Good Convection Ovens To Recommend?

[wreckit 1]

Will you by a boat/car hybrid?

[leen 2]

refer to this thread that I have post on oven VS microwave oven, different type of ovens and their functions/uses.

http://www.renotalk.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=13623

conventional oven and microwave oven are different.

they are different in terms of the way they cook the food.

microwave oven:

- vy fast in cooking the food (follow the manual or the selection indicated on the oven)

- after cook, the food tends to be drier, eg. if you cook chicken in soup in microwave oven, the chicken meat tends to be drier inside.

- cannot really bake cake / pastry properly as most baking requires top & bottom heat element to slowly bake the cake internally without burning the exterior. even if the microwave oven indicates that it can bakes or hv baking functions, it cannot be compare to a conventional oven.

- a handy and gd kitchen appliances for quick cooking but consumes electricity

conventional oven: (hope you refer to those that can bake type)

- can bake cakes / pastry

- can grill food / meat

- can do double boil by cooking in aluminium foil or in casserole pot (eg. double boil chicken meat tonic food)

- try to choose those that got more functions, meaning can bake and cook meat type.

- depend on what you intend to do, eg. if you grill turkey, then hv to get a bigger oven, or if you bake many cakes at 1 go, also need a bigger oven, if not you have to queue them up. otherwise a mid size type can do already.

above appliances are tried, tested and certified coz i use them all to try many things bakes, grills, double boil, warm, cooked many many....

even use microwave to warm up my cold milk (from fridge).

hope the above helps.

there r many possiblities that you can try with a conventional oven. some are convection oven. you can google search to see their difference.

just remember that the oven must hv a:

1) top element

2) bottom element

3) fan function

4) combine use of top & bottom element

5) combine use of top element with fan

6) combine use of bottom element with fan

7) glass door big enough for you to peep at your food / temperature gauge that you hv put inside the oven to measure the temp.

8) glass door is best to be double layer so that the outer layer will be cool to touch even when you r cooking. you don't want to scald yourself, or older folks or kids accidentally touch it when its cooking coz the heat is really high and hot.

9) hv a rack and a baking tray.

10) hv at least 3 layer for you to choose the appropriate layer to place your food to cook. eg. top layer for baking cookies, where its small in size & qty and cooks easily with a light browning on top. mid layer for baking of most cakes and cooking of most food that require longer time to cook. seldom we use bottom layer as it will burn the bottom of the food with the top uncook and the middle of the food (eg. cake, or chicken, turkey) half cooked.

11) light inside the oven (can be on for you to see the inside of the oven clearly without turning on the cooking function. once cooking function is selected and used, it will be on till you turn it off).

12) timer on the oven

(the rest are optional coz you may not be using many functions most of the time)

and some ppl may persuade you to spend $4k & above for ovens, do seriously consider if your usage of the oven is high and you are into full time cooking or professional cooking coz:

1) 1stly, technology changes vy fast, so if the oven last you for 10 years, there may hv spare parts if it broke down.

2) the more expensive an electronic item is, the more intricate and complicate component it has and thus any maintenance or repairs will be costly. eg. if you buy a jap car, there are plenty of cheap parts readily available, if you buy a beemer, the repair / maintenance cost is vy high.

3) self cleaning function

i find this unnecessary. coz after every use of the oven, the heat will melt away all food / sauces that are splatter on it which is ususally not so if you protect your oven by putting the food in casserole pot to cook or wrap up the food in aluminium foil to cook.

and if you are grilling a chicken (eg.), you poke a bbq stick through the chicken and you can place in a casserole pot without the lid to grille so that it catches the dripping sauce or have the bbq stick hang across the internal oven for a more rounded grille but do place a tray below to catch the dripping sauce.

after the you hv finish the cooking, you will also wash your dishes right? so its the same thing, once the oven is cooled down (really cooled down), use a damp cloth to just wipe it will do.

4) turnspit

this is a function where it have or allow a bbq stick in the oven where it will rotate the roast automatically while cooking. this will not require you to turn your roast to get it cook.

but do be mindful. are you doing alot of heavy roasting? eg. every week there's roast ribs, roast turkey, roast chicken, etc.

coz if not you will not need this additional function.

5) electronic selection vs knob turning selection ovens

electronic selection press button oven:

pros: more precise as you can choose the exact time and degree to cook the food.

cons: some are hard to choose as its not well labelled on the oven itself, so you hv to keep refering to the manual for the settings.

