-Updated 10/3/2021
Home ovens are a great invention that help make our lives easier but there are several facts about them you should know.
Here’s Important Facts That You Should Know:
Ovens are great for cooking, baking, broiling food inside the oven as well as frying food on the cook-top. In order for the food to be cooked well you must use the oven at the correct temperature and as well as follow these safety tips to keep your family safe and fire-free!
What is a conventional oven?
You now know there are two types of ovens; conventional and convectional ovens.
A conventional oven is the kind of oven that works under the principle of upward heat transfer from a fixed point either at the bottom or on top of whatever food you are preparing inside the oven chamber.
- Heating elements can range from gas, electricity, charcoal and then to wood.
- It is used to provide the heat which rises to do the magic of baking or roasting for you.
- The utensils and structures inside are made of heat-absorbent stone or metallic materials that absorb heat and keep the air in the chamber hot.
- Food may also be placed directly near the heat source. How the conventional oven is not to be confused with the convectional ovens and how they work.
Instead of a fixed point acting as a heat source, convectional ovens use fans to aid in circulating the heat all round the inside.
As the name suggests, convectional heat is actually baking the food, not just the heat.
It is important to note that convectional ovens can be converted into conventional ones. You may just turn off the fan.
10 Useful Hacks About Conventional Oven Use
Bake foods that need even heating
Conventional provides heat from a still source either at the top of bottom or both.
In the process, whatever you’re baking is usually within a closed heat blanket.
If, for instance, you are a bread or cake junkie (just like myself), you most certainly are looking for an even bake both inside and outside, right?
This is the right oven for you.
Additionally, the bread will not bake too fast; it needs to be slow for even baking and prevent premature and uneven rising.
In this case, the conventional oven is much better.
Other recipes include flans, custards, soufflés and any other that are delicate enough not to be baked using a convectional oven.
Convert your convectional oven into a conventional one
Most ovens nowadays come with double functionality.
You can easily make switches between convectional and conventional options.
Such dual-purpose ovens are expensive but they are worth the cost.
However, if you happen to get one, switch off the convectional function so that you are left with the convectional functionality.
This will also happen depending on what you want to bake. Basic conversion options include:
- Temperature adjustment – if are preparing a standard recipe on a conventional oven, increase the temperature by 25 degrees to match the effect of a convectional oven.
- This is because conventional ovens have lower heat circulation and are therefore less efficient.
- Take note of the cooking time – keep checking whats cooking/baking/roasting in the oven so that it doesn’t get messed up.
- Preparing food in a conventional can be up to 25% less than a convectional oven but this is also fast. Don’t shift your attention too much yet.
Check Out: 9 Brilliant Oven Cleaning Tips – Easily make it shine Now! Use a combination of soapy water, vinegar, elbow grease along with the self-cleaning function and a steam cleaner to get that professional clean oven you are looking for!
We break down the tips and show you what to use on which piece of the oven, inside and out.
Preheat the oven
Are you so hungry your stomach is compelling you to devour some food in the next few minutes?
Say no more.
Switch on the oven and let it preheat as you prepare your recipe for the bake/cook.
Once you are done preparing, shove it into the oven and your meal will be ready in no time!
Right there, your stomach’s wishes have finally been granted.
A preheated oven greatly reduces the cooking time.
Bake variety of food
Did you honestly think that only wheat products such as bread, cookies, and cakes with yeast can be baked?
Come on now.
There is more to baking than just that. Your conventional oven is limitless.
You should know that other foods such as chicken, potatoes and fish can also be baked using an oven.
Ensure proper baking
For chicken, potatoes, and fish, check if the internal temperatures as same as the external.
Use an oven thermometer to check.
If they are the same, the food is done baking.
The baking happens from the inside out. Therefore, if the outside appears to be well baked, so is the inside.
Keep the oven door closed
Don’t disrupt the baking or roasting process.
Conventional ovens have no fans to circulate hot air all over the food.
So if you open the door, colder air sets in and lowers the temperatures in the chamber. This extends the cooking time.
You will be doing a great disservice to your gut.
Check the temperature
Don’t let the temperatures go too high. Your food might get roasted when you only wanted it cooked/baked.
Hanging thermometers like this one are great since they hang inside your oven and provide an accurate temperature reading.
Many times the digital oven thermometers are not 100% accurate and are off a few degrees.
When you are cooking every degree counts!
Adjust the oven racks for better heating
If you want to fast-track the quenching of your hunger, you may decide to push your racks closer to the heat source.
This is referred to as broiling.
Depending on the position of the heat source, the racks may go lower or higher than they initially were.
However, avoid positioning them too close to the heat source as it might result to burning.
When the racks are in perfect positioning, don’t open the door to allow faster cooking.
Keep food warm after baking
Some conventional ovens don’t have warming drawers.
For those that have them, use them to keep the already baked/cooked food warm until the time is right to devour your meal.
You may also set the oven temperatures at minimum just for warming purposes. Warm foods and sweetness are directly related.
Clean the oven
If your food accidentally gets burnt or sticky on the oven utensils, you will need to clean the mess before your next bake.
The best time to clean is immediately after the current bake. The frequency of cleaning depends on how often you bake.
Even in the presence of convectional ovens, the importance of conventional ovens cannot be understated.
Hopefully, you will utilize the ovens to spice up your baking.
5 Safety Tips!
Keep the handles out of reach.
Keep the panhandles toward the back of the oven.
Many people have been burned when they walked past the oven and bumped the handle – which spilled the hot food or liquid on the floor.
Worse yet, many children can grab the handles and pull them down which spills scalding hot liquid on their arms, face, and chests, or any other area of their body that is exposed.
The scars from these horrific burns last a lifetime.
Use silicone gloves or oven mitts.
Silicone oven mitts are much better than regular oven mitts. They don’t heat up or transfer the heat to your hands.
Open the oven door all the way.
Don’t just open the door halfway
. If you grab the wrong area on the door you can quickly burn your arms. Open it all the way so you don’t make this mistake.
Keep a fire blanket nearby.
A fire blanket is a must for any kitchen.
It will quickly put out a grease or other fire in or on the oven so you can quickly stop a small fire from burning your house down.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), over 170,000 home structure fires are started from kitchen fires, injuring over 4000 people per year and costing $1 Billion in damage.
Protect your family, home and kitchen with this peace of mind!
Stay in the kitchen!
Don’t leave the kitchen oven unattended.
The number #1 reason why fires start is because of people leaving the oven or burners on while they leave the room.
In almost every case, if someone was watching the stove they would be able to quickly put out a fire – if they were in the room.
