With the advancement of technology comes the invention of different appliances that’ll make our lives easier. Each task is going to be faster to do, and manufacturers even come up with combination appliances. All-in-one models are capable of doing tasks that used to be exclusive to a specific gadget, so you get to save on money.
One of the appliances that you have probably heard of is a convection microwave oven. If you’re thinking of investing in one, below are some things that you must know to get the most out of your latest kitchen addition.
Why Cook with Convection Microwave Ovens?
- Space-Saving
You might be wondering if it’s going to be beneficial for you to add a convection microwave oven in your kitchen. If you want a minimalistic living, there’s no doubt that some appliances aren’t necessary for you to have. However, we firmly believe that the benefits of getting this all-in-one appliance outweigh the cons.
- Efficient Cooking
For starters, you get to save space by getting a hybrid of two appliances that’s also capable of convection technology. If you have limited space, you can benefit from the compact size of a convection microwave oven. At the same time, the best convection microwave oven in the market makes sure that you’re not limited to the recipes that you can do even if you don’t own a lot of appliances.
Other than the features in one compact unit, a convection microwave oven is capable of convection cooking. Simply put, you can thoroughly cook a dish in less time, similar to when you’re using a traditional oven. You can even crisp or brown your recipes perfectly, even if you’re not monitoring it so you can do other tasks while waiting.
- Convenient and Easy
Compared to regular microwaves that can only cook the outside of your food, you’ll also get fully cooked meals ranging from savory to sweet in this appliance. And not only that, but some models on the market can jumpstart the cooking for you even if you are away just by using your phone.
How Does a Convection Microwave Oven Works?
As we have mentioned earlier, you can enjoy thoroughly and slowly cooked food with a convection microwave oven in contrast to a traditional microwave. But at the same time, you don’t have to wait too long as you would in a traditional oven thanks to the convection technology.
How this technology works is by distributing the heat inside equally using a fan. Since the heat is not concentrated in one area, your food cooks both inside and outside as well. Besides the fan, there is also an additional heating element inside so you can brown, bake, and roast your food with this appliance.
What Cooking Methods Can You Do in a Convection Microwave Oven
Your unit may not be capable of doing all the functions below. However, the list will give you an idea of how flexible this compact appliance is for different types of dishes.
- Reheating
- Defrosting
- Browning and crisping
- Boiling
- Baking
- Roasting
How to Cook with a Convection Microwave Oven
Of course, you need to study the instruction manual that comes with your model. Doing so will prevent you from the risk of damaging your unit, and so that you can efficiently use your unit. However, we wrote a general guide on how you can make the most out of your convection microwave oven.
When cooking a meal, you might be able to use more than one setting of your unit. Or, if not, you might need to make some adjustments in the features so that it will be fitting to your recipe. For example, most convection microwave ovens in the market have so-called preset settings.
These are buttons that you can just select, so the model will cook a specific food without the need for manual intervention. Each food like chicken, seafood, or dessert, already comes with timed settings. The model will start, adjust, and stop on its own, and you can just come back to the perfectly made food.
Some other settings that you can take advantage of this appliance is that you can cook with convection only. This feature is best to save on time, but you can also control the time and temperature unique to the recipe that you’re doing.
On the other hand, you might benefit from the microwave setting if you want to use your unit as a microwave. Make sure that you’re using the proper dishes, racks, or utensils, and you can quickly reheat or steam your food just like in a microwave.
Now, when you’re browning, roasting, or getting your ingredients crispy, you might need to select the baking setting. Make sure that your dish or pan is elevated correctly, so that the hot air can reach the bottom of the pan as well.
You might also find the combination setting in your model. For us, this is the star feature of any convection microwave oven. This is because this feature combines all the good functions of the combined 3 appliances. You can quickly cook your food, and the result is still evenly cooked from the inside to the outside. You get thoroughly cooked inside, while the exterior is brown and sometimes crispy.
You have to learn the different settings of your model because you might make some adjustments. You can try experimenting with times and temperatures to get the perfect dish.
Tips in Using a Convection Microwave Oven
- Depending on the recipe and how you want your dish to turn out, you may want to adjust the time or temperature. For example, use a lower temperature than the recipe if the exterior gets overcooked. On the contrary, you have to raise the temperature of the food that you’re cooking if the inside is undercooked. If that doesn’t work, try cooking a smaller portion. These adjustments are also applicable to the cooking time. If undercooked, cook for longer. If overcooked, cook in a shorter period. A temperature probe will give you the idea of the dish’s doneness.
A convection microwave oven is best with the appropriate cookware. This factor is significant not just for the quality of food, but also for your safety. The hot air should circulate throughout the ingredient, so you can use metal, black steel, cast iron, or enameled cast iron cookware. However, don’t be surprised by brands that use glass or pyroceramics.
I will try😊😊