Can you give me advice on baking using a convection oven on a gas stove?
Asked by
janbb (
63256)
December 12th, 2023
I’m not that happy with using the regular settings for baking pies on my gas oven. There is a convection option which might work better but I’ve no experience with it.
Can anyone give advice as to timing and settings?
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5 Answers
A rough guide for convection ovens is to reduce temperature by about 10%, or cooking time by some minutes.
It’s hard to say exactly, as it depends what you’re cooking and for how long.
Need to reduce the temp and it might cook on the outside faster than the inside, which is the case even when baking on a regular bake setting, but it will be more extreme with convection.
There will be a little trial and error. Keep a closer eye on it than usual. Check as it as baking how brown the outside is and the center.
I don’t bake with convection often. When I do I reduce 350° to 325°.
Note: some ovens automatically reduce the temperature for you. If you have your oven handbook it might have tips about convection cooking.
Convection cooks faster, and it also cooks multiple racks more evenly. So, for instance if you back three pies at once on three separate racks, the convection, swirling heat, helps bake evenly in that situation.
Just one more comment, baking is typically “better” in electric ovens. The heat is more even in electric ovens. Convection gas helps overcome this problem. This is why there are ranges (stove and oven combo appliances) that are gas stove and electric oven.
If you wind up not liking the convection, consider putting your pie higher or lower or further back in the oven, or turn it twice while baking if it is uneven. Or, lower or raise the temp you are using now. The original recipe might have been made for an electric oven or your actual temp in your oven might not be calibrated well.
Electric ovens also have dryer air than gas ovens. Playing with the temp or recipe can accommodate these differences.
Gas broiling is another story, in my opinion gas broiling is so much better than electric, and I seriously thought about two ovens for a house I built just to have both gas and electric ovens.
Our oven has 1) Convect Roast and 2) Convect Bake. Option 1 keeps the regular temp but reduces time by 20%. That results in food that looks properly baked in less time. Option 2 reduces the temp but keeps the bake time. The food comes out cooked but has minimal browning. Not visually appetizing at all. I don’t know why they have that. Maybe for baking a turkey?
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