Best Convection Ovens of 2021: Complete Reviews With Comparisons
There are a lot of different ways to prepare food. Stovetops, microwaves, and other cooking appliances offer a versatile range of preparation methods as you get ready to feed your family their next meal.
One type of cooking tool that often gets overlooked when choosing what to invest in next is the convection oven. Missing out on everything that the convection oven has to offer is a big waste!
Convection ovens work differently than conventional ovens. The hot air produced continuously circulates through the oven, which helps the food to cook faster and more evenly. Many also find that making meals with a convection oven is preferable because of this.
Of course, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different convection oven options available on the market today. Our complete guide to the best convection ovens will help you sort through all of these options to choose the oven that will revolutionize your life!
Comparison Chart
Best Convection Oven Reviews
1. Breville BOV900BSS Convection and Air Fry Smart Oven
The Breville BOV900BSS Convection and Air Fry Smart Oven is a unique and high-end countertop convection oven that can change the way you cook. Are the features worth the cost?
Product Highlights
This Breville convection oven has multiple fan speeds, a super high-powered heating element, and many preset options that are easy to use. It has a one-cubic foot interior so you can fit a lot of food inside, including 9 x 13 baking sheets. It has a power of 1800 watts.
What's to like about the Breville BOV900BSS
This convection oven works wonders as it combines the power of both convection and air fry technology. It’s easy to cook nearly any food in this oven, and you can push the benefits of air frying if you want an extra crispy finish. It can do it all, and it can cook for you thanks to the amazing presets.
What's not to like about the Breville BOV900BSS
While the cooking features offered in this smart oven are impressive, there have been some reported issues of the units failing after less than one year of use. While Breville has handled all of these instances with replacements, it can be a frustrating situation.
PROS
CONS
2. BLACK+DECKER TO3240XSBD 8-Slice Convection Oven
Next up is the BLACK+DECKER TO3240XSBD 8-Slice Convection Oven, which is an affordable option that can work for any budget. But does it do enough to be worth your time?
Product Highlights
The BLACK+DECKER TO3240XSBD 8-Slice Convection Oven is a mid-range convection toaster oven that can fit on many counters as it measures 16.5" by 12.5" by 9.5”. This 1500-watt oven has one rack and three different control knobs. It offers convection heating as well as four different heating options.
What's to like about the BLACK+DECKER TO3240XSBD
The three-knob design of this convection oven is great for most people who want the ability to heat and cook food quickly. By adjusting the appropriate knobs, you can heat, toast, bake, or cook your food exactly as you want to. It is effortless to learn these controls, and the labeling on the device makes it simple as well.
What's not to like about the BLACK+DECKER TO3240XSBD
The temperature control aspect of this budget convection toaster oven isn’t the best. While it heats up quickly, the outside of the oven gets very hot while the inside doesn’t always reach the appropriate temperature. Still, it is effective to use because of the consistent heating and the fan continually moving the air throughout the oven.
PROS
CONS
3. hOmeLabs Digital Countertop Convection Oven
The hOmeLabs Digital Countertop Convection Oven is a great mid-range option that cuts the difference between affordable and functional in very interesting ways. Will it attract your attention?
Product Highlights
The hOmeLabs Digital Countertop Convection Oven is a 1500-watt convection oven made to fit on your countertop. It is a stainless steel oven that fits up to six slices when toasting. The single rack can be moved between three different positions, and the interior area is big enough for a pizza up to 12” in size.
What's to like about the hOmeLabs Digital Countertop Convection Oven
One of the coolest things about this mid-range oven is that it comes with helpful accessories that make an easy tool even easier to use. The kit includes a broiler rack, bakeware pan, rotisserie fork, and even a removable crumb tray. While these tools aren’t necessary for use, they make it fun and straightforward to use.
What's not to like about the hOmeLabs Digital Countertop Convection Oven
One issue that some people have with this and similar convection ovens is that it only allows for temperatures to be selected in 20-degree increments. This can make it hard to cook precisely, but usually, the temperatures are accurate enough not to be a big problem when cooking most items.
PROS
CONS
4. Oster Countertop Oven with Air Fryer
The Oster Countertop Oven with Air Fryer is a unique all-in-one appliance that tries to harness the power of many different types of appliances. Does it succeed at this massive combination attempt? Let’s find out!
