Honestly, I end up using regular bake more than I thought I would. It just feels more forgiving, especially for bread or cookies.
That’s been my experience, too. In my old house, the kitchen still has a 1950s oven—no convection setting at all. My sourdough always comes out with a tender crumb, and cookies never dry out. When I use my daughter’s newer convection oven, I have to watch things like a hawk or they go from golden to overdone in a blink. For pizza, I’ve started using a pizza stone and regular bake... seems to help the crust without sacrificing the toppings.
I get what you mean about the old ovens. When we renovated, I thought convection would be a game changer, but honestly, I keep switching it off.
That’s exactly it—timing feels way less predictable. Regular bake just seems more reliable for most stuff.“I have to watch things like a hawk or they go from golden to overdone in a blink.”
Convection ovens seemed like the future when we moved into our 1920s place, but honestly, I’ve had a similar experience. Here’s how it usually goes for me: I’ll try a batch of cookies on convection, thinking they’ll bake evenly and faster. Instead, I end up with crispy edges and underdone middles unless I rotate the trays halfway through—something I never had to do with my old oven.
I’ve read all the guides about lowering the temp by 25 degrees and shortening the time, but it still feels like a guessing game. Maybe it’s just me, but for bread and cakes, I always switch back to regular bake. The convection fan seems to dry things out or brown them too fast.
The only time convection really shines is when I’m roasting veggies or trying to get chicken skin super crispy. For most baking, though, I trust the old-school method more. Maybe there’s a trick I’m missing, but for now, conventional just feels more predictable in this house.
Convection Still Wins for Me—Even with Cookies
That’s interesting, because I’ve actually had the opposite experience with convection and cookies. Maybe it’s just the quirks of my oven, but I find that if I use parchment paper and keep the trays in the middle rack, my cookies come out more evenly baked than they ever did in my old conventional oven. I do have to watch them like a hawk, though, since they go from perfect to overdone in what feels like seconds. But I’m curious—have you tried using an oven thermometer? I found out my convection setting was running almost 20 degrees hotter than what the dial said, which totally explained why things were browning too fast.
I totally get what you mean about bread and cakes, though. The fan seems to dry out the crust or make the tops too brown before the inside’s done. But then again, I’ve read some folks swear by convection for sourdough, saying it gives a better crust. Is it maybe just a matter of getting used to each oven’s personality? Or could it be something about older houses and how they’re insulated?
One thing I do wonder: does your oven let you turn off the fan mid-bake? Mine has a “convection roast” and a “convection bake” setting, and honestly, I still don’t know what the difference is besides the icon on the display. Sometimes I’ll start with convection and switch back to regular halfway through, especially with stuff like lasagna or casseroles. It’s kind of a pain, but it seems to help.
I guess for me, convection’s biggest win is when I’m cooking multiple trays at once. I can do three sheets of roasted potatoes and not worry about rotating them every ten minutes. That’s a game changer for big family dinners. But for delicate stuff, yeah... sometimes old-school is just less stressful. Maybe it all comes down to trial and error—or maybe some ovens just aren’t built for perfect convection?
You’re not alone—figuring out the quirks of a new oven is honestly half the battle. I ran into the same temp issue with my convection setting, and an oven thermometer was a game changer (mine was 15 degrees off). Switching between modes mid-bake feels like a hassle, but sometimes it’s the only way to get things just right. The multiple tray thing is a huge plus too. I think you’re right—it really does come down to learning your specific oven’s personality. Trial and error seems unavoidable, but you’ll get there.
