Microwave Convection Oven: The Pros and Cons

Microwaves are a kitchen staple in every household these days and can be used to cook a variety of different recipes. As well as saving time in the kitchen, microwave ovens also save on energy compared to using a traditional oven. There are two types of microwaves to choose from; conventional and convection. A conventional microwave converts energy into microwaves that then heats the food. Similar to the conventional microwave, a convection microwave has an added heating element and fan that circulates air around the food which allows more variety when cooking.

What is a Microwave Convection Oven?

Essentially microwave convection ovens offer the fast cooking features of a conventional microwave, as well as the browning, crisping and cook-through features of a traditional oven. Convection oven technology utilises fans to force air movement and heat the complete interior of the microwave in order to cook the food. By using this technology, this is how convection ovens bake and roast food which would otherwise be cooked too quickly in a conventional microwave.

Microwave Convection Oven Pros and Cons

Because a convection oven combines a microwave as well as baking and grilling functions, this makes cooking meals more convenient and fast, compared to using a traditional oven. If you are someone who only needs to cook relatively small meals, convection microwaves are very cheap to run as they do not require a lot of electricity to run. However if you are needing to cook large quantities of food, convection ovens are significantly smaller than traditional ovens, which may make it a challenging task to try to cook the entire meal in one go.

If space is an issue in your kitchen a convection microwave oven is a good space saving alternative as they are able to be built into kitchen cabinets, the same as conventional microwaves can. However the price for a convection microwave oven is significantly higher than a conventional microwave is. As well as being more expensive, convection microwaves don’t always produce the same results when baking certain foods, compared to a traditional oven.

Microwave Convection Oven and Traditional Electric Microwave Differences

A traditional electric microwave oven cannot utilise airflow and therefore can only heat meals. A traditional microwave uses a singular heat component, compared to a convection microwave that uses a fan to circulate hot air to cook and bake foods. Convection ovens have the ability to produce browner and crispier foods, which is something that a traditional microwave cannot achieve. 

Tips and Tricks to get the most out of your Microwave Oven

Below are four tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your microwave oven:

• Keep your microwave clean to ensure food safety as well as heating efficiency
• Only operate your microwave when there is food inside, if empty this can damage the appliance
• Position your microwave so air can circulate around it
• Utilise the pre-set cooking times on your microwave as this helps to run more efficiently and save energy

Recipe suggestions using your Microwave

There are plenty of recipes you can cook that only require a microwave. To get started, why not try Betta’s 4 Ingredients Microwave Mud Cake