FAQ: What are the best convection oven recipes?
Question: I just bought a new convection oven and I’m looking for the best toaster oven recipes that I can use to really “show off” the benefits of my new purchase.
I’m really sort of scared to use this thing without some sort of idea of how it all works and what to expect in terms of cooking time and such.
What do you recommend?
Answer: Don’t let a convection oven intimidate you.
You really don’t have to rely on cooking times as much as some recipes would lead you to believe.
Alton Brown, the host of Good Eats and author of several cooking books, is wary of any recipe that doesn’t use “time” as a just a general guideline or suggestion.
The real way to cook is to ensure that whatever you are cooking achieves the appropriate temperature so that there isn’t trouble after consuming (food-borne illnesses).
The same cooking temperatures still apply with a convection oven, and the use of a good meat thermometer (with an alarm) will save you a lot of guesswork and make you look like a total pro in the kitchen.
Chicken should be cooked to 180 degrees F (82 degrees Celsius).
Turkey is the same as chicken at 180 degrees F (82 degrees Celsius).
Boneless Turkey Roast can be cooked to a lower temp (since you don’t have to worry about the bone holding a lower temp)… like 170 degrees F (77 degrees Celsius).
Cured Pork should be cooked to 160 degrees F (71 degrees Celsius).
Fresh Pork can be cooked to 160 degrees F (71 degrees Celsius) for a “medium” cooking or to 170 degrees F (77 degrees Celsius) for “well-done” temperature.
Anything else, such as beef, veal, lamb, etc can typically be cooked to preference. Remember though, don’t rely so much on cook times… as the final temperature of the meat/meal is the final judge.
One important thing to remember is that even conventional ovens do not always accurately gauge temperature, and can be inaccurate by up to 20 degrees in either direction. In other words, you may think that you are cooking a roast at 450 degrees F because that’s what the oven is set to… but your oven is really cooking it at 420 degrees F. That’s why we always use a meat thermometer and use cooking times as a rough estimate.
But, if you absolutely must use cooking times for things such as bread or vegetables or something else that’s not easily measured with a meat thermometer, here is a handy reference that we have found to be fairly accurate in most cases: http://www.convection-calculator.com/
Enjoy!
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