Viking VEDO1302SS Use and Care Manual - Page 13
Cooking with your Oven
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Cooking Tips Cooking with your Oven Conventional/Convection Cooking Because of variations in food density, surface texture and consistency, some foods may be prepared more successfully using the conventional bake setting. For this reason, conventional baking is recommended when preparing baked goods such as custard. The user may find other foods that are also prepared more consistently in conventional bake. This is perfectly normal. Convection cooking is a cooking technique which utilizes fan forces air to circulate heat throughout the entire oven cavity creating the optimum cooking environment. Cooking with convection is intended when performing multi-rack baking and for baking heavier foods. Below are some tips which will allow you to get the best results out of your oven when cooking with convection. •As a general rule, reduce the temperature by 25° F (10° C) when using a convection cooking function. •Cooking times for standard baking and convection baking will be the same. However, if using convection to cook a single item or smaller load then it is possible to have 10-15% reduction in cooking time. (Remember convection cooking is designed for multi-rack baking or cooking large loads). •If cooking items which require longer than 45 minutes then it is possible to see a 10% - 15% reduction in cooking time. This is especially true for large items cooked in the convection roast function. •A major benefit of convection cooking is the ability to prepare foods in quantity. The uniform air circulation makes this possible. Foods that can be prepared on two or three racks at the same time include: pizza, cakes, cookies, biscuits, muffins, rolls, and frozen convenience foods. •For three-rack baking, use any combination of rack positions 2, 3, 4, and 5. For two-rack baking, use rack positions 2 and 4 or positions 3 and 5. Remember that the racks are numbered from bottom to top. •Items cooked in a convection function can be easily over baked. This being the case, it is usually a good idea to pull items out of the oven just before they seem to be done. Items will continue to cook right after they are set out of the oven. •Some recipes, especially those that are homemade, may require adjustment and testing when converting from standard to convection modes. If unsure how to convert a recipe, begin by preparing the recipe in conventional bake. After achieving acceptable results, follow the convection guidelines listed for the similar food type. If the food is not prepared to your satisfaction during this first convection trial, adjust only one recipe variable at a time (cooking time, rack position, or temperature) and repeat the convection test. Continue adjusting one recipe variable at a time until satisfactory results are achieved. 24 Cooking with your Oven Baking Tips • Make sure the oven racks are in the desired position before you turn on the oven. • Do not open the door frequently during baking. Look through the door window to check doneness whenever possible. If you must open the door, the best time is during the last quarter of the baking time. • Bake to the shortest time suggested and check for doneness before adding more time. For baked goods, a stainless steel knife placed in the center of the product should come out clean when done. • Use the pan size and type recommended by the recipe to ensure best results. Cakes, quick breads, muffins, and cookies should be baked in shiny, reflective pans for light, golden crusts. Avoid the use of old, darkened pans. Warped, dented, stainless steel and tin-coated pans heat unevenly and will not give uniform baking results. Pan Placement Tips • When using large (15" x 13") flat pans or trays that cover most of the rack, rack positions 2 or 3 produce the best results. • When baking on more than one rack, it is recommended to use one of the convection modes and the 2nd and 4th position or the 3rd and 5th position for more even baking. When baking on three racks, use any combination of positions 2, 3, 4, and 5 for more consistent results. • Stagger pans in opposite directions when two racks and several pans are used in conventional bake. If possible, no pan should be directly above another. • Allow 1 to 2 inches of air space around all sides of each pan for even air circulation. Single Rack Pan Placement Multiple Rack Pan Placement 25 Cooking Tips