Commercial convection ovens feature high-speed internal fans that actively circulate hot air. With baking chambers that are evenly heated throughout, convection ovens are ideal for a wide range of different food services. Whether you operate a large-scale bakery, a medium-size restaurant, or a small food truck, convection ovens can help you quickly and easily cook delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

The Convection Oven Advantage

While traditional ovens use radiated heat to cook food, convection ovens utilize fans to evenly distribute heat throughout its baking chambers. This ensures there are no distinct hot or cold spots within the oven, and all food is cooked uniformly. Standard ovens—on the other hand—frequently burn or undercook food depending on where the food is located within the oven. 

Everything you can cook in a standard oven can also be cooked in a convection oven. However, food cooked in a convection oven will often be better-tasting than the same food cooked in a traditional radiant oven. This is a result of convection ovens requiring less time and lower temperatures to thoroughly cook dishes. Baked goods especially benefit from being cooked in convection ovens, as they often end up with delicious flaky layers.

Meat cooked in a convection oven rather than a radiant oven will not only be juicier, but it will also shrink less and have a higher yield. This will enable your foodservice to sell more meat and improve its bottom line.

The Right Commercial Convection Oven for You

Convection ovens are available as floor, countertop, and bakery models. Once you know which of these is best for your particular establishment, you’ll need to decide if you want a gas or electric unit.

Important Considerations

• ➤ Reference your local safety bylaws to ensure your kitchen satisfies any vent hood and fire suppression system requirements.
• ➤ The amount of food you’ll be cooking plays an important role in which type of convection oven is best for you. Countertop models are ideal for smaller-scale operations, while floor models are better for heavy-volume kitchens.
• ➤ How much room do you have in your kitchen? Convection ovens vary greatly in size, and the amount of free space your kitchen might limit your options.
• ➤ Some traditional floor convection ovens boast an increased "bakery depth" that allows you to arrange pans either front-to-back or left-to-right. This lets you stagger pans to increase airflow throughout the oven chamber.

Countertop Convection Ovens vs. Floor Type Convection Ovens

Countertop convection ovens are compact in size and better-suited for smaller foodservices like food trucks, concession stands, and convenience stores. Easy to install, countertop units also work well in larger kitchens that have limited free space. Smaller commercial countertop convection ovens have 3-pan capacities, while larger units can accommodate as many as 5 pans.

Floor type convection ovens require significantly more space than countertop models. However, they are also capable of cooking larger quantities of food. Available as single- or double-deck units, most floor type ovens can hold up to 10 pans per compartment. Many of these ovens come equipped with casters that enable effortless transportation. Certain units can be easily stacked atop one another to conserve floor space. Some floor type convection ovens boast “cook and hold” capabilities. Perfect for slow-cooking roasts to juicy perfection, this “cook and hold” feature provides superior cooking versatility.

Bakery convection ovens, ideal for bakeries, are specifically designed to quickly and efficiently bake bread. Many bakery convection ovens feature easy-to-use programmable controls and rotating racks that ensure even cooking throughout. These units are generally the most expensive commercial convection ovens.

Gas v. Electric

All things equal—some brands charge more for their gas-powered convection ovens, while others charge more for their electric models. Gas convection ovens use less energy than electrical units and have lower operating costs. Even so—gas models still require some electricity to power their interior fans. Gas ovens also will usually need at least 1" of clearance around its pans’ sides to ensure adequate airflow throughout its cooking chamber.

Electric convection ovens typically cook food more evenly and are easier to install since they often only need to be plugged into in an outlet. The general consensus is that electric models give off less heat than gas units, and consequently will keep your kitchen cooler.

Also Keep in Mind

Since heat actively circulates within their cooking chambers, commercial convection ovens reduce a recipe’s required temperature by at least 25°F. This will help your restaurant reduce its monthly overhead costs. These ovens also decrease cooking time by as much as 25%. While this reduces the cooking time of smaller items like brownies by only a couple minutes, it also means large pieces of meat can require as much as an hour less to cook than they would with a standard oven.

To Get the Most Out of Your Convection Oven

- Use baking pans with low sides to ensure optimal air circulation within your unit's baking chamber. - For best results, cook delicate foods like soufflés with a low fan speed.

Oven Accessories

Be sure to outfit your commercial kitchen with oven accessories that will help keep your staff and ovens functioning to their full potential.

Oven Mitts : Ensure the safety of your kitchen staff by equipping them with durable and reliable oven mitts. Our catalog contains mitts in an assortment of different styles and colors. While most mitts are made of materials like cotton, leather, neoprene, and terry cloth, some models feature a flame-retardant BestGuard material that is Kevlar-reinforced.

Bakery Pans : We carry a large selection of bakery pans—including sheet pans, baking/roasting pans, muffin pans, pie pans, cake pans, and more! Picking the right type of bakery pan for your particular food service is essential to its overall productvity. While pastry shops should definitely carry pie and cake pans, restaurants will generally need more baking/roasting pans.

Oven Cleaner : Prolong the lifespan of your oven by maintaining its baking chamber an oven cleaner. Our spray cleaners are easy to use and possess chemicals that are ideal for keeping harmful fat and grease out of your oven.