How It Works Food is cooked by the transfer of heat energy to the food product. This transfer can occur in 3 main ways: Conduction, Radiation and Convection. Here we will talk a little bit about the meaning behind convection cooking and the benefits it has. Convection Cooking is the transfer of heated energy through a fluid which can be in a liquid or gas state, like air. Convection ovens are found everywhere (even your own home!) and they simply use motionless hot air to cook the food products within. However, in commercial convection ovens, heated air is blown inside the oven cavity with the help of a mounted fan system and a heated element, forcing the hot air through the oven racks and increasing circulation for quicker, even cooking, all at lower temperatures. The fan is the key component that makes the convection process more efficient by constantly moving the air around every piece of food and getting rid of cool spots that can result in unevenness. Why a faster cooking time when the temperatures are lower? When heated air is in motion, as it is in a commercial convection oven, the rate of heat transfer actually increases as opposed to still, motionless air at a higher temperature. So with the constant circulation of air in a convection oven, you're not only speeding up the transfer of heat to the food but you're ensuring a more even, thorough process with a better end result. It's this unique combination of lower temperatures and faster cooking time that allows your food to lock in its natural juices and moisture while having a delicious crispy, flaky, golden-brown exterior. Oven Rack Placement Unlike other ovens, commercial convection ovens have uniform air moving throughout the interior, so oven rack placement isn't important. This means that whether you have vegetables on the bottom rack or the top rack, each dish should get the same amount of air with every cooking cycle. This is great for the large volume restaurant owner or institution that needs to maximize the amount of sheet pans per cooking cycle without having to worry about rotation or turning in between.
A Guide To Convection Cooking
This entry was posted on July 30, 2012.