LCD display is small.

once spoil, that's it. you hv to send for repair and its costly.

knob turning selection oven:

pros: you can see what you choose

cons: the knobs can drop out due to wear & tear and you may plug it out to clean it, and forgot you hv turn to which function or accidentally turn to which function after that. never take out the knob for cleaning.

selection of cooking temp is estimation, coz the temp selection comes in: 20deg, 50deg, 80 deg, 100deg, 120 deg, 150, deg, 180deg, 200deg, etc. so when you need something that is in between, you hv to estimate.

if you go to baking / cooking schools to learn baking / cooking, do look at what type of ovens they use. most of these ovens are choosen by the schools coz they hv the basic functions that they want and can perform the job well.

just like buying handphone. one can buy a handphone with plentiful of functions but honestly, most of these functions are not fully utilised. eg. your handphone hv gps logging system but do you ever use it? your handphone hv wireless function, how many times you use it or use it to send your infor to printer thru wireless printing or faxing from your handphone?

hope you put your usage pattern, lifestyle, logic, experience, budget ($ no enough even if its for the richest ppl) etc. & combine them into your choice of buying an oven.

hi,

i think you are asking conventional oven vs convection oven vs microwave oven. nowadays all ovens are multifunction type.

multifunction type of ovens: many different cooking options, temperature etc.

pls read my above postings on "conventional oven and microwave oven are different..."

the following descriptions on the differences between convection oven & conventional oven is found from this website:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Convection-vs.-C...?&id=190510

convection oven vs conventional ovens:

If you are in the market for a new oven and you’ve already begun shopping for one, you’ve probably noticed that there are a few different types.

Two of the most popular oven types are conventional and convection, and many newer ovens have the option of cooking food in either fashion depending on the set mode. The difference in these two types of ovens is the way in which the heat in the oven is dispersed during the cooking process.

Convection ovens

A convection oven uses a fan which is usually located on the back side of the oven. The purpose of the fan is to force the heated air inside of the oven and circulate it around the item being cooked. The heated air is constantly pushed over and around the food, and therefore a convection oven cooks food much faster than a conventional oven.

Not only does a convection oven cook food more quickly than a conventional oven, but it can also thoroughly cook food at lower temperatures. The average amount of time saved when cooking with a convection oven is about 20 percent of the food’s normal cooking time. The temperature a convection oven uses to cook food is also about 20 percent lower than a recipe’s suggested cooking temperature.

Typically, convection ovens are known for their popularity in the restaurant industry as well as in commercial cooking facilities. However, it is becoming more popular for individuals to own convection ovens in their homes… or at least a conventional oven that can switch to a convection mode upon request.

Convection ovens are speedier and more efficient than conventional ovens, and therefore may be more expensive. However, professional chefs from around the world swear by them and rely on them for delicious tasting food. Also, since the air circulation in a convention oven is the same throughout, food will cook at the same rate no matter where it is placed in the oven… on the top or bottom rack or near the front or back.

Conventional Ovens

Traditionally, most personal residences in the United States come equipped with a modern conventional ovens. These are the most common types of household ovens, and are used every day by men and women to cook all sorts of meals, desserts, breads, and many other types of food.

Conventional ovens are similar to convection ovens in that they both cook food using heat. They both have the ability to use either gas or electricity, depending on the hook-up in a home. Some may have the versatility to use either gas or electricity simply depending on what is plugged in to them, and some are made to be either gas specific or electricity specific.

The most obvious difference between a conventional oven and a convection oven is the fact that in a conventional oven, air is not forced throughout the oven on a constant basis with the aid of a fan, as it is in a convection oven.

In a conventional oven, the heat circulation in the oven can become blocked by pots and pans inside of the oven. The blocking of the heat can cause uneven cooking. Uneven cooking is especially noticeable when both the bottom and top racks in the oven are being used at the same time. The items on top will cook faster because heat rises to the tops of conventional ovens and when there is a lot in the oven, the heat gets trapped there.

There are pros and cons to both conventional and convection ovens. Conventional ovens have been serving people for years and years and food has been cooked successfully in them for many decades. Convection ovens have many followers and fans, but these types of ovens can be hard to get used to… especially for novice cooks.

