A compact quick-cooking convection oven for cooking a food product at least partially by hot gas flow, comprising: a compact housing defining a quick-cooking cooking chamber having a top, a bottom and support means therebetween for receiving a food product for cooking, and conduit means for providing gaseous communication outside of said cooking chamber, between said chamber bottom and said chamber top, said conduit means also serving as a hot gas plenum having a free volume of space less than the free volume of space of said cooking chamber; associated with said cooking chamber, directing means for directing the gas from said conduit means onto the food product in said cooking chamber, and return means to direct the gas from said cooking chamber into said conduit means; associated with said conduit means, a thermal energy source for heating gas disposed in said conduit means; flow means for causing a flow of gas between said return means and said directing means via said conduit means; control means for independently varying at least one of the effective volumetric flow rate of said gas flow into said cooking chamber and the temperature of said gas flow into said cooking chamber, without regard to humidity and without human intervention; and microwave means for at least partially cooking the food product in said cooking chamber by microwave energy; user-operable means connected to said control means for generically identifying to the control means the food product placed in said cooking chamber to be cooked; means for translating the user-operable means of identification into a generic cooking formula specifying cook parameters for all events in the cooking cycle, including the cook time for each event, the percentage of the cook time hot gas energy is used, and the percentage of the cook time microwave energy is used; characterised in that; the oven further comprises user-operable means for controlling a custom finishing means connected to said control means for causing custom finishing of an already cooked food product to further heat the food product, to further brown the food product, or a combination thereof; and/or the oven further comprises user-operable means for controlling a custom cooking means connected to said control means for causing custom cooking of an only partially cooked food product by reducing further heating of the same, reducing further brown of the same, or a combination thereof. a compact housing defining a quick-cooking cooking chamber having a top, a bottom and support means therebetween for receiving a food product for cooking, and conduit means for providing gaseous communication outside of said cooking chamber, between said chamber bottom and said chamber top, said conduit means also serving as a hot gas plenum having a free volume of space less than the free volume of space of said cooking chamber; associated with said cooking chamber, directing means for directing the gas from said conduit means onto the food product in said cooking chamber, and return means to direct the gas from said cooking chamber into said conduit means; associated with said conduit means, a thermal energy source for heating gas disposed in said conduit means; flow means for causing a flow of gas between said return means and said directing means via said conduit means; control means for independently varying at least one of the effective volumetric flow rate of said gas flow into said cooking chamber and the temperature of said gas flow into said cooking chamber, without regard to humidity and without human intervention; and microwave means for at least partially cooking the food product in said cooking chamber by microwave energy; user-operable means connected to said control means for generically identifying to the control means the food product placed in said cooking chamber to be cooked; means for translating the user-operable means of identification into a generic cooking formula specifying cook parameters for all events in the cooking cycle, including the cook time for each event, the percentage of the cook time hot gas energy is used, and the percentage of the cook time microwave energy is used; the oven further comprises user-operable means for controlling a custom finishing means connected to said control means for causing custom finishing of an already cooked food product to further heat the food product, to further brown the food product, or a combination thereof; and/or the oven further comprises user-operable means for controlling a custom cooking means connected to said control means for causing custom cooking of an only partially cooked food product by reducing further heating of the same, reducing further brown of the same, or a combination thereof.