bake and the broil element. Convection helps the oven cook more quickly, evenly and efficiently with less temperature disparity. Both time and temperature are cut using convection versus a normal cycle.
Price of Convection
The basic convection oven has reduced in price over the last ten years. The price of a convection oven is about $200 more than a basic oven. Two of the most popular stoves (above).
Bosch HGS7052UC - $1,499 |
Frigidaire FGEW3045K - $1,258 |
Another convection feature available is True Convection, also known as European Convection. This feature adds a heating element behind the fan along with the baking element and the broil element. The feature will deliver even better cooking results than standard convection because the heating element behind the fan distributes heated air throughout the oven more evenly.
Price of True Convection
You will have to purchase a top of the line range for this feature. In wall ovens the prices are pretty competitive with the others.
True vs Regular Convection
Regular convection still uses an upper or lower element with a fan assist. An example would be baking three cookie sheets at the same time. True Convection will be more even, because the heat is being blown in from the back of the range.
Wolf Wall Oven SO30/2 |
Dual convection is a newer technology first pioneered by Wolf 10 years ago. Jenn-Air has dual convection and Frigidaire has a few models as well. The fans in the Wolf turn on and off at different intervals depending on the food and mode. The others simply are on regardless of mode and mode.
Dual convection is a good consideration for people who love to cook and use diffent modes like dehydrate or proofing.
Convection is a technology worth exploring at least at the basic level. Although convection will not turn you into the next Gordon Ramsey, it will significantly help you to bake and broil more evenly.
For more information, read a Yale Cooking Buyers Guide, we have four: