A convection oven and a microwave oven are both very useful kitchen appliances as they have proven to be. Because of people’s interest in cooking, they often think and ask; “is a convection oven better than a microwave? We will soon find out as this is not entirely true.
Both appliances differ in many ways as you can see below;
Cooking time: The convection oven cooks food in a shorter time as the fan circulates the hot air to heat up the food.
Method of cooking: Both the convection oven and the microwave can get your food heated but in different ways. The microwave oven cooks items by releasing microwave radiation and it is absorbed by the food item and this heat is distributed to the entire food. While the convection oven transfers heat by the circulation of the inbuilt fan in the oven.
Extra features: A convection oven comes with extra functions because of its extra use like grilling, and baking
Whether you choose a microwave or convection oven, both are good appliances, you just have to know what will be best for your cooking style. In my other articles, I have given information on how to choose a microwave, OTG, or convection oven. Feel free to check it out.
PROS AND CONS OF CONVECTION MICROWAVE
A convection microwave functions as a convection oven and a regular microwave.
The convection microwave does not only cook food quickly like a standard microwave, but it also gives your food a brown and crispy look and a great flavor.
As long as a product a man-made, it cannot be totally perfect. It must definitely have pros and cons.
Below are the pros and cons of convection microwave:
PROS OF CONVECTION MICROWAVE
- A convection microwave cook’s food evenly; gives food a brown and crispy look and a great flavor.
- A convection microwave saves time because it cooks quickly, save saves energy and space.
- A convection gives you the opportunity and time to be versatile in your cooking. it can be used to bake, grill, roast etc.
CONS OF CONVECTION MICROWAVE
- The convection microwave is more expensive than the regular or traditional microwave.
- The convection microwave has a limited size. Because it’s not as spacious and big as the regular microwave, it won’t be able to take large quantities of food.
- A convection oven might not cook some food or bake some items as well as a conventional oven.
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IS A CONVECTION OVEN BETTER THAN A MICROWAVE?
To help us understand if a convection microwave oven is better than a microwave, let’s first establish the fact that both kitchen appliances are microwave ovens.
The word “better” is relative based on the need, budget, and amount of time you put in regarding cooking various recipes/meals.
Generally, the factors mentioned above are what will determine your choice of microwave, whether to go for a convection oven or the regular microwave.
A regular microwave oven can’t perform some functions of the convection oven, hence you can decide to get the convection oven to suit your need.
While if you know that you seldom perform cooking or reheating of meals, then I will recommend you go for a regular microwave oven to save cost. Therefore, it is your cooking style, budget, and need that determines which of these microwave ovens is best for you!
CAN A CONVECTION OVEN REPLACE A MICROWAVE?
A convection oven cannot replace a microwave oven because it is in the interest of the user to determine which microwave is a preferred choice for his need.
Both the convection oven and the regular microwave are basic kitchen appliances needed at home and even in the office space, it is their value and needs that drive the usefulness.
The regular microwave will always remain one of the most useful appliances in the home. In case you are looking for something stronger and with more functions, then you should opt for the convection microwave oven as per your budget and need.
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BEST CONVECTION MICROWAVE OVEN
In order to carefully recommend the best convection microwave oven, we must take into account the following factors as a benchmark that will assist us in selecting a good convection microwave oven. These factors are;
- Look out for even heating and defrosting functions.
- Check the features of the convection microwave oven
- Check the power capacity of the microwave oven
- Check the internal design and capacity
Here are the top convection microwave ovens;
KITCHENAID DUAL CONVECTION COUNTERTOP TOASTER OVEN
Below are the features of the KitchenAid Convection microwave oven;
- We recommend the KitchenAid convection oven as the best convection microwave oven because of its versatility, 12 preset cooking functions, time saving functionality and non-stick interior.
- The Kitchen Aid convection microwave oven can easily bake 2 whole chickens and can cook up to 20% faster than a dual convection bake oven.
- It is easy to use, has a built in temperature probe that allows you to have control over during the cooking process.
- Easy to clean up after usage. Perfect for chicken entrees, cookies and dessert. Etc.
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LUBY CONVECTION TOASTER OVEN
- The Luby convection microwave oven is the best affordable convection microwave oven that is below $80.
- The Luby convection microwave oven ensures quick and evenly baking and cooking of all your meals. It is big enough to cook all your meals. Perfect convection microwave oven for your family as it can fit 6 slices of bread or 10” inches of pizza.
