If you’re serious about cooking delicious meals and in a time frame that matches your lifestyle, you need kitchen appliances that will help you make this happen.
You can never go wrong with a speed oven or a convection microwave. Whether you’re heating a gourmet dinner or simply heating up pizza, either of the appliances work just fine.
The decision to invest in one of these appliances over the other is based both on your style and cooking habits.
To help you understand the right oven for you, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about speed and microwave ovens.
What is a Speed Oven?
A speed oven is a convection oven, microwave, or a combination of the two. It is the latest evolution in cooking technology that gives you outstanding results of both worlds.
It works like a convection oven but with the cooking speed of a microwave.
Speed ovens are more compact and faster than conventional ovens. Some even incorporate an oven to give you a complete cooking experience.
How do Speed Ovens Work?
Speed ovens combine a microwave, a convection oven, and a grill element. They reduce the time it takes to cook in a conventional oven without dehydrating the food like a standard microwave.
They take very little time to preheat and often come with a variety of pre-programmed modes or recipes to help you cook with ease.
Advantages of a speed oven
- Rapid speed – Cooking with a speed oven is up to 15 times faster than using a traditional oven.
- Moisture retention – The concurrent cooking technology in speed ovens prevents your food from drying out.
- Flexibility – With high power and speed, it’s easier to serve high-quality and delicious food every time.
- Compact – These ovens come in a space-saving design hence the best for you if you have limited kitchen space.
- Consistency – Temperature precision and easy-to-use recipe programming lead to consistent, high-quality cooking.
Disadvantages of a Speed Oven
- Expensive – These ovens come with a higher price tag. They are more expensive than microwaves but worth the price because of their high functionality.
- Small in size – Speed ovens are smaller than conventional ovens and thus can cook food in big batches at a go.
What is a Convection Microwave?
A convection microwave is a hybrid appliance that combines traditional microwave technology with an extra heating element (coil) and fan. This allows you to bake, roast, brown, and crisp foods.
This microwave can double as another oven or serve as your main oven in tiny spaces like RVs.
How does a Convection Microwave Work?
A convection microwave cooks in two ways at once. The combination of convection and microwave cooking is what makes it so powerful.
Therefore, should you set your convection microwave to microwave something, it’ll work just like any other standard microwave oven.
Here, the magnetron converts energy into microwaves. The microwaves vibrate the water molecules in your food and cause friction, which then generates heat that warms up your food.
When you use the convection settings on the convection microwave, it works just like an oven. The heating element in the unit converts energy to heat, and the fan circulates hot air at the food, making it cook quickly.
Advantages of a Convection Microwave
- Convenient for high-temperature cooking – These microwaves are effective, fast, and convenient for high-temperature cooking such as pastries, roasts, and pizza.
- Suitable for small families – Spacious enough to prepare enough meals for small families of 3 to 4 people at a go.
- Faster cooking times – Are great for speedy melting and browning of cheese toasts and reheating crisping of pastry.
- Energy-efficient – They consume less energy than ovens hence are cheaper to run.
- Combines two appliances into one – You can use a convection microwave as an oven, microwave, or a combination of the two.
Disadvantages of a Convection Microwave
- Has a smaller cavity – This limits you to cooking one type of food at a time.
- Difficult to clean – Most have stainless steel interiors; hence a little difficult to clean.
- No bottom element – This leads to limited browning and crisping of foods that require base cooking, such as pies, pastry, and pizza.
Which one is Better, a Speed Oven or a Convection Microwave?
Both appliances work great, meaning that whichever unit you decide to settle on, you will have bagged an oven that is worth it. Just ensure that you get the model that your household needs most.
With a speed oven, you can prepare meals fast without drying your food fast. The unit is also easy to use, clean, and maintain. And since it’s also space-saving, you’ll like it more if you have a small kitchen.
On the other hand, a convection microwave helps you prepare food with either the microwave, convection, or both functions. It’ll also help you prepare meals fast, and although compact, it’s spacious enough to roast a whole chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
01. Can I use my speed oven as a microwave?
Yes, you can use the speed oven as a microwave. Remember, it combines convection cooking and microwave technology for faster cooking results.
02. Can I put a foil in a speed oven?
No, do not cover your food with foil, metal lids, plastic lids, plastic wrap, wax paper, opaque oven-safe lids, or parchment papers when speed cooking.
You can only use clear glass Pyrex, CorningWare, and similar oven-safe lids if you need to cover your food when speed cooking.
03. Can your speed oven replace a regular oven?
A speed oven can replace a regular oven since it reheats quickly. This oven is also an excellent space saver as it combines a microwave and oven into one appliance.
04. Is a speed oven worth it?
Speed ovens have a lot of advantages that make them worth investing in. With it, you can cook certain dishes in half the time of a regular oven. It also cooks food in an even cooking environment to prevent your meals from drying out.
05. Can I use metal in a speed oven?
As aforementioned, a speed oven also functions as a microwave. Avoid using metal at all costs when using the microwave mode or any other mode that incorporates microwave power.
Should you use metal in it, you’ll most likely end up with sparks or a roasted oven.
06. Is it possible to use your convection microwave as a normal microwave?
Convection microwaves can be used as an oven, a microwave, or a combination of the two. Therefore, you can use it as a normal microwave to reheat, defrost, and cook your food.
07. Can I bake cookies in a convection microwave?
Yes, you can bake cookies in a convection microwave. These ovens circulate hot air in the entire unit when baking resulting in even heat distribution. The even heat will make your cookies come out evenly cooked.
Conclusion
Both the speed oven and convection microwave work great and help you get your meals ready fast enough. If looking for a futuristic cooking experience that cuts down preheat and cooking time without compromising the texture and doneness of your food, get a speed oven.
Go for a convection microwave if all you need is a microwave that will help you do more than defrost, reheat, and warm food.