My own experience:

i prefer convection oven. from my cooking & baking experience and the cooking/baking classes that i have attended, there are sometimes certain recipe call for fan forced cooking/baking.

if you don't have this function, you will have to gauge from your own oven's cooking capability.

there are pros and cons of it.

eg. if you don't have a fan force function, heat may still circulate but not evenly, therefore certain portion of the food may be more well cooked than other portion, eg. a turkey or chicken.

but if you have a fan force fuction, most baking recipes do not prefer using it as the top will be burnt more faster without the middle of the cake being cooked unless you are able to watch over it carefully and turning it oven, switching racks at certain time etc. which will be very troublesome.

if you use a fan force with heating element on at the same time to cook, eg. turkey, chicken, meat, the outer portion of the meat will be more dry. to solve this problem, you can wrap it up in a aluminium foil to cook.

for beginners, ususally its best if one can start cooking without the fan force function to try out first. until you understand the logic of baking/cooking, understanding how your oven cooks, have learn special technics in cooking/baking in using the ovens and are confident to try out the fan force, do not fear of spoiling the food, then go ahead and try out the function.

or just try out the functions with different food and you eat it and will know what is the difference. ususally the oven will come with a manual which will have quite a list of recipe teaching you how to cook/bakes. just follow the instruction and you will be safe most of the time. if you want to try other functions with the same recipes, go ahead and you will know how the result is.

but having a fan forced function is gd so that if you need it, there it is.

i have looked at many ovens and so far the reasonable priced is the one that i have bought which also receive adverse critiques from other forumers who recommend those ovens which are at least $3k and above!!! maybe they are selling those ovens.

mine is La Germania, Itay made, standing cooker. those type that have cooking hobs on top and a oven below. mine is connected to and runs on PUB gas. it only cost me S$1.3k for the whole set. so if i need to replace a new set, i will not feel heart pain.

and this standing cooker cum oven has many functions. it has 9 (if i remember correctly) basic different type of cooking/baking functions including fan force combining with heating element options. the functions are basically required for cooking/baking. nothing fanciful but it delivers.

why did i choose such a set? because i use to stay at Australia and the old angmo landlady is one full time hsewife who is also a heavy cooker, uses that standing cooker cum oven for ages and it still performs well. and the angmo lady did not specially takes care of it, only cleans it after cooking.

just a note, some expensive ovens have alot of functions but most of the time you do not use them. just like having a complicated, multi-function handphone nowadays, do you use all the functions? how frequent you use the functions? what are the basic functions that you normally use?

i hope the above answer your questions. do feel free to ask aunties, especially those who cooks alot, have a basic oven, who is a miser to part with unneccessary $$ to buy something, and you will get many beneficial answers to your questions coz they are frequent and long time cooking experts.

Will you by a boat/car hybrid?

hi wreckit, don't quite understand your reply/question. maybe you want to suggest something more conducive and conclusive.

[leen 2]

I'm looking at this Bosch Oven. Any comments? Will be buying a Microwave Oven separately

HBN331E2J

Product features

• Stainless steel colour with bar handle

• Multi-functional oven with

6 heating methods:

- Conventional top and bottom heat

- Bottom heat only

- 3D hot air

- Hot air grilling

- Variable grilling for large surface

- Rapid heat-up (Manual)

• Hot air heating-up duration: 8.3 mins

• Maximum oven temperature 270°C

at normal mode

• Electronic clock with timer

• Rotary knobs

• Double glass door

• Cooling fan

• 4 shelves position

• Childproof lock

• Removable door for easy cleaning

• 1 pc circular oven lighting on top at 25W

• Supplied accessories:

1 universal pan, 1 split grill tray

Technical information

• Cavity volume: 52 litres

• Total connected load: 2.9kW

• 220-240V/50-60Hz/13 Amp

• Cable length: 1 m

Appliance dimensions: 595H x 595W x 548D mm

Cavity dimensions: 323H x 382W x 423D mm

Built-in dimensions: 575-597H x 560W x 550D mm

hi,

you got a gd clear choice of separating an oven and microwave oven. microwave oven cannot do what an oven can do. trust me, i tried before wtih both and my bakes come out dry in microwave oven.

as for oven, my experience is that most of the time (if use for baking), you will tend to use the following combination more:

1) combine of top element & bottom element heat

2) top element only

3) bottom element only

no 1 is for most baking function.

no 2 is when you bakes is ready, you just want the top to brown abit more, turn the top element on for just a bit of time. you will have to watch closely on the timing it needs. eg. cookies

no 3 is for bakes that bakes and brown easily on the top while the bottom is still not cook yet. same like no 2, you will have to watch closely the timing it needs depending on the type of the bakes you do.

you will have to get used to your oven and its characteristic coz no 2 ovens will behave the same (even its same brand and model). some may be abit hotter than others, etc.

i must clearly state that all these are my experience in using my oven and the different type of ovens that i have come across during my baking training at different schools.

hope the above helps to answer some of the queries on ovens & microwave oven.

