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!!

A couple of questions:

I have a Fibrament stone in my oven that maybe leaves an inch or inch and a half around the edges from the oven wall. I always use convection heat, since I thought it might be best to move the hot air around in the oven, but now I wonder if that's still a good idea, with the airflow severely restricted by the stone? I have also noticed a couple of hot spots in the back center of the oven, close to the spot where the convection fan is located.

Also, if I still want to create steam, how would I do it in a way that would be safe for the stone? I imagine a blast of steam coming from the bottom of the oven and then hitting the bottom of the stone would not only be problematic for the stone, but also not reach the breads very well. Is there a better way of delivering steam to the breads - ideally just once, to keep the oven door closed during baking?

I should also add that I recently had to replace the convection heating element in the back of my Maytag oven - I am suspecting that the steam I used in the past had something to do with it. I'd usually pour about a half cup of water onto a hot pan on the bottom of the oven (this was before I got the stone). Somehow, the motor that moves the hot air around burned out. If I use straight heat, will that eliminate the risk of burning out that motor again (since the steam most likely will not get "sucked into" the system?

Stephan

Hello,

I'm looking for a white freestanding range with convection oven. I currently own a Frigidaire range which has been in my townhouse, but temperature knobs start being loose and I can't control the temperature anymore, very annoying. 

I love cooking and have participated in farmers market to sell my Asian artisan breads, so oven is very important. My friend recommended me Viking, Wolf, or Jenn Air though they are too expensive for me. My budget would be less than 1K. 

I didn't know much about oven nor range, so I did window shopping at Lowes, Sears, and Best Buy, and learned about the cool features/specs I didn't know. I learned alot from window shopping, but it also confused me what is reasonable for spec&quality. 

Oven::
-convection (it was new to me... there are also "True convection" or "Third element convection")
-hidden bake element (easy to clean, taking longer time to heat)
-single/double oven (I'm not sure about this... double sounds good to be able to bake more, but no storage space)

Range::
-smooth top (although, I read reviews of some products and learned it's slow heating, such as taking forever to boil)
-touch panel control (instead of knob... sounds like a spaceship feature to me!)

This is the one I'm considering, Kenmore from Sears:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02292902000P?sid=IDx20070921x00003h&srccode=cii_5784816&cpncode=24-128021493-2
Although, some people says Kenmore brand breaks after 1 year, and have to pay to fix it if you don't buy extra warranty. 

Does anyone have any recommendations for range to buy? Or any spec/brand I should look for? (oh, it's gotta be an electric one, not a gas)

Hi all,

We have recently begun baking our bread in a commercial gas convection oven.  This is a big step up for us, as we have been baking in our little home oven until this move.

In addition to the expected changes from the transition (lower temp and shorter baking time required), we are noticing that all of our loaves are lacking in luster.  We are currently baking at 400F and steaming the oven with 1.5 cups boiling water into a preheated heavy pot at the bottom of the oven at the start of the bake.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is and what we should try to remedy?  Our loaves are noticibly more grey, lacking the beautiful golden shine they previously had.  I wonder - does the convection pull the steam from the oven quickly, or is it something else?  I am not sure we can turn the convection off, I will need to check that - it may just have a high and low option.

Any ideas / suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance,

Chris

Hello everyone!

I have had it with my Whirlpool self-cleaning convection oven.

I bought it two years ago for the sum of $1,500 plus tax - Not cheap. And yet, it has been problem-plagued ever since.

The trouble began when I started baking bread using the convection feature. The control panel would freeze up and not respond at the end of baking. It had a "touch-sensitive" glass panel, and no matter what I did, it would not turn off.

Fortunately, I purchased a five-year warranty with the appliance.

The repairman has come at least five times and has been unable to correct the problem. He replaced some electronic parts and even the entrire panel at one time. It would work okay for a little while and then act up again.

I am convinced this is a design flaw with this model of Whirlpool convection ovens. This is likely due to the way the convection is vented through the back of the appliance in the same area that the electronic panel is. Extremely hot, humid air and electronic components do not mix, a fact that was somehow overlooked at Whirlpool.

The responsible thing to do is issue a nation-wide recall... But that could affect Whirlpools bottom line of course.

This is a dangerous flaw as it could leave the homeowner with an appliance that will not shut off and could potentially lead to a house fire.

Luckily, I put my stove on appliance wheels, so I was able to pull it away from the wall to unplug it when this happened.

The company that backs the guarantee notified me they now agree the stove is a lemon and will replace it with a new one of similar value.

The question I have is - what would you recommend as a decent range (gas or electric) and why?

I would prefer a quality appliance with none of the features which cause trouble down the road such as self-cleaning, convection, touch pad, control panels. Better off with real knobs to control the stove instead of a digital keypad that costs $500 or more to replace.

I know many of you have had similar experiences and have had to dump an otherwise perfectly good appliance due to this built-in obsolescence. It's a real disgrace.

So thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully we can begin a lively discussion on which oven is the best value for the home baker!

Thank you and happy baking!

Jerome the Giraffe

Just curious if anyone has any experience using a CADCO brand oven.  My regular electric oven has always had thermostat issues but my landlord isn't in a hurry to replace it.  Locally, there seem to be some good deals on their smaller (ov-250) ovens (pdf-link) at the moment and I am curious if anyone has baked in one.

Does anyone use a gas convection oven? I normally prefer gas cooktops and electric ovens, but I'm not sure if the dual fuel is worth the extra cash in terms of performance. I would like to hear from the baking enthusiasts about performance and reliability. Thanks!

Hello I just joined this wonderful site a couple of weeks ago and keep on making new discoveries all the time. Thanks for sharing all your experiences.