Product Highlights
The Oster Countertop Oven with Air Fryer is a countertop oven that can work as a toaster, convection oven, air fryer, broiler, and more. It measures in at 2. 6 x 9. 4 x 13 inches, and the oven rack inside can be placed in two different locations to fit various food items as needed. The air fryer portion uses just a tablespoon of oil to cook things.
What's to like about the Oster Countertop Oven
This device is great at both air frying and convection cooking, and that combination is a win-win for nearly any food that you want to prepare! If you're going to prepare something traditionally fried, simply use the air fryer setting. Otherwise, the other settings can be used to cook nearly anything. This is an incredibly versatile countertop oven.
What's not to like about the Oster Countertop Oven
The interior size of this convection oven isn’t big enough to be satisfactory for everyone who uses it. While the size is great for many things, most users find that they would like it even more if it was bigger. Still, it’s about half the price of similar devices that are bigger, so it’s a great deal for what it is.
PROS
CONS
5. Mueller Austria 4-Slice Convection Toaster Oven
The Mueller Austria 4-Slice Convection Toaster Oven is a budget-friendly toaster oven option that can do all the basic things that you would want it to do. Can this tiny oven be a great choice for those who want to try convection for the first time?
Product Highlights
This 1100-watt toaster oven from Mueller Austria is on the smaller side when it comes to the top convection ovens. The interior area can only fit a pizza up to 9” in size, but it is still big enough to cook a lot of things. This oven can cook at temperatures from 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and there are four different heat cooking settings.
What's to like about the Mueller Austria Convection Oven
The controls on this budget-friendly oven are manual, not digital. While some people prefer smart ovens, the fact that the controls are manual makes them less likely to break down over time. You can easily control the oven with the three knobs, and they will probably keep working for many years to come!
What's not to like about the Mueller Austria Convection Oven
This is only an 1100-watt toaster, which is relatively low for a countertop convection oven. While it is powerful enough to cook things, many items may take longer than you want them to take because of the lower wattage. Still, it’s very usable.
PROS
CONS
Buyer's Guide
Before you come home with a new convection oven, you must take some time to get a better understanding of their features and how those features can affect your usage. Specifically, these are the five categories that we think you should pay close attention to when choosing out your new oven.
By understanding what is offered in each of these feature categories, you’ll be more successful at ending up with a convection oven you'll love for years and years to come!
1. Heating Options
Every type of oven can heat up and cook food through that heat, but most ovens will have different heating options and controls you can use to change up how you cook various things. In some cases, these options can make otherwise tricky cooking tasks very simple.
When shopping different convection ovens, take a look at what kind of heating options they have. This includes the fan type, fan control options, cooking options, and type of heating.
In particular, we’ve found that many consumers enjoy having some or all of the following heating features on their convection ovens:
Heat and Hold: This feature allows you to set a stable temperature after it is done cooking so that you can keep parts of the meal warm until you are ready to serve dinner.
Fan Speeds: Some convection ovens allow you to change the speed of the fan. Very delicate food may benefit from softer blowing, so having the ability to change the fan speed can be useful.
Steaming and Dehydrating: High-end convection ovens may have high- or low-moisture settings that enable you to do things like creating artisan crusts on bread or dehydrating fruits.
Other convection ovens that you examine while hunting for your next appliance may offer different heating features. Find out what the feature does, then think about whether or not the feature is one that will truly make a difference in your cooking. The only person who can decide which heat features are best for your kitchen is you!
2. Wattage
Another thing you should consider when shopping for a countertop convection oven is the wattage of the appliance. The wattage will determine how much power you can expect from the appliance, so you need to be aware of what you are choosing.
Specifically, wattage indicates the maximum amount of power that could be consumed by the appliance while in use. Most ovens will use different amounts of energy depending on the settings used, but every appliance will have a maximum wattage rating.
If you want to get an oven that won’t consume a lot of electricity, you will want to go with a lower watt model to save yourself some money. If electricity is not an issue and you want to be sure that you have a very powerful device at any energy cost, choosing an oven with a higher wattage will be a better choice.
There is not one specific wattage that is best. Like most things, it is up to you to decide if you want to cut back on energy usage or not.
3. Accessories
Another thing to consider when shopping for a convection oven is whether or not the appliance includes any useful cooking accessories. While by no means required, some ovens will include tools that you will find helpful such as a cleaning product, wire baskets, and cooking sheet trays.
