Convection ovens

[MullahElRon]

Anybody using one at home? I see them showing up in the ranges at Sears an' Best Buy for $700-800. Got any real world experience or advice?

[TwoShot]

We had one a few years back. Liked it ok if ya got the room to set it upp.made good food, but when one part goes bad it prett well kills the whole thing. A regular oven and a 100:00 Dollar micro is a lot cheaper.

[cvann]

We have two at home:

Kenmore Elite convection range - I love the oven (5/5), give the range an okay (3.8/5) due to uneven flame pattern on big burner. The nice thing about convection ovens is that after you get them to temp, you can use all the space in the oven without worrying about hotspots. I have four 9X13's stuffed in there for holiday meals.

Kenmore Elite micro\convection oven - is okay in micro or combination mode, but it sucks in pure convection mode. The 1200 Watt electric element doesn't get it done. Not worth it.

I will probably spring for a open style Viking if I ever need another range.

[Blackdog]

I will probably spring for a open style Viking if I ever need another range.

Top shelf there.

[cvann]

Top shelf there.

they're nice fo sho - but a Wolf will cost ya another $2k on top of the Viking.... :puking:

[cohutt]

I have a KitchenAid one with a warming drawer underneath.

I insisted on convection after using the commercial one at my church while being the reigning biscuit king of the congregation.

Worth having- you can cook a lot of stuff hotter since it is even heat distribution much. It gives it a hella good restaurant taste that you can't get at lower temps.
I do lightly brined turkeys at 450 in about 90 minutes and they are cooked and juicy throughout with a perfect glaze on them.

Also makes for excellent french bread loaves if'n you're into that too

yum
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Bread/Bread015.jpg


http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Bread/Bread017.jpg

[Dark Horse]

After using Convection Ovens at school and work, too many years ago. I love them. Even temp - no hot spots makes using them a dream.
I've wanted the stone floored one from the Bakery forever, but make do with some Unglazed Quarry tile a 24x24 that was cut to fit. Now I just need to get steam injection for Bread :)

A little info that seems to surprise some folks, a residential convection ovens can be quite a bit smaller that a regular 30" range oven due to the fan taking up space.

[MullahElRon]

I have a KitchenAid one with a warming drawer underneath.

I insisted on convection after using the commercial one at my church while being the reigning biscuit king of the congregation.

Worth having- you can cook a lot of stuff hotter since it is even heat distribution much. It gives it a hella good restaurant taste that you can't get at lower temps.
I do lightly brined turkeys at 450 in about 90 minutes and they are cooked and juicy throughout with a perfect glaze on them.

Also makes for excellent french bread loaves if'n you're into that too

yum
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Bread/Bread015.jpg


http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Bread/Bread017.jpg
Oh man... http://i28.tinypic.com/2gwestt.gif

Thanks fo' the reports!

[Blackdog]

Also makes for excellent french bread loaves if'n you're into that too


I am now.

[cohutt]

full instructions

http://www.saveourskills.com/how-to-bake-standing-french-loaves-from-scratch

[BigSlick]

Induction stove tops are the bomb - depending on which one you get.

New(est) gen units will take a full pot of tap water to a rolling boil in 90 seconds and are cool to the touch. You can lay a paper towel on a burner cranked up to max and it won't even singe.

Downside; your cooking pots and pans have to have at least some iron/copper content, so, pure stainless and aluminum is out, as is glass.

http://theinductionsite.com/

Convection ovens are incredible nice. Like cohutt says, you can gen some serious heat - enough heat to really cook with instead of just dry something out over time.

As far as Viking/Wolf goes, my next oven is going to be gas burners (8) with an electric oven. Broiler will definitely be gas.

Gas ovens tend to introduce water vapor into the process. Some might argue, this can be good, but I think not. This is one reason every cooking direction on the planet suggests letting your oven preheat before tossing in your roadkill. Electric isn't as bad in this respect. Convection ovens are better yet because the fan really almost eliminates any vapor except what's coming off the food, or you add in the form of steam.

Best bet, call a couple of local appliance repair places and ask them what's the best bang for the bucks where longevity and function are concerned. Those guys see the same problems with the same crap products on a daily basis and will likely be able to offer you some sound info.

Check Sears in your area for an outlet store, scratch and dent kind of place. Most medium or larger cities have at least one in the area. They will sell stuff that looks great, that has been discontinued, returned, the label fell off etc for about 60% of the price new. All the stuff they sell carries a full warranty and they can deliver.

You could just put a fire pit in and buy one of those garbage can looking covers for it. They get incredible hot and cleanup is simple.

Cooking with fire is good.

[Blackdog]

full instructions

http://www.saveourskills.com/how-to-bake-standing-french-loaves-from-scratch


Thanks for the link.

I am in awe of your many talents/skills cohutt.

I have tomorrow off from work. I think I'll bake bread.

[BigSlick]

I could take a whole loaf of that bread and fill it with a little mix and match cue.

Half pound of pork, half pound of brisket and cover it all with jalapeno sausage = nice little lunch :supergrin:

I bet it goes well with garlic and olive oil with some cayenne on it for catfish too ;)

[cohutt]

It goes well with anything. Tossing the water in the oven when you shut the door steams the crust to a hella good toughness - gives it some body that requires a good tear to rip a piece off the loaf.
I have blended in about 1/5 to 1/4 rye flour and baked smaller loaves that are top notch - hit the spot for a chewy tasty snack by themselves or awesome sammiches

[BigSlick]

You salt em on top any ?

[cohutt]

You salt em on top any ?

Nope. the recipe has a pretty good dose of salt in it but I haven't ever added any.

[BigSlick]

Throw a little butter and some garlic salt on it before ya bake it ;)

People will go even more nuts over em

For real.

Cayenne too if you like that

[MullahElRon]

full instructions

http://www.saveourskills.com/how-to-bake-standing-french-loaves-from-scratch

Mercy.

[Blackdog]

full instructions

http://www.saveourskills.com/how-to-bake-standing-french-loaves-from-scratch

Do you bake 'em on a stone?

[lcarreau]

I switched from an older style electric oven/stove to a convection oven a few years ago and its totally worth it. Another benefit in addition to all mentioned above is that the outside of the oven is not as hot as my old oven. We also got a GE Advantium oven for overhead. This uses microwave, light and convention heat to cook all at the same time. It also does double duty as a microwave, so we were able to reclaim some much needed counter space.

I am happy with the setup.

-Lonnie

[MullahElRon]

How'd Grandma do it all with wood? Not to mention, she had to go ouside an' haul water... :patriot:

[MullahElRon]

Do you bake 'em on a stone?

You got to follow the link to the whole shebang. He details the grand affair with good pics.

[Blackdog]

You got to follow the link to the whole shebang. He details the grand affair with good pics.

:doh:

Heh. Yeah. I missed the "Read the rest of the Article" linky.

Wow! Fantastic how-to.

Tks again Cohutt.

[cohutt]

i had already started the dough and realized I had broken some of my quarry tiles since the last time I had done this. I ended up bumming a couple leftover floor tiles from my next door neighbor's renovation project to fill in. You can see the different tiles in this pic taken right when the loaves were dropped in the oven.
the bread didn't much care though.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Bread/Bread013.jpg

[MullahElRon]

You CRB right to the core, cohutt!