[kueh 0]

Hi Leen,

Could you recommend baking ovens for baking cakes? Not looking at the high end ones but average one which can perform reasonable baking and roasting.

Thanks.

[wreckit 1]

Get an Indesit 5 function model from Mayer. It is made in the Ariston factory.

[leen 2]

hi kueh,

you can go to big electrical stores, eg. harvey norman, courts, etc. and smaller ones like MEGA DISCOUNT STORE PTE LTD (112 East Coast Road # B1-03/11, Katong Mall, Tel: 6348 7998), www.meyer.com.sg to look at their different range, their specs, functions, price and try matching them to your needs and budget.

a gd enough range of oven will be price between S$600 to $800. this is consider gd enough as it can perform many functions already. btw, we are all domestic uses of these ovens, and we are not going to be professional bakers, so no need to go for those $2k above type of oven. there are many functions that you will be unlikely to use unless you are full time hse wife with plenty of time to study and invent different type of recipes and whip and cook up different fancy dishes everyday. but if you are looking at roasting functions for (eg.) whole turkey, chicken, etc (roasting of big items), you need to get a bigger oven or make sure that the food can fit into the oven and be turned. some ovens have automatic turning spit, whereas most don't have but you can manually do it. turn spit means there is a skewer that you can poke into and through the turkey/chicken and put into the oven and there is a holding area for the turnspit to roast the items in the mid air. you must put the baking tray (if possible, lay or wrap a piece of aluminium wrapper on the tray so you don't have to wash like ****) underneath the meat to catch the dripping sauce.

do remember, if someone tell you this oven save electricity, that oven save that, etc. its all bull****. all ovens consume high electricity just like microwave oven and refrigerators whenever you use them.

even if there is savings, its not a great significant difference.

i do not have a preference over the brands nor do i recommend you to buy specific brands, although there are many people recommending ovens from ma, yer, as many people will tell you "wah, trust me, this brand gd, blah blah..." but just ask them these questions:

1) how often you use it? (to be ultra specific and to catch the person's loop hole, ask: how many times you use it per week? from here, you will know if the person is using the oven often or just once in a blue moon. once in a blue moon = don't use oven often = no experience = not qualify to tell or advise you this and that, etc. )

2) what do you do with it? eg. baking 90%, roasting 60% etc. ( if they cook often, you will roughly be able to gauge why they need a bigger ovens, eg. frequent roasting of 2 whole turkeys at 1 go).

3) what functions do you normally use? (tell them to show you so that you will know if this person is faking knowledge on using their oven. there are some people who don't even know how to use their own oven or what functions is available, and these people are usually the ones who buy an oven to place there just like you buy a beautiful vase to display as a center piece in the home but its not fully used at all.)

4) how do you clean the oven? eg. do you wash the whole oven with soap and water, etc. (normally, you can use a damp cloth to wipe the interior of the oven after its been cooled, you don't do silly things like wash down the whole oven. some oven have own self cleaning catalyst function but these ovens cost like $2.5k onwards which in my opinion its complete waste of $ coz you still have to manually clean the oven yourself).

5) do you drip food sauce/or any food stains in the oven? what do you do? (if they say there are no dripping, if they say they do heavy cooking and roasting, its bull****. normally, you can use a cloth dip in warm water and rinse it dry to wipe away the stains. you can also turn on the heat and the stains will melt itself but sometimes the stain will still be there and you have to wipe it up manually.)

these 5 questions will let you know if the person is really using his oven well. don't be influence by what other people tell you to buy, judge for yourself. if really unsure, go book a session on baking at People's Association Community Club to see how the instructor do. ask questions and do not be afraid to tell people you are 1st time, there's no stupid student in this world, only those who dare to ask will benefit the most. these CC's ovens are not using the top range and some are quite old but they still serve their function. by going for a baking session which costs around $25 to $30 for 1 session only, you will gain some knowledge in baking of food and also understand how oven works and you will know that oven is only a factor in baking. there are skills to pick up in how to do folding in of ingredients, how to handle them, how to beat/mix them, etc. this is a small investment to see if what type of oven you need, learn abit of baking and handling of food knowledge then commiting to buy a very expensive oven and regretting it later. you can also ask the aunties around you who are attending the baking class as they are quite experience also.

hope the above helps.

