Convection ovens - compact assistants in your kitchen

Modern convection ovens are gaining more and more popularity among Russian consumers thanks to revolutionary technologies. Perhaps a mini-oven with convection in the near future will replace microwave counterparts from the kitchen.

At the same time, cooking time is greatly saved, and heat transfer occurs through the movement of hot air, so the products are evenly processed from all sides.

To find out all the advantages of the new compact equipment, find out the methodology for its proper use, as well as the selection criteria for such household appliances, you need to carefully read this article.

What are these units for?

A convection oven with steam humidification is used by professional chefs, mainly such equipment is installed in bakery and confectionery shops where mass baking takes place. So that the finished dough does not dry out during processing at high temperatures, a certain amount of steam is added to the process.

Compact convection devices are designed for cooking at home. In addition to baking, they cook meat, fish and poultry, but it is better to use a special food sleeve so as not to splatter the inner panels with fat, because some manufacturers use porous metal for decoration, which is much cheaper than stainless steel.

The difference between the finished product is a fragrant crisp, and under it you will find an incredibly tasty and fragrant dish made by yourself with the active help of a mini-assistant. A survey of real users showed that such ovens are compact and easy to use, and there is no better alternative for baking homemade pies and cakes.

A universal benchtop oven is used for such purposes:

1. Cooking frozen convenience foods.
2. Warming up previously cooked food.
3. Baking pies, pies, homemade muffins and cakes.
4. Cooking meat, fish, stewing vegetables.

An electric convection oven allows you to increase the speed of food processing many times over, allowing you to save on energy bills. This is due to the fact that her heating rate is many times faster - in this she surpasses any electric furnace in her class, while the food retains all the vitamins and initial useful properties of the products. Due to its compactness, a small table-top convection oven harmoniously fits into the interior of any kitchen.

Kinds

Such equipment is divided into several types according to certain parameters that significantly affect the final price. According to the humidification system, they are divided into 2 types:

• with steam humidification;
• without humidification system.

The steam oven is used for baking bakery products in confectioneries, bakeries, because it does not allow finished products to become overdried. The dough comes up pretty quickly, and the products become airier, especially when baking glazed rolls, moistening is done at the very beginning of the baking process.

According to the method of steam generation, such devices are also divided into two types:

• boiler rooms;
• injection.

In the second option, steam is created by direct injection of water on the heating element, and the first option is most popular because of its accuracy and simplicity - there is no need to calculate the amount of water for injection. The lack of boiler furnaces in their high cost, therefore, injection devices have been developed.

In addition, the products are divided according to capacity and management, since the volume of compact ovens for home baking does not vary much, we are primarily interested in the control method.It can be of two types: mechanical and electronic, in the first case, all parameters are set using rotary controls, such furnaces are more reliable in use. Electronically controlled ovens greatly facilitate the work of cooks in large restaurants and cafes.

Functionality

In the domestic Russian market you can find similar ovens with automatic programs that simplify the process of cooking food:

1. Auto start.
2. Temperature probes.
3. Sleep mode.
4. Ability to program cooking modes.
5. Camera cooling function.
6. Extraction of moisture and air.
7. Built-in illumination of internal volume.

Baking trays are standard; four baking trays or racks are placed in each product.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of convection ovens is their simple operation. Specialists distinguish the following advantages:

• quite compact dimensions;
• democratic prices, which guarantees accessibility for all segments of the population;
• uniformity of baking;
• special tastes of the prepared dishes;
• reduction in cooking time;
• very high performance.

Quick warm-up before starting work can significantly save users energy resources.
There are minor flaws: a big minus is that convection products cannot cook dishes in different ways. A small amount of the cooked product at a time is also considered a drawback, but if you load the camera completely, it will take more time and energy consumption will increase markedly.

How to choose

In order to choose the best option for a convection-type oven for your family, you must consider the following criteria:

1. Dimensions Some steam humidification models will be 1.5 times larger than a standard microwave, while others will be almost the same or slightly smaller in size.
2. Power. The speed of cooking products directly depends on this parameter, so it is better to buy a furnace of at least 1.3 kW.
3. Temperature condition: it should vary between 100-250 ° C.
4. The humidification function makes all cooked foods more tender.
5. Programming. The required process is provided by the selection of the appropriate program, but such models are much more expensive than with simple mechanical control. This function is used by professional chefs while working in the large kitchens of elite restaurants.
6. The product should organically fit into the interior of your kitchen, so pay special attention to the design.
7. There are many manufacturers, and everyone is trying to install a control panel that is understandable to consumers, but some complicate it a bit, so choose an informative option that is understandable at first glance.
8. Pay special attention to the quality certificate, which indicates what material the device is made of, if it is plastic, then only food, which does not release toxic substances when heated.
9. The model you have chosen should be convenient to use and take a minimum of time for maintenance.

Remember that additional features that manufacturers often offer add to the cost of the model.

Many models bear the inscription Made in China, do not be afraid that this is a low-quality product - many manufacturers known around the world, for example, Tefal, Philips, as well as domestic Polaris, REDMOND have long been producing small kitchen appliances in China. Production is much cheaper, but company representatives check the quality of the assembled models. Many Chinese companies have significantly improved the quality of their products, which is practically in no way inferior to the European assembly.

Rating or top 5 models

Energy EN-1003

• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Power consumption: 1.38 kW
• Management: mechanical
• Capacity: 20 L
• Heating Temperature Range: 100-250 ° C
• Number of working modes: 6
• Noise Level: 55.4dB
• Dimensions: 455x350x350 mm (in package)
• Weight: 5.1 kg
• Warranty / Manufacturer: 1 year / China

Centek CT-1530-36 Convection

• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Power consumption: 1,60 kW
• Management: mechanical
• Capacity: 36 L
• Heating Temperature Range: 100-320 ° C
• Number of working modes: 4
• Timer: for 90 minutes, sound notification
• Dimensions: 510x340x310 mm
• Weight: 10.0 kg
• Warranty / Manufacturer: 1 year / China

Energy En-1002

• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Power consumption: 1.38 kW
• Management: mechanical
• Capacity: 20 L
• Heating Temperature Range: 100-250 ° C
• Number of working modes: 6
• Noise Level: 56.2dB
• Dimensions: 455x350x350 mm (in package)
• Weight: 5.1 kg
• Warranty / Manufacturer: 1 year / China

Kraft KF-MO3804KR

• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Power consumption: 1,50 kW
• Management: mechanical
• Capacity: 38 L
• Heating Temperature Range: 100-320 ° C
• Number of working modes: 4
• Timer: 1.5 hours, beep
• Dimensions in the package: 510х405х445 mm
• Weight: 9.5 kg
• Warranty / Manufacturer: 12 months / China

AVEX TR 300 BCL

• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Power consumption: 1,50 kW
• Management: mechanical
• Capacity: 28 L
• Heating Temperature Range: 100-250 ° C
• Number of working modes: 3
• Noise Level: 51 dB
• Dimensions in the package: 475x365x292 mm
• Weight: 7.2 kg
• Warranty / Manufacturer: 1 year / China

Output

China mainly produces mini-ovens, since many trademarks have given Chinese specialists the prerogative of production because of the low cost of labor. The quality of execution is at the level of world standards, but sometimes technical defects are encountered, from which no one is safe.

In general, the products are quite reliable in operation: they are spacious, work well and quickly, only their energy saving class is quite low, but due to the high power, convection ovens reduce cooking time and, as a result, save energy consumption.