Using the Main Oven
Cooking with a fanned oven
As this is a high efficiency oven, you may notice the emission of steam from the oven when the door is opened. Please take care when opening the door.
If you are used to cooking with a conventional oven you will find a number of differences to cooking with a fan oven which will require a different approach:
There are no zones of heat in a fan oven as the convection fan at the back of the oven ensures an even temperature throughout the oven. This makes it ideal for batch baking - eg; when planning a party or stocking the freezer - as all the items will be cooked within the same length of time.
Foodsare cookedat a lower temperature than a conventional oven, so convention- al recipe temperature may have to be reduced. Please refer to the conversion chart.
Preheating is generally not necessary as a fan oven warms up quickly.
There is no flavour transference in a fan oven, which means you can cook strong smelling foods such as fish at the same time as mild foods - eg; milk puddings.
When batch baking foods that will rise during cooking - eg; bread - always ensure that enough space has been left between the shelves to allow for the rise.
Notes:
When 2 or more shelves are being used, it may be necessary to increase the cooking time slightly.
Because the 2 oven shelves are wider than in many ovens, it is possible to cook 2 items per shelf - eg; 2 victoria sandwiches or 2 casseroles.
Although you need to keep in mind the points ‘To help the air circulate freely’ with careful choice of dishes and tins, it is possible to cook a complete meal, and perhaps something else for the freezer, in the oven at the same time.
When roastingmeats, you will notice that fat splashing is reduced, which is due in part to the lower oven temperatures, and will help keep cleaning of the oven to a minimum.
Because a fan oven has an even temperature throughout the oven, there is no need to follow the shelf positions given in the baking guide. There is no need to interchange dishes onto different shelves part way through cooking, as with a conventional oven.
To help the air circulate freely
Position the shelves evenly within the oven and maintain a clearance from the oven roof and base.
If more than one cooking dish or baking tray is to be used on a shelf, leave a gap of at least 25mm between the items themselves and the oven interior.
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