How to Preheat a Convection Oven

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 9, 2023 References

Convection ovens use fans to distribute heat evenly across your food. Unlike traditional ovens that heat food from the bottom, convection ovens heat food from both the top and bottom of the oven, leading to quicker and more evenly cooked food. Like a traditional oven, convection ovens should be preheated before you cook your food. Luckily, whether you have a conventional convection oven or a convection microwave oven, preheating is easy as long as you follow the right steps.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preheating a Conventional Convection Oven

1
Read the oven’s instruction manual. Convection oven models are different and these steps may differ from the model that you own. Look for the owners or instruction manual that you got with your convection oven. If you don't have it, use a search engine to see if you can find an online version of the manual.
2
Press the convection button or turn the dial to convection. Set your oven to the convection setting by pressing the button or turning a dial to convection. Some appliances will also have a convection bake or roast setting. Use the setting that applies to the food you plan on cooking.^{[2]
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- If you're making cookies, cakes, or pies, you should set the oven to convection bake.
- If you're cooking a pot roast or turkey, you should set the oven to convection roast.
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3
Preheat to 25°F (14°C) below the conventional oven temperature. Since convection ovens cook your food more evenly than a traditional oven, you should reduce the temperature. Look at the recipe that you’re cooking and reduce the temperature to 25°F (14°C) less than what the recipe calls for. Input your cooking temperature into the keypad or turn the dial to the appropriate temperature.^{[3]
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- Some appliances will automatically adjust the temperature for convection cooking. Refer to the user's manual to see if your oven automatically adjusts the temperature.
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Press the "Start" button. Some ovens will automatically raise the temperature as you increase it and others require you to hit the "Start" button. After hitting the "Start" button, the oven should begin to rise in temperature.
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Wait for the oven to beep or for an indicator light to come on. Your oven should beep or an indicator light should come on when it’s reached the desired temperature. Your convection should now be preheated.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Preheating a Convection Microwave

1
Read the microwave’s instruction manual. Before you cook in your convection microwave oven, make sure to read the owner's manual for any specific guidelines that you should follow when using it.
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Turn the convection microwave oven on. Make sure the oven is plugged in and turned on. Look at the digital display on the front of the oven to determine if it is on and working.
3
Press the convection option on your microwave. If you have a dial, turn it to convection mode. An indicator light should turn on telling you that it's in convection mode.^{[5]
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Set the temperature to 25°F (14°C) less than what the recipe calls for. Use the up and down arrow keys to set the temperature. Like a regular convection oven, convection microwaves cook food at a faster rate than a traditional oven. Set the temperature to 25°F (14°C) less than what the recipe calls for in a traditional oven.^{[6]
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Hit the “Start” button. Once you hit the start button, the light should come on and your microwave should start heating up to the desired temperature that you put in. The microwave should read “Preheating” or something similar on the display.^{[7]
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Wait until the microwave beeps. Let the microwave heat up. When the internal temperature matches what you put in, the microwave should beep or ding, signifying that it's preheated.^{[8]
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- If your convection microwave doesn’t have a preheating feature, wait roughly 10 minutes to ensure the microwave has heated thoroughly before putting your food into it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Cooking with a Convection Oven or Convection Microwave

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Check on your food when 75% of the cooking time has passed. Usually, convection ovens will cook food faster than traditional ovens, so you should check on your food frequently. Take a look at your recipe and check on your food once 75% of the cooking time has passed. If the sides are burning but the center is still cold, you may want to reduce the heat.^{[9]
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Place your food in the oven as soon as it's preheated. Traditionally convection microwaves cool down rapidly. To maintain the preheated temperature, don't open the microwave door or turn the microwave off. Instead, place your food in the microwave as soon as possible and start cooking it. If you had to turn off the microwave or wait to cook your food, you'll have to preheat the convection microwave again.^{[10]
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3
Check your food frequently. If you’re not used to cooking in a convection oven or microwave, you may have to become adjusted to new cooking times. These microwaves tend to cook the food 25% faster, so check in on what you’re cooking halfway through the recommended cooking time per the recipe.^{[11]
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4
Reduce the heat and increase the cooking time for a more even cook. If you notice that the outside of the food is burning but the center is uncooked, it's a sign that your convection oven temperature is too high. Reduce the temperature and cook the food for a longer period of time to compensate for the lower temperature. Check the food frequently to determine when it's done.