Edited October 22, 2008 by leen

[jonydebt 0]

Hi ene i was eyeing on this microwave oven too... i was quoted $360 at MEGA in united square.

The Panasonic model I posted above has microwave function as well which is why I'm considering it. For my purpose, I'd probably be a lot of microwaving and the occasisonal baking/grilling. This model does not have a steaming function but I don't need it.

FYI, those considering, can go to Goh Ah Bee @ Hougang St 21. They're selling it for $370 which is a very good deal. I've already done a lot of market survey

[kwokser3n3 0]

hi i wonder if those who are searching for an oven (not microwave) seen this DELONGHI AOV 842 (Stainless steel exterior) & AOV 843(Non-Stainless steel exterior)?? these are 42 L. This oven is unique because its functions are not shown as icons but in words eg: fan oven, grill, bake..etc.

So my questions for those of you who are very much into baking (especially), what do you think of this oven? I just wonder if it would work the same as if the functions were to be presented in icons.

**Leen: care to share your opinion??

[leen 2]

hi i wonder if those who are searching for an oven (not microwave) seen this DELONGHI AOV 842 (Stainless steel exterior) & AOV 843(Non-Stainless steel exterior)?? these are 42 L. This oven is unique because its functions are not shown as icons but in words eg: fan oven, grill, bake..etc.

So my questions for those of you who are very much into baking (especially), what do you think of this oven? I just wonder if it would work the same as if the functions were to be presented in icons.

**Leen: care to share your opinion??

hi,

can i know if the oven u r talking abt looks like this?:

http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigeration/CO1500.shtml

http://www.beveragefactory.com/waringpro/r...ges/index.shtml

coz i dun really know how it looks like and i can't seems to find it from Delonghi web, i google it and it showed up on this baker's web but i still can't see clearly the pic of the knob. so i google and found the above web that have oven that looks similar to AOV842.

http://merpati66.fotopages.com/?entry=1062004

well, if this baker can use this oven to bake things that she's selling on her web, then it should work.

but do remember, like i say, it still depend on wat u doing with it, the technique and also all ingredients for baking must be precise (that means, vy acurate). eg. if recipe calls for 250g flour, 200g butter, 1tsp vanilla esscence, etc. you need to weigh exactly the amt that's call for. as for baking time, as i said, different ovens (even if they r same brand, model), they might differ in baking time. some may be more hotter than some, etc. so if recipe says bake for 30mins (eg.), you put to 20-25mins and take out to test (if bake cake, use stick to poke it and see if it comes out clean coz it will mean if its cooked, if you want to confirm thoroughly) or look for signs that its been cooked. if its still not cooked, put it back and turn on 3-5mins and observe every now n then. coz its always gd to underbake and try to remedy it then overbake (which means charred already) it coz by then, you can't remedy the situation. adjustment and close observation is always needed and better.

some ppl will say that by opening the oven door, the temp will drop suddenly which may affect the bakes. but as your bakes is nearing cooked stage, a drop of temp will not affect it much. and i believe most oven temp will not suddenly drop too much as the oven environment is still quite hot.

if the delonghi oven you r talking abt has wordings on the knob, it will be easiler for you to know which function u will use. as i can't really see from the small pics of the oven, i dun quite know what type of functions it has other then the brief descriptions that u hv given. for baking, fan is seldom use coz it will make the exterior of the bakes cook faster while the inside is still uncooked, but its gd for roasting of meat. must be careful when you use the fan function for baking unless you r expert in it. ovens that have symbols instead of wordings have functions like eg. upper heat / element, lower heat / element, combine of both top and bottom elements, fan only, fan + element, etc. but after a while of using it, you will remember what function r they. its a matter of getting use to it.

another thing is ask to see the manual from the shop. usually these appliances will have a manual that describe the functions and recipes on how to use these functions for different food. if you follow closely, you will be able to dish out those recipes.

mine is la germania standing cooker cum oven with 4 cooker on top which looks like the model DC84C61X, stainless steel type (similar to the bigger type on hoe kee web but it only show the one in white). you can check out these website for the functions and symbols. my oven is 79liter (if i remember correctly).

http://www.sampford.com.au/lagermania/uplo...a-BRLAG0906.pdf

http://www.hoekee.com/appFreeStandPg01.shtml

http://www.lagermania.it/di1.htm

http://www.sampford.com.au/lagermania/specs/lug02-90-s.pdf

hope the above helps.

Edited November 6, 2008 by leen