Examine which accessories come with your favorite convection oven options, and then determine if those accessories add real value to the overall package or not. If they do add value, you may want to push those selections to the top of your list for further consideration.
4. Size
To ensure that you can use the convection oven as you plan to, you need to be sure that the size is appropriate for the space available in your kitchen. If you only have a tiny corner of counter space open right now, getting a huge convection oven is going to cause you more harm than good.
Size must be one of the very first things you check when shopping around. Get the measurements that work for your space ready ahead of time, and don’t shop for or look at anything that won’t fit into those measurements. While life has many variables, you can’t simply change how much space you have at home.
5. Cost
Finally, you will want to consider the cost. Convection ovens are available in many different styles at several price points. No matter how big or small your budget is, you may be able to find an oven that fits in.
You shouldn’t feel like you need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a great convection oven today. The key is that you find a reliable convection oven for your needs within your personalized budget, whatever that may be.
F.A.Q.
1. What Are the Benefits of Convection Ovens?
There are a lot of different benefits when using a convection oven instead of a conventional oven.
The most significant benefit is that they cook food more evenly than a conventional oven because of the way that the air is heated and circulated continuously throughout the oven. No matter where in the oven your food is, it should all be heated up evenly because there aren’t any hot and cool spots in the oven.
Another big benefit of cooking with convection oven is that food tends to cook quicker. This is also because of the fan constantly rotating the air around in the oven. Even though you typically use lower temperatures with convection ovens, the food still cooks faster than it would in a conventional oven.
When you’re preparing big meals, convection ovens also give you a huge benefit. You can cook more than one dish at a time without ruining the temperature in the oven. Using more than one dish at a time in a conventional oven can cause a dish to be blocked from the heat, but that doesn’t happen with the convection oven, thanks to the convection fan.
2. When Should You Not Use a Convection Oven?
Convection ovens can be useful for quickly cooking a lot of different food items but there are a few different categories of items that don’t do as well when subjected to the convection cooking style.
First, avoid cooking things that are very soft and delicate like souffle in a convection oven. The moving air produced by the convection fan can actually deform the shape of the souffle, and nobody wants that!
Another time when you should skip convection is when you are baking something like a cake that needs to rise. While there are ways to make this work, many home bakers find that their cakes and muffins don’t rise as well when cooked via a convection oven.
Finally, food items like pizza do best when heated from beneath the crust. The directional heat produced by a conventional oven ensures that the crust gets as crisp as it should be; pizzas cooked with convection may be softer and not the right texture. If you want something cooked with directional heat, such as when you broil, avoid convection cooking.
3. Is a Convection Oven Worth the Money?
Generally speaking, a convection oven is worth the money if you believe that you will use it. The only person who can truly decide if investing in this type of appliance is the right choice for you is you.
To decide whether or not it is worth it, think about the things you usually cook and the things you would like to be able to cook faster or with more even heating. Do you usually use your oven for baking, or are you usually cooking meats and veggies? If the former, you probably will be fine without one.
If, however, you’re reading this to experiment with something new or do a variety of cooking beyond baking, definitely give the convection oven a chance! It will be worth the experience as long as you choose a reliable oven.
4. Can You Air Fry in a Convection Oven?
An air fryer is a type of convection oven, but there are some differences. Mainly, the location of the fan is different; the concentration of heat is different, as well. It is possible to get similar results as you would get in an air fryer with a convection oven, and you likely don’t need to own both unless you are a gadget lover!
To be a true air fryer, though, a convection oven would need to be able to infuse oil into the heated air.
5. Can You Use a Convection Oven as a Regular Oven?
You can only use a convection oven as a regular oven if it is possible to turn off the fan in the convection oven that you choose. If the fan is not running, a convection oven will run similarly to a regular oven. If you want to be able to cook via both convection and conventional means, be sure to look for a fan-shutoff feature on your new oven.
Final Verdict
Now that you’ve seen more information about some of the best convection ovens of 2019, you’re probably wondering which one of these items is the best option for your own kitchen. While that choice is up to you, we have some suggestions.
In our opinion, the top convection oven among these options is the Breville BOV900BSS Convection and Air Fry Smart Oven. While it has a higher price tag than the other options, this smart oven proves that the cost is worth it with the amazing presets and control aspects you can use when cooking with it.
If you want something more budget-friendly this time around, the Oster Countertop Oven with Air Fryer is a fantastic choice that balances cost with functionality in a way that most countertop ovens cannot.
