I have not used one much but it seems like it might be practical. I almost never use a conventional oven in the summer but a convection oven wouldn't waste so much heat. Is it just another gimicky short lived toy?

I have one and recently tried it out....I wasn't overly impressed....but I'll try it again. Everyone raves about them...my oven 'goes both ways'.

My wife loves to cook, and is quite good at turning out a great meal.

I recalled having a convection oven at a place I worked back in the seventies and thought it would be great thing to have.

Bought a combination microwave/convection oven about twenty years ago, and in the ten years we had that thing, the convection feature was used no more than three times.

Needless to say, when I replaced that microwave, I didn't spend the extra money for a convection feature. My wife just didn't care for the way the food cooked in it....

Jim

__________________
14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Most home use convection ovens are gimmicks. They lack the fan speed and volume of air to be effective. Commercial convection ovens are a different animal, the size of a closet and where the racks rotate in the air stream, the truly bake evenly and faster.

For home cooking, a steam oven is a much better investment.

i have only ever used one to make extra crispy bacon. it did produce mind blowing perfectly cooked non greasy bacon. yum

__________________
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I use it virtually all the time in both stoves we have. The newer one automatically kicks the set temp down by 25 degrees when convection is selected. The only time it's not a great feature is with something that might get damaged by air currents, like a meringue pie or something.

__________________
You're a daisy if you do.
__________________________________
84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

We use the convection feature periodically when making pot pies, but otherwise don’t use the oven very often.

__________________
Toyota is a leader only because their drivers block everyone behind them. Oh what a feeling.

What is a convection oven?

We use it often while roasting turkey and chickens. It makes the skin nice and dark, and very crispy, while roasting the meat perfectly. I wouldn't want to be without it now.

__________________
1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Just turn up your oven.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

An oven that has a built in fan or better, fans which circulate air, eliminating hot spots. They have been the norm in restaurant ranges for many years but are now becoming more popular in home ovens. They brown better and reduce temperature and cooking time. Many of the convection equipped home stoves have a little chickenshlt fan in them that doesn't do much but add to the price of the appliance. As always, do your homework

__________________
You're a daisy if you do.
__________________________________
84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

my inlaws gave us a new wave oven which i think is a convection oven, and oh boy does that thing make really good chicken, and tater tots, i tried pork ribs and a beef steak in it, not as good as cooking over the fire, but again the chicken can be amazing cooked in one of those new wave ovens. after i left a veggie patty on it for a few days and it turned into little green hockey puck...i quit using it ..but had i not done that i would still be using the heck out of it

I understood that browning was one of their weak points. I need to do more homework.

Summer solution --> summer kitchen. Outside, in garage, or whatever. For every BTU you waste off into the house it takes many more BTU's for your A/C to combat it. $ waste. Not to mention the unnecessary contribution to GW

Newp. Rub a chicken with butter and convection cook it and it will be deep golden brown all over and crispy as parchment, still juicy inside. Convection ovens are the reason restaurant roasted foods look so good.

__________________
You're a daisy if you do.
__________________________________
84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting