Convection vs. True Convection

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Q: What is the difference between convection and true convection? Is one better than the other?

Carol McKenzie, New York, NY

A: A conventional radiant oven has two heating elements—a bake element in the bottom and a broil element in the top. A convection oven adds a fan to move air continuously throughout the oven cavity. The air blowing on the food helps it cook more quickly, evenly, and efficiently than it would in a conventional oven. Even better results come from a true-convection oven, which has a third heating element along with the fan, so it blows heated air. With true convection, also referred to as European convection and third-element convection, oven temperature is more uniform than it is with regular convection.


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