March 1, 2017 - 12:56pm
Questions about baking in a convection microwave
I am considering getting an over-the-range convection microwave and have a number of pre-research questions.
First of all, how hot does the exterior get when it is baking? I have a toaster oven and the outside top and walls will melt plastic and burn flesh if touched when it is baking. It also throws off considerable heat. Are the above-the-range convection microwaves better insulated than this? I do have an exhaust fan that exhausts through a roof vent on my current over-range microwave.
How does bread turn out? Is the fan drying? I have done a little bit of research and find comments in both directions on drying baked good out.
Features and tips also appreciated.
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Getting something that is designed for one specific job will do the job better than something which is designed for no particular job, or one specific job with many add-ons.
Specialising in one thing means it's the top of its field. Not specialising in anything specific means it can do a lot of different things but nothing special in any of those things.
Bread in a microwave oven I think will come out worse then a top of the range toaster oven. A microwave ovens upside is only speed when reheating food.
P.s. I think you'll never get a nice crust in a microwave oven. It'll bake a loaf of bread no doubt but nothing like in a normal oven.
That's my list. Everything else is done in the oven or on the stove top. I cannot envision baking bread in a microwave and I agree with Lechem about the crust.
The fan thing is not an issue. Almost all electric ovens in the UK have a fan these days. I bake bread daily in 2 ovens that have fans. Works just fine. The issue with fan ovens is that they cook stuff more evenly, so they're a bit quicker - for things like cakes all you do is cook them a little shorter, or turn the temperature down by 10°C. When people use old cookbooks, things tend to come out over baked, and dry because fan ovens hadn't been invented then. A typical UK fan oven has the element round the fan, so the fan has to run.
The oven itself - doesn't get that hot except at the vents at the top rear. Those do get hot! The heat is produced by an infra red heater and the fan blowing that hot air into the cavity.
I baked bread in mine once. Just once. It worked, but wasn't that good - the main issue is the max. temperature of (IIRC) 210°C. I let it heat up for 20 minutes then put some dough in - directly onto the turntable on a bit of silicone sheet. I did spray some water into it with a mister - not sure it made much difference.
I've used mine for making toast and grilling sausages, but mostly as a microwave. (The microwave bit isn't on when cooking with the heater, although I think there's a setting on mine that can run both - I'd need to read the manual!)
If that's all you have, then give it a go, but if you can get something better then I'd start looking..
-Gordon