Convection Roast vs. Convection Bake: when to use each

Convection roast vs. Convection Bake: What’s the difference?

The main difference between Convection Roast and Convection Bake is temperature. Convection Roast uses higher heat, well suited for browning and caramelizing, while Convection Bake cooks with lower temperatures.

Both oven settings use a fan and additional heating elements to circulate hot air throughout the oven, helping remove moisture for crisp, flaky results when cooking on multiple racks at once.  

What is Air Roast vs. Air Bake?

Air cooking settings combine intense heat with dynamic airflow to cook food evenly across multiple racks, sometimes with little or no preheating required. While both Air Roast and Air Bake rely on a fan and heating elements, the key difference is rooted in intensity.

Air Roast uses a high-speed fan and higher heat for deeper, more thorough cooking, ideal for hearty dishes like whole chicken or vegetables that benefit from caramelization. Air Bake, on the other hand, often uses gentler airflow or alternates heating elements to maintain an even temperature across multiple racks, making it ideal for baked goods or more delicate recipes.

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Get the ultimate Air Cooking Technology and bring fresh options to your family dinner with No Preheat Air Fry, Air Baking, Air Broil, Air Roast and Air Reheat on select Whirlpool^® Ranges. When you’re short on time, No Preheat Air Fry on some models lets you save up to 10 minutes¹ so you can get dinner on the table fast.  When it’s time to pull out the leftovers, Air Reheat on select Whirlpool^® Ranges lets you skip microwaving and add crispness to leftovers like pizza. A high-speed fan drives heat to quickly bring food up to temp.

What is Convection Bake?

Unlike traditional baking, which relies on heat from the top and bottom of the oven, convection baking uses a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity. This constant movement of heat helps promote even cooking across multiple racks and can even speed up bake times for some recipes.

Temperature

Convection ovens typically bake at temperatures about 25 degrees lower than their conventional counterparts, and sometimes finish the Bake Cycle in less time. Since most recipes are written for traditional ovens, you may need to adjust the time or temperature slightly to get ideal results when using convection cycles.

Benefits

Convection baking can make it easy to cook dishes evenly across multiple racks. With quick preheating and the ability to use multiple racks at once, there’s no need to rotate dishes mid-bake. A powerful fan circulates heat throughout the oven, helping you achieve crisp, golden crusts. Even during longer bake cycles, convection baking helps lock in moisture to help prevent food from drying out.

When to use

Convection Bake is an ideal choice when you're cooking on more than one oven rack at one time. It's also a great fit for heavier meals like pizza, baked ziti or casseroles that need even heat throughout, as well as meats that benefit from a tender, browned skin.

What is Convection Roast?

Convection roasting can help you achieve a crisp, golden finish on thick dishes, like casseroles, or dense cuts of meat, such as tenderloin or whole turkey. This setting combines high heat with a fan that circulates hot air throughout the oven, promoting even cooking across multiple racks while helping seal in moisture and flavor.

For example, select Whirlpool^® Wall Ovens feature the Convect Roast setting that uses high heat from the bake, broil, and ring elements with the fan to circulate air around the oven cavity.

Temperature

Convection roasting generally calls for higher temperatures than convection baking, as intense heat is the key to developing a rich, browned exterior while locking in moisture. Hearty ingredients like large cuts of meat or firm vegetables typically roast at 400°F or higher.

Benefits

Convection roasting helps deliver a crisp exterior on meat as it seals in flavor and moisture to help create tender results. Thanks to continuously circulating hot air through the cavity, heat from top to bottom makes it easier to create even results with multirack roasting while eliminating the need to rotate dishes.

When to use

Conventional roasting works well for slow-cooking meats or poultry and can be useful for gently reheating food. Convection roasting, on the other hand, is ideal for heavier dishes that need even browning and crisping. This method uses a fan to circulate heat, helping achieve a golden finish on everything from whole chickens to roasted vegetables.

Explore Whirlpool^® Ranges and Wall Ovens

Whirlpool^® Ranges and Wall Ovens come equipped with the settings you need to prep the food your family loves. Select 6-in-1 Wall Ovens with Fan Convection let you cook however you want with six cooking modes in one wall oven: Frozen Bake^™ Technology, Keep Warm, Broil, Convect Broil, Bake and Convect Bake. And, with Multi-Step Cooking on select models, use your smartphone or tablet to send multiple cooking instructions to the oven at once. The cook power or temperature automatically adjusts based on the recipe you enter for great results without having to monitor your meal.