What is The Main Difference Between Convection Bake And Convection Roast?

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If you are lucky enough to have a convection oven at home, it is possible to enjoy a variety of recipes every day. convection ovens have many amazing features as compared to traditional conventional ovens. These modern appliances work at lower temperatures and ensure even heating of food items placed inside.

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People love these ovens more due to their ability to provide baking and roasting features in one machine.

However, most people are not aware of the difference between these two cooking methods.

Although it is easier to make the adjustment between both settings, one should get a clear idea about how they differ and which one you should prefer for preparing a variety of recipes.

In this post, we intend to shed a light on convection bake vs. roast. knowing the difference will save you some money and will help you understand which is best for your recipes. Continue reading to understand the difference between the two ovens and get more insight.

Understanding Convection Roast

Before we get into the details of convection bake vs. roast, we should understand convection in general. 

Once you activate the convection feature on your oven, the interior fan, together with the exhaust system, will start circulating air around the meal. The air is heated, after which it is circulated by the fan. As a result, the heat will be distributed evenly and it will be drier. That allows the convection oven to cook your meals 25% faster than a conventional setting. It not only saves you a ton of time but also reduces the energy you will use. Most of the manufacturers in the market recommend that when using a convection oven, you reduce the temperature of your recipe by 25%. That way, you can avoid burning the food. 

Using convection cooking will also help improve browning when roasting meat, baking potatoes, meatballs, and more. Due to the even circulation of heat and steady distribution of heat, your food will not have certain hot spots. It eradicates the need for rotating trays that were incorporated in several cooking appliances. Your food will also be cooked better faster than it would when using a conventional oven. The interior of the roast will be perfectly tender and the exterior will be perfectly browned. 

So, when can you use convection roast?

You should know when to use convection roast because it does not always have great results for all meals. It is a great option when roasting. However, if you decide to bake certain delicate dishes and desserts, you should use convection bake. The air inside the oven is in circulation when using convection roast. Therefore, delicate food might splatter or even shift. Such foods are custards, quick bread, or other baked foods. When you cook such foods with the convection roast setting, they are baked unevenly and they will be completely dry. If you are cooking cakes or cookies, you might notice some patterns similar to a sand drift. Therefore, for these types of meals, you should use convection bake instead. 

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Convection Roast and Bake Difference

The main difference between the bake vs. roast setting on the oven is the way the heat is supplied or applied to the food when you are cooking.

The convection bake setting cooks food similar to a regular oven. The convection bake oven will use heating elements positioned at the top of the oven and the bottom. These heating elements will work at the same time to make sure that the meal is supplied with uniform heat. The air has minimal circulation. The restriction of air circulation will make sure that the food will bake thoroughly. The results? The food will not have any hot spots and it will not burn. You will not have to deal with a crunchy shell or an uncooked core. This setting is perfect when you are preparing bread or cakes. 

The convection roast setting, on the other hand, will require the circulation of air. Therefore, the oven will use a fan, as well as a heating element. The broil element will heat up the air, as the fan continues to circulate it all over the oven’s interior. The circulation will be controlled so that the temperature can be balanced all through the oven. The convection roast will use the stagnant hot air and the circulated hot air to roast your meal. It is the reason why your food will have browning at the top and the shell will become thicker. This setting is perfect if you intend to roast meat, a turkey, or chicken. The main reason is that it will not only cook the meat evenly but also retain the moisture more than a regular oven would. 

Does convection roast cook faster than bake? Truth is that the convection roast setting will cook 30% faster than the convection bake setting. The main reason behind that difference in speed is the fan that circulates the air. Heat is transferred faster even though the temperature will remain stable. It is almost impossible to end up with food that is overcooked or undercooked or hot spots when you are using a convection oven. 

Main Differences:

Although convection bake vs roast cooking methods is much identical, a few simple things describe the difference between them. A list of a few important points is given below:

Food structure:

This is the most important factor that specifies the difference between these cooking methods. In the roasting process, food achieves a solid structure before starting the main cooking process.

