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Convection Baking Tips
1Your Wolfgang Puck Convection Oven can bake up to 25% percent faster than standard ovens using radiant heat. The fan in the back of the oven circulates the heated air and removes colder air from around your food, allowing the heat to penetrate faster.
2Expect food to be done in less time (as much as 25% less) than it would be in a conventional oven. Don’t be concerned if you don’t notice this faster baking time in items that do not require a greater cooking time. For instance, recipes that cook for hours such as large roasts and poultry will give you a greater time savings than baking cakes or cookies which only take up to 12 - 20 minutes
3When baking, select pans with shallow sides which will allow greater air circulation to reach you food.
4Despite much marketing hype regarding even browning in convection ovens it may be necessary to rotate your food halfway through the cooking cycle for even browning. Almost all convection ovens, including commercial ovens require turning halfway through the cooking process. The main benefit of convection cooking is faster bake times.
5Your convection oven comes equipped with an interior light and a large glass door for viewing the cooking process of your food. Do not open the door to check on your baked goods as this will let out a significant amount of heat and create longer baking times. The only time the door should be opened is if you need to rotate your baked goods halfway through the cooking process. When cooking a roast or large poultry we suggest using an oven safe thermostat that you can keep in the meat to monitor the temperature while the food is cooking. (Do not use a thermometer when using the rotisserie to avoid damage to the interior of the oven, or the rotisserie motor)
6Follow the temperature guidelines in this manual. Using higher than suggested temperatures will not cook your food any faster, instead it will dry out the food.
7For better results you should always bake food that has been thoroughly thawed. The only exception to this is rule is when baking packaged frozen dinners and or pizzas. Follow the manufacturers instructions for required time. If the manufacturer does not recommend using convection bake, simply switch your function selector to Roast/Pizza.
8Always distribute the food evenly around the inside of the oven. Give equal space around the pans as well as above and below.
9Do not use aluminum foil or parchment paper to cover your food in the Convection Bake cycle. The foil will defeat the purpose of circulating the air in the oven. In addition, the foil could become loose and potentially get caught in the fan causing damage to the oven.
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Defrosting
The heating elements do not operate for this function. For defrosting, the convection fan circulates air to thaw food in a shorter period of time than conventional methods of defrosting.
Important: Defrosted foods should be cooked as soon as possible after thawing and should never be left at room temperature when completely thawed as harmful bacteria will begin to grow. DO NOT defrost large amounts of food at one time.
1Place the drip/baking pan in the bottom rails of the oven.
2Place the oven rack in middle position facing up.
3Place the food to be defrosted on the center of the oven rack.
4Set the Temperature Control to “0”.
5Set the Function Control to “Defrost”.
6Set the Time Control to the shortest amount of time necessary for defrosting.
7Check when the timer shuts off and the bell rings. Add more time if necessary.
Slow Cooking
The bottom heating elements cycle on and off to maintain the selected temperature while the top heating elements remain off. The convection fan will run during the Slow Cook cycle.
Slow cooking is a long cooking process at a low temperature used to tenderize less tender cuts of meat and blend flavors in soups and stews. Foods to be slow cooked are usually placed in a covered casserole with some liquid and cooked at 250° for 4 to 12 hours.
1Place the baking rack in the lowest rack position facing upward.
2Place the covered casserole with food to be slow cooked on the center of the baking rack.
3Set the Temperature Control to 250°.
4Set the Function Control to “Slow Cook”.
5Set the Time Control to “Stay On” and follow recipe instructions for time.
Note: The drip/baking pan should always be removed from oven when slow cooking as it will interfere with the flow of hot air from the bottom elements.
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