There are three different types of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiant. Each type of heat cooks differently, so this month, take a weekly look at how food reacts when exposed to different types of heat.
Convection heating is a method of heat transference from the air or from a liquid to an object. In this instance, the object is food, and convection heating through cooking. The primary way to do this is with a convection oven. The way convection ovens operate is with a fan circulating air directly into the oven cavity, and good convection ovens will have a third heating element behind the fan. Without this third heating element, the food cooks less evenly due to hot and cold spots throughout the oven. You want there to be a consistent temperature throughout the oven.Benefits of cooking with a convection oven is an accelerated cooking time. Typically, cooking takes 25% less time because the chemical reactions with the food and the heat happen a lot faster. This is because of the fast moving hot air. Fats in a roast start to brown quicker which allows the meat to stay juicy while cooking and the butter in a pastry steams faster which creates that delicious crisp, flaky texture.
