January 9, 2012 - 1:02pm
Samsung electric oven - convection setting
Hi all, brand new here and can't wait to explore. Been getting into breadmaking and really enjoy it. My question is about my oven. It's a Samsung electric oven, a couple years old. It has a convection setting that the manual says is best for baking. However, when I set the oven temp for convection, it automatically drops is by 25 degrees. The manual says it does this on purpose for convection baking. So my simple question is, do I trust the manual or should I increase my baking temp by 25 degrees so the oven temp matches the temp the recipe calls for?
Thank you!!
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what you would otherwise have to do manually. If you find some recipes that include directions for convection baking or roasting, most of them will probably tell you to reduce temperatures by 25-50F when using convection. So, if the recipe requires 425F, use 425F and allow the oven to bake at the lower temperature when you select convection.
Think of it as the reverse of wind chill. The moving air in the oven "feels" hotter than still air would and cooks the food faster.
Paul
Your oven is doing exactly the rights thing, but if I were you I'd turn convestion off.
Goodness. Why don't you try baking each way and see which you prefer? Try different times, temperature - nothing is written in stone.
Thank you for the comments. I thought convection was better for baking but if not I've got no problem not using it.
Some Samsungs have no visible bottom element. They have a depression where you can pour a cup of water to do a quick steam clean of your oven. If yours is like that, you're in luck! You have the easiest method of introducing steam... just pour it directly on the floor of the oven.
As regards your question: Let your oven do its thing. Personally, I prefer baking with convection on, others disagree. Try both ways and decide for yourself. In either case, but more so with convection, rotate the pans half way through
Cheers
PastryPaul: Yes that's the oven I have. The bottom element is hidden and there is a depression, and it does have a steam clean function. Thanks for the tips!
Curious as to why it's more important to rotate pans when convection is on. I would have thought the fans circulating the air constantly would reduce the need to rotate the pans.
re: "Curious as to why it's more important to rotate pans when convection is on. I would have thought the fans circulating the air constantly would reduce the need to rotate the pans."
From my experience, it is always better to rotate. The heat source is from the bottom and the air is from the back, so I have found that the back will brown sooner, more so than with convection off but that may just be a quirk of my home oven.
Another reason to rotate is that every oven has hotter and colder spots. At the shop we always rotate. Our formulae will read something like " Bake 475 15/18" which would mean 15 minutes, rotate then about 18 (watch the loaf not the timer). We recently bought a new oven that has (I think) 4 fans and is advertised as no rotation required... it's half-true. The difference is less but we still rotate.
As in all else, try it both ways if you like, and decide for yourself if the advantages outweigh the PITA (pain in the a$$) factor of rotation.
Cheers