The internet has it all

Pizza fresh from the oven

We recently purchased a convection oven and have just started to use that feature instead of standard baking.  We were aware that the convection process cooks the food faster but we did not know how to adjust the time accordingly.  Of course we did not consult the owner’s manual which probably has many useful tips. Instead, we decided to “wing it” and keep our eye on the food and call it done with a visual inspection of the food product. What we found through a few trial and error attempts was that the food cooked was ready about 20% sooner while using the same temperature.  Our 2 trial and error attempts were a rising crust frozen pizza (Supreme) and frozen French fries.  While doing a little research on the topic for this blog, I learned via the internet that many times the cooking temperature can also be reduced in addition to the time. 

An 8 pound bone-in turkey breast usually takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes at 350 in a conventional oven but only 1 hour 41 minutes at 330 degrees with a convection unit.  How do I know that you may ask?  Well, this is where the power of the internet kicks in.  I simply googled “convection oven cooking times” and the web site below was listed – try it out for yourself :

http://www.convection-calculator.com/

Not only am I saving energy in two ways by having shorter cook times and lower temperatures, I am saving on my electric bill and most important of all delivering the fresh, steaming hot pizza to my pie-hole six minutes faster.  I may actually use the extra six minutes saved in cooking time to get out the owner’s manual and read up on the manufacturer’s suggestion on the proper use of this thing.

If you want to see a more dramatic result, consider the recommendations found in the box of Reynolds Oven Bags for beef brisket.  Using their bags for an 8 pound brisket they recommend 325 degrees for 3 hours and 15 minutes.  Using the convection converter on the web site above they recommend 305 degrees for 2 hours and 26 minutes.  That is almost an hour faster – color me impressed.  Of course if you were a barbecue aficionado you would cook it at 170 degrees for 16 hours over an open fire. 

Have a savory week.