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MSHappyCampers · 10-12-2014, 05:26 PM

We are trying to learn to cook in the convection oven. Today Annette tried cooking cornbread and it didn't turn out so good!

Her normal procedure at home is as follows:

Preheat the electric oven to 500 degrees

Preheat a cast iron skillet on the cooktop w/canola oil

Pour the batter mix into the skillet and put in oven

In about 7-10 minutes when the bread is getting a little brown on top, she takes it out and flips it over. The bottom side is brown at that point.

In a few minutes the bottom gets brown and it's ready to eat.

When she tried that same procedure and tried to flip it over, it came all to pieces! The bottom was brown but it was very crumbly inside.

We are at an elevation of about 2500', where the elevation at home is only 200'. Don't know if that makes any difference.

Do you cook cornbread in a cast iron skillet or in some kind of baking pan?

Can anyone tell us what we are doing wrong?

Ray,IN · 10-12-2014, 05:47 PM

I can't tell if you are doing something wrong or not, but my DW uses an aluminum 7X9 baking pan, does not turn it over. She uses the tall pan rack that came with the convection/electric oven. Keep in mind most "convection" ovens are simply a 1,000W electric oven built into a microwave cabinet. The term "convection" simply means there is a fan circulating the heated air inside the oven. Counter-top "convection" ovens are no larger than a large size counter-top toaster oven, with about the same heat output.
There is a rule-of-thumb that goes; reduce either baking time or temperature 25 minutes or degrees from a standard gas oven. BUT, my wife does not adhere to that, choosing instead to use cooking times and temperatures from internet recipes the same or similar to what she is baking.
That's my observation of what my wife does, doesn't mean it's accurate though.

Firebug5 · 10-12-2014, 06:09 PM

Hello Joe and Annette,

After reading your post and Ray's post to my DW, her only additional advice was to not use the cast iron skillet, instead try a shallow cake pan. She does not flip it, and she also said since the oven door is so big compared to the size of the oven, when you open it to put the pan inside, the temperature can drop as much as 50 degrees, so she will preheat it 50 degrees more initially, then adjust the temperature down after closing the door. She does not alter the recipe for elevation until it is above 3,000'.

Hope this helps! Mmmmm, cornbread. . .

Bruce and Judy

JFXG · 10-12-2014, 06:51 PM

Hi Joe & Annette... We've cooked a few things in our convection, but haven't done a lot of baking. I used to make cornbread in cast iron at the S/B, but I never flipped it.

I've heard a similar rule of thumb to Ray-- reduce normal time or temp by 25%, but not both. My limited experience so far has me using std temp and reduced time, but it's more like 10-15% less time, not 25%.

Elf111 · 10-12-2014, 07:18 PM

Muffin pans with cupcake liners makes cleanup easy just bake them until they begin to get lightly browned yum.

johnhicks · 10-12-2014, 07:32 PM

We've had good luck with cornbread in a cast iron pan.

Grease up the pan and get it good and hot on the stovetop, pour in the batter and stick it in the convection oven at around 350F.

Bake until done and a toothpick comes out clean, actual temp about 210F.

Pull it out and let it rest and cool. Don't touch it! After a while edge the sides away from the sides of the pan with a butter knife, then hold a pan over the top and invert, dumping it out. If it doesn't want to come out it's probably too hot, but you could try banging on the pan.

Once you've dumped it out on a pan, then put another pan/plate on it and invert again so it's right-side up.

I think you're probably not getting it done enough; cooking to temperature rather and look and feel leads to consistency. The Thermopop ThermoWorks ThermoPop® is a great little fast-acting accurate thermometer.

MSHappyCampers · 10-12-2014, 07:36 PM

Thanks folks! We're trying to absorb all this info!

Retired and Happy · 10-12-2014, 10:37 PM

Some nice guidelines. We have never used our convection mode. Gotta try it now. Our son LOVES cornbread.

paz · 10-13-2014, 05:26 AM

DW bakes in the convection oven all the time. Here are a few things we have learned about convection cooking over the years.

1. Reduce cooking times by 10 to 20%. Convection cooks faster than a regular oven because the air is circulated by a fan. This may be the reason the corn bread was too crumbly - it dried out too much.
2. Use a rack so the hot air gets to the bottom of the pan.
3. The heated air comes in from one side. If your pan is too big to use the oven's turntable, open the oven about half way through the cooking and turn the pan 180º to prevent one side from over cooking.
4. Thin metal cake pans cook faster than glass. If the outside of the item you are baking gets too brown, next time bake it in a Pyrex casserole dish. For flat items like cookies, use an air baking sheet (like a cookie sheet, but with 2 layers of metal with air between).

MSHappyCampers · 10-13-2014, 05:52 AM

One other thing I forgot to mention. The instructions on the Sharp Carousel oven say to leave the turntable on while cooking on convection. The cast iron skillet was too big with the handle to turn so we had to leave the turntable on. Do you think this could have affected it?

Thanks again to all of you for your advice!

spritz · 10-13-2014, 05:57 AM

Hey guys, We don't have a convection oven too old of a MH so we still use the "oven" and cast iron pans, Watched Mom when she cooked she never used anything but cast iron fry pans. I have 5 of them 3 that she used and 2 that I have bought (probably puts me overweight!!!) . I'll enjoy it for you... The old fashion way...mmmm corn bread
Thanks, Tim

reubenray · 10-13-2014, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

One other thing I forgot to mention. The instructions on the Sharp Carousel oven say to leave the turntable on while cooking on convection. The cast iron skillet was too big with the handle to turn so we had to leave the turntable on. Do you think this could have affected it?

Thanks again to all of you for your advice!

This is why I have been searching for a cast iron pan with no long handle. I have found a few on the internet, but the price is ridiculous compared to a regular pan.

dieselclacker · 10-13-2014, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reubenray

This is why I have been searching for a cast iron pan with no long handle. I have found a few on the internet, but the price is ridiculous compared to a regular pan.

reubenray,

Do you own and know how to use a hacksaw? Cast iron handles can be removed very easily. May also require the use of a file to smooth out rough corners after sawing.

Nana25K · 10-13-2014, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

One other thing I forgot to mention. The instructions on the Sharp Carousel oven say to leave the turntable on while cooking on convection. The cast iron skillet was too big with the handle to turn so we had to leave the turntable on. Do you think this could have affected it?

Thanks again to all of you for your advice!

I would guess you have the same Sharp as I do.
I have never had an issue with turning off the turntable. It is just an electric oven ..
Did you preheat? Use a rack?
With every first use of a recipe I would start out with whatever time & temp called for. Start checking for doneness about 10 min early. The only thing I ever have an issue with in 8 years is a full size pound cake. While edible....to me its just not as moist. Cut in half in loaf pans its perfect