Convection Ovens Convection ovens have been in use for quite a while, but remain more common in the commercial cooking industry than in the home. Convection works by having a fan in the oven circulate air evenly and uniformly around and onto the food. One type of convection oven has a fan with a heating element behind it. The heated air is blown into the oven chamber and heats the food more evenly. This is known as European convection.
Some ovens draw out the air and force it back through a filter.
Even heating means more foods can be baked at once without worry of some burning while others remain underbaked. Convection ovens are noisier than conventional ovens due to the fans, and there is usually a filter over the fan that must be cleaned regularly. These ovens tend to be a little higher priced also. Although available for about seven years commercially, halogen ovens are just making their way into the consumer marketplace. The high-wattage halogen lamps give off an intense thermal radiation that is much hotter than regular elements.