If you’re buying a new oven soon, you may be wondering what the difference is between a fan oven and a conventional oven.
Fan ovens have been around for years and have been outshining conventional ovens on recipe cooking times since they came to the kitchen.
But is there any actual real difference between a fan oven and a conventional oven? And, which is the perfect oven for you?
Well, let’s explore both ovens to help you choose between them, shall we?
Differences Between Conventional and Fan Ovens
A conventional oven has a heating element that heats the entire oven cavity. This heating element must generate plenty of heat to ensure that every area of the oven stays at a consistent temperature.
Some conventional ovens do have two heating elements: one at the top, one at the bottom.
As you may know, conventional ovens are known for having hot and cold spots. Typically, the hot spot of a conventional oven is located very close to the heating element, while the corners and the middle of the oven are cooler.
This can result in uneven cooking and longer cooking times as a result.
A fan oven still has a heating element. However, rather than just relying on the heating element to heat the whole cavity of the oven, a fan is used to push the hot air around the cavity. This means that the heat is distributed much more evenly.
As a result, fan ovens stay at a more consistent temperature, and this reduces cooking times. Fan ovens are also more energy-efficient than conventional ovens because the heating element doesn’t have to work as hard.
The fan does use a small amount of energy, but this is offset by the reduction of cooking times.
So, with the addition of a fan, an oven can heat up quicker, cooking times are reduced, and cooking temperatures are much more consistent in the entire cooking cavity.
Does that mean you should choose a fan oven over a conventional oven then?
Which Is Better, a Fan or Conventional Oven?
As we said above, a fan oven is more energy-efficient than a conventional oven because the fan pushes the hot air around the cavity keeping it at a consistent temperature for much longer.
However, an overfilled fan oven can impact the way this hot air travels, which can lead to cooler spots.
One way of remedying this is to buy a bigger fan oven, so you have more space. Thus, the air is free to travel around the oven.
With a conventional oven, you don’t have this problem, as the heat is simply churning out of the heating element and warming the air in the cavity. However, this produces warm and cold spots as well.
What we’re saying is that no oven is perfect. While fan ovens do use less energy, if you overfill one, you can stop the fan functioning as it should.
However, we still think it is better to have a fan in the oven for most cooking tasks. It is one of the best ways of keeping cooking temperatures in the oven consistent.
As long as you don’t overfill the oven, you will never experience hot and cold spots in a fan oven. Conventional ovens, on the other hand, always produce hot and cold spots.
I have used fan ovens for many years and would never go back to a conventional oven. The shorter cooking times, the energy efficiency, and the consistent temperatures make them much better to use, in my opinion.
This cooking argument really comes down to which type of oven you are used to, though. If you enjoy using a conventional oven and are much more used to cooking with it, that is the oven you should choose.
For me, though, a fan oven is a more enjoyable kitchen tool to use.
Plus, once you get used to the shorter cooking times and lower temperatures needed, you won’t really notice any difference in cooking with one, other than you’ll have more time to watch your favourite boxsets and movies.
Whether you prefer a conventional oven or a fan oven, you can find the very best of both right here on Chef’s Pick. We have all of the ovens you could ever hope to choose between, along with loads of information and cookware to help you make the most of your oven!
Scott is a writer and a passionate home chef. His passion for cooking began when he was 10 years old. Scott has been writing professionally for over five years now and loves to combine his passion for cooking with his day job.