However, in the case of baking, the food has a loose structure in the beginning, and it becomes solid as the cooking process completes. The first case is suitable for vegetables and meat, whereas, in the second case, we talk about muffins, cakes, and bread.

Temperature range:

The temperature settings followed for both these methods are also different. In the case of roasting, the oven is kept at a higher temperature, somewhere around 400-degree F to achieve browning.

It provides a flavored crust to the outer layer of the food. On the other side, the baking task is completed at a slightly lower temperature, around 375 degrees F.

Fat content:

Note that baked goods contain lots of fat inside, whereas roasted food contains fat only on the outer layer. In most cases, roasting is done in the uncovered open pan, whereas for baking, the food is covered.

In terms of food:

Many people use roasting and baking terms interchangeably, but they have many unique aspects.

In the case of roasting, we apply more heat to achieve browning faster than baking. The term roasting is mainly applicable to foods like vegetables, poultry, and meats; whereas, baking is applied to seafood, cakes, fish, and many more.

Roasting meats:

Some of the most commonly prepared food items in this category are rib boasts, beef tenderloins, and loins of pork. Some people also prefer to roast whole poultry, but this task seems a little difficult as the process of roasting leg meat is different than roasting breast meat.

Roasting can also be achieved at lower temperatures, between 200 to 300 F by keeping food in the convection oven for a longer duration of time. But in this case, you have to sacrifice the surface browning while maintaining much flavor; however, the high-temperature roasting leads to drier food.

Baking fish:

Baking can be used for steaks, fillets, and even whole fish. In this case, the vegetables and other fillings are placed inside the body cavity, and then the structure is baked so that flesh cannot dry during cooking.

Some people also love to brush the fish with melted butter or oil before starting baking. As the food stays liquid during the baking process, the layers do not dry out fast.

Finding the Best Oven

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The first thing you should always consider when choosing a convection oven is the size. The internal and external dimensions are a must consideration. You should choose a spot for the oven before choosing one. Make sure it fits perfectly without getting damaged or damaging something else. 

The oven should also be able to cook adequate food for you and your family. You should also consider the number of racks. 

You should choose an oven that will be able to cook your food properly. Therefore, the heating elements should be able to deliver the quality and quantity of heat you need. If you expect to roast meat a lot, make sure that the heating elements are strong enough. Although the fan has a major role, you have to make sure that the oven has adequate heating elements. 

Conclusion

The more you understand the convection bake and roast settings on your oven, the better you will be able to prepare your food. You should also make sure that you have the perfect appliance to deliver the quality of the food you want. Make sure that you have an efficient oven for the best results. 

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Feel free to share your observation with me in the comments section!

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5 thoughts on “What is The Main Difference Between Convection Bake And Convection Roast?”

  1. I am roasting three racks of ribs. I have to use both oven racks to accommodate them getting done at the same time. Should I put two racks of ribs on the top and one on the bottom? Or vice versa?
    Which layer will get done first? Or will the ribs all get done at the same time? My heating element on the oven is underneath.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • To be honest, this is not the first time we have come across this question. It is true that the position of your rack of ribs will affect how fast it cooks. Even more, it will affect how your ribs will turn out. The top position receives more heat compared to the bottom part. The heating elements emit heat in bursts.
      If you only put two ribs at the top rack and one at the bottom, the top rack will get done first, then the second one. So, what should you do? No rule prevents you from moving the racks or interchanging them after some time while using an oven. Therefore, we recommend that you start with two at the top and one at the bottom. After a while, change them so that the top part goes to the bottom and vice versa.

      Reply
  2. Convect Bake: Only the bottom element cycles on and off.
    Convect Roast: Both the bottom/bake and the top/broiler element cycle on and off.
    The convection fan, usually mounted vertically on the upper portion of the back wall of the oven, runs continuously in both modes. In my experience, keeping the food out of the direct stream of the convection fan, reduces the number of times you need to rotate the food.

    Reply

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