If your oven has a convection setting, how often do you use it? If the answer is "never because I don't know when it is appropriate", recipe developer and cookbook author Irvin Lin can help you. He penned an article on Simply Recipes that gives you the lowdown on how to properly use your oven's convection setting.

oven dial

First, you need to determine just what kind of convection your oven has. True or European convection has a heating element incorporated at the back of the oven along with the fan, providing more even heat. This type of convection is generally found on pricier models, with the cheaper (also called American) convection featuring a fan only, so you do not get the advantage of the additional heat.

Then there is the conundrum of what is the difference between convection bake and convection roast. Although there is no standard for these terms, most of the time convection bake uses only the bottom heating element and a lower fan speed than convection roast. This is better for more delicate items like cookies or cakes, while convection roast - which often uses the top and bottom elements and a higher fan speed - is reserved for meats and vegetables.

The final item to consider is how to adjust the temperature when using convection. The rule of thumb is to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit when using convection. Some models do this automatically, so check your user manual to find out. In what I can only believe is an attempt to drive me over the edge, my oven automatically reduces the temperature for convection bake, but does not do it for convection roast.