“I’ve lived in rentals where the ‘convection’ setting was more of a suggestion than a feature.”
That made me laugh—been there. I’ve bought and sold a few places, and honestly, you never really know what you’re getting with an oven until you try to bake something. One place had a “convection” oven that just made a weird humming noise and cooked everything unevenly. I’ve learned to just roll with it... sometimes those quirks end up making the place feel more like home. And yeah, a slightly wonky oven has given me some surprisingly good banana bread.
Honestly, I think you nailed it—sometimes the quirks are what make a house feel lived-in. I’ve had “convection” ovens that seemed to just blow hot air around for no reason, and others that actually did a decent job. But hey, if your banana bread comes out tasty, who cares if it’s not perfectly even? I’d rather save my money for something else than stress over a fancy oven that might not even work as advertised.
Honestly, I’m with you—some of these “upgraded” appliances are just marketing. I’ve flipped houses with top-of-the-line convection ovens that barely outperformed a basic coil model from the 90s. At the end of the day, if your food comes out the way you like it, who cares if it’s not “chef perfect”? Most people can’t tell the difference between convection and conventional unless you point it out. I’d rather put that extra cash toward something you actually notice, like better countertops or a fridge that doesn’t sound like a jet engine.
Not saying there’s zero benefit to convection, but it’s not the game-changer people make it out to be. Half the time, folks don’t even use the feature. If your banana bread’s good, that’s what matters.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had the opposite experience with convection. Maybe it’s just my luck, but I do a lot of baking—like cookies and pastries—and they come out way more even in a convection oven. My old conventional one would always have that one burnt corner or a tray that needed to be rotated halfway through. With convection, it’s just set it and forget it. I’ll admit, for stuff like casseroles or banana bread, you probably won’t notice much difference, but if you bake a lot, it can be worth the splurge. Countertops are great and all, but nobody ever complimented my granite when biting into a perfect croissant...
Funny you mention the granite—I've actually had clients who care more about their countertops than their appliances, but I get your point. Personally, I’ve had mixed results with convection. My scones always end up a little too dry, no matter what I try. I think it comes down to what you bake most. If you’re all about flaky pastries, convection’s probably your friend. But for me, I’d take a conventional oven and a killer marble island any day... maybe that’s just my bias talking.