- It doesn’t take much on the counter but will cook a wide range of different types of food and perfectly fits on your countertop.
- The perfect wedding or new home gift its sleek design and trendy colour options will match any kitchen décor.
- Easy to use and equipped with 4 heating elements at the top and bottom. Automatic shut-off button and loud bell to alert you when the meal is ready.
NUWAVE BRAVO CONVECTION OVEN
- The Nuwave Convection oven is the second runner-up for the best convection microwave oven as you can easily air fry, bake, roast, broil, and do much more.
- You can easily adjust the temperature, heating elements and fan speeds.
- The Nuwave convection microwave oven has 12 preset cooking functions for air frying, baking, broiling, roasting, toasting, grilling, dehydrating, reheating, defrosting and making quality pizzas, and waffles just with press of a single button.
- It is designed with a digital temperature probe that can eliminate the possibility of over or under-cooking by measuring the internal temperature of your food while it cooks.
- This temperature probe will shut off the Bravo once your meat, seafood, or poultry reaches a set temperature.
CONVECTION OVEN VS OTG
An OTG is a lesser version of a basic oven. Though it can cook meals just as a convection oven but it will take a longer time. A convection oven has more features, auto functions, and better heating temperature (with fan) to speed up cooking time.
Heating; A convection oven has a fan that circulates heat while an OTG has an electric coil that heats up the food.
Heat circulation; In a convection oven, heat is distributed evenly, while in an OTG, heat is distributed less evenly.
Cost; Convection microwave oven is expensive than the OTG microwave.
Power consumption; Convection microwave power consumption is high while OTG is Low.
Heating Time; Convection microwave heats fast like 5 minutes while OTG is slow and takes up to like 15 minutes or more.
Weight; Convection microwave is heavy while OTG is Light and easy to move around.
Best functions; Convection microwaves can perform the functions of OTG and other ovens while OTG is good for grilling, baking, and toasting.
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WHICH IS BETTER FOR PIZZA, OTG, OR MICROWAVE?
I don’t get surprised when people say they don’t know the meaning of OTG. I too didn’t know the meaning of the acronym OTG. It sounded strange to me when I heard it for the very first time.
Now, I know the full meaning of OTG. Thanks to the internet. OTG simply means oven, toast, and grill. An OTG is a smaller version of a traditional oven that uses a heated coil to cook anything. It can reheat, barbeque, grill, and keep food warm.
Which is better for pizza, OTG, or microwave? Microwave and OTG almost look the same and might even do some kind of work; however, they have their differences. They are not the same.
When it comes to making pizza, OTG is better than a microwave. OTG does a good job at French frying both internal as well as crust at the outer layer of food. The heating element in the OTG converts electric energy into heat to create a high temperature at which food bakes.
OTG is better for pizza than a microwave because it will produce a better result than a microwave.
WHICH IS HEALTHY OTG OR MICROWAVE
The search for the difference between OTG and microwave is all over the internet. When it comes to reheating food, the microwave does it better than OTG because it takes only a few mins to heat. But when it comes to making tasty foods like pizza, cake, etc.; OTG is best.
Now, let’s talk about the side effects of OTG and microwaves. Does OTG or microwave really have a side effect? Are they really harmful? Which is healthy OTG or microwave? Microwave is not harmful when you use glass utensils, but can be harmful when plastic is used.
A microwave oven is healthier than OTG because it generates friction between the molecules of food. This maintains the nutritional value of food which is very important for a healthy life.
OTG on the other hand has a heating filament that directly produces heat to the food for cooking and that’s not so healthy.
CONVECTION OVEN VS MICROWAVE HEALTH
There are arguments surrounding microwaves and our health, yes, it is true that there is a release of non-ionizing radiation used in microwaves for heating food.
According to experts, the radiation released in the microwave can rob you of the nutrient in the food. Convection oven on the other hand uses a heating method with an inbuilt fan to circulate the heat.
There are hundreds of disagreements concerning this topic and I want to deal with it once and for all.
The question is why do we use microwaves? The main reason we use microwaves is to save time. With the speed and increase in tech, we can become impatient even a minute now looks like forever.
My point is there will never be a conclusion on the issue of microwave and their radiation, so why not use a pot sometime and heat up your food if you are not sure of microwave radiation.
Am I saying don’t use a microwave? Of course not, I own microwave in my kitchen, am saying sometimes go back to your basic pot and baking, grilling utensils, they miss you. It will be fun when you do it with loved ones.
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