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Since there seems to be a wealth of information here and even though this really isn't a BBQ related question, I figured I'd ask anyway.

I'm redoing my kitchen, is the extra expense of a convection oven worth the added price? Never had a convection oven, never used one, so not really sure I need one.

What do you think?
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I looked at convection ovens carefully a few years ago. Assuming nothing really significant tech wise has changed, it appears to be just a fad. Yeah, you can reduce cooking time on some things, but if you follow recipes and start out not knowing how your oven will cook, it will be a long, maybe painful learning curve. Baking can be easier in terms of time and evenness of temp inside the oven, but again, you have to do the trials to figure out how to compensate from established recipes. If you have the option of turning convection off, you can avoid those problems and then you are left with the issue of cost vs resale value, unless you plan to live there forever. Me, I'd avoid it unless I could identify a real need and the extra cost was reasonable. Call me old-school (i.e., just old).
Like Max said, convection significantly reduces hot & cold spots which allows for more even baking. If you plan to use it for cookies, cakes, pies, & breads then don't hesitate to spend the money (how much are you talking?). Mine was $100 more for a double wall oven (years ago). I've never seen one that you couldn't turn the fan off so if you don't like it for something, don't use it. The only "adjusting" you'll need to do is plan on things finishing a little earlier (and getting used to not having all the cookies on the back of the sheet burnt while the ones on the front are still raw)! Wink
We re-did/expanded our kitchen a few years ago and included a Frigidaire electric wall oven with convection and a Blue Star gas range with a full size oven with convection and a half size oven. They(the convection) are nice but not necessary (just a fan that stirs the air). If you can afford it then I say why not? Prior to this, we had a Farberware Turbo convection that we used for years and after that, a Cadco convection oven. Both were counter top units.

The down side is that until you make adjustments to your recipes and/or cooking methodology, you can wreck a couple loaves of bread, turn chewy cookies into hard discs, and over cook a roast. Been there, done that many many years ago. And now there is steam convection. Times change.

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