If you're shopping for a toaster oven, one feature you need to know about is convection.
Before we talk about convection in your toaster oven, it's time for a quick science lesson. It's painless -- I promise!
What is Convection?
Convection refers to heat that moves into, or out of, a moving fluid. A fluid can be a liquid, like water. It can also be a gas, like air. A moving fluid is very efficient at exchanging heat with its surroundings.
We experience convection every day. Imagine a cool breeze on a summer day, or a bitterly cold wind on a winter day. In both cases, the wind accelerates the movement of heat out of our bodies and into the air. That's convection. See, that didn't hurt at all, did it?
Benefits of Convection Toaster Ovens
Convection toaster ovens use a small fan inside the oven to create "wind" in the oven. In this case, the moving air helps move heat into the food more efficiently.
Convection benefits you in three ways.
First, convection helps cook your food more evenly. It helps to eliminate hot spots, which can be a real problem inside a small space like a toaster oven. By moving the air around, all parts of the oven have the same temperature. That's why the food cooks more evenly.
Second, it saves time. The moving air accelerates the cooking. To cook with a convection oven, you can modify your recipe in one of two ways.
1. Lower the temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and cook for the same amount of time.
2. Leave the temperature the same, and reduce the cooking time by about 25%.
Which one you should do depends on the food you are cooking. When cooking pizzas in a convection oven, I have found that lowering the temperature by 25 degrees works well. However, roasting asparagus should still be done at the usual temperature. You'll just have to experiment to know which method works best for your recipe.
Third, whether you reduce the heat or the cooking time, you use less energy. It's better for the environment, and saves you money, too.
There's only problem with convection - in some models of toaster oven, the fan can be a little loud. It's important to read product reviews or try out the toaster oven yourself to make sure this won't be a problem. This usually only happens in cheaper ovens. You get what you pay for...
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