Anyone made the switch from conventional oven to fan oven easily?

[Tinkjon]

I've always used conventional ovens and never cooked in a fan oven. But the new swizzy oven I was planning on buying has 2 ovens, one of which is only a fan oven and you can't switch the fan off. Can I easily get used to using a fan oven instead? I don't want to have to learn a whole new way of cooking and spend ages getting used to the thing. Also, do food labels now always include instructions for fan ovens? They always used to say something "fan ovens need less cooking time/lower temperatures", leaving it up to you to guess how to cook it - and I can't be doing with that!

[DrNortherner]

No difference imo. Fan ovens just a bit quicker.

[Gingerbear]

They are great. No need to worry about top shelf, middle or bottom - its all the same as heat is distributed evenly.
Most packaged food has instructions for fan ovens.
A basic rule of thumb - 10 degrees lower than conventional oven. or 5-10 mins less cooking time.

[somersetmum]

Fan ovens are fab.

You have to remember the rules:

No pre-heat.
Reduce heat by approx 20 degrees.
Reduce cooking time.

Don't panic - the manual will guide you through it all.

The beauty of a fan oven is that it cooks things evenly, so you don't have to turn cake tins around halfway through, etc.

You'll be fine.

[hippipotami]

Yes, but it took a week of burnt dinners! As mentioned below, just turn the temp down or reduce the cooking time.

After 10 years with a conventional oven I have now had my fan oven for 3 months, and I am getting used to it.
Still burn things though....

[hippipotami]

Somerset mum, no preheat? That is a new one for me. Is that where I am going wrong??

[PeachesMcLean]

How much of a breeze do you have coming out the sides of the door?

I suspect our oven door doesn't fit well or is that just what you get with fan ovens. We "inherited" ours so have no manual.

[hippipotami]

I get a fair bit of breeze coming out of where the top of the door is. I always assumed that was how it was meant to be
I hope it is...

[smartiejake]

Fan ovens are brill- I would never use anything else.
Makes brilliant cakes and it doesn't matter where in the oven you put things-it always cooks evenly.
I don't get any breeze coming out of the door though- not sure if that's right

[somersetmum]

hippipotami - yes, no pre-heat unless you are doing bread etc. I stick to the cookbook I got with the oven (roughly, i.e. if making cakes, check similar recipe) and it tells you whether or not to pre-heat. E.g. Mars' Drizzle Cake, I don't pre-heat and cook for 40 mins at 170.

[hippipotami]

Ah, maybe that is behind me burning everything then?

Will go and re-read the manual. I had arrogantly assumed there was not much to it!

[Twiglett]

I always preheat my fan oven

but knock temp down 10 - 20 degrees from recipes and reduce cooking time a bit

[SantaBeClausImWorthIt]

No need for pre-heating. So much quicker it's fab!

[Tinkjon]

I didn't realise that you don't need to pre-heat them (in theory) or that they cook evenly - that sounds good. But doesn't it get annoying having to constantly think "the recipe says this temp, so I need to do it that temp" and have to calculate different cooking times etc.? Or does it become second nature after a while?

[Kewcumber]

I always preheat - after all it isn;t INSTANTLY warm just quicker. I inly preheat for about 5 mins. Most things have the temp for fan oven included.

[LazyLinePainterJane]

They cook cakes beautifully, they look all golden brown and at first, you think that it can't be cooked properly!

Cooked my Turkey in record time.

[Monkeybird]

nope. my family now sing (to that tune...) 'She likes to burn it, burn it, she likes to BURN IT'...

[lottymaud7]

Please could you let me know which type of oven is easier to clean, fan or conventional?

[rabbit123]

It makes no difference. The only difference is that fan ovens have a fan at the back which is built into the back of the oven. They're exactly the same to clean

[RingUpRingRingDown]

We went the other way round after moving house and I really miss the fan oven - heats up so much more quickly!

[TwoLittleBlooms]

Yep, I had a built in single conventional in my old house and we bought a fan oven (freestanding) and it is fab - I can cook more than one pizza at a time, more than one tray of food at time - love it! I have to say though I do get a hot spot near the door so have to make sure everything is pushed right back if tray small enough or turn if not - I wasn't expecting that - thought it would all cook evenly all over - though don't have to swap top and bottom shelves etc like I did in my old oven. Baking has been fine in it.