Convection oven? Why does this sort of oven need a specific designation? Is it any different from the ovens you have at home? Does it cook faster or slower than an oven at home? This and many other hot and heavy questions have cool and simple answers.
Conduction Ovens
Conduction ovens activate heat molecules by transferring heat from something hot to the thing that is being heated, or in this case, cooked. If you cook a chicken in your oven at home, for example, you place the chicken in a metal pan. The pan receives the heat from the oven, heats up itself, and conducts the heat to the raw meat of the chicken. As more and more heat is conducted to the chicken, the molecules inside the chicken's flesh heat up and eventually cook the bird. A conduction oven is best for cooking solid foods, such as meat and vegetables.
Convection Ovens
A convection oven aerates, moving heat in a sort of circular pattern. By moving heat in this fashion, it moves the molecules of the item being cooked. Convection ovens work best when cooking liquid or liquid-like items, such as breads and pastries, and soups or stews. You can use them to cook solid foods, but it generally does not work quite as well. Restaurants and professional kitchens will use convection ovens when they need to churn out these particular food items faster an meet customer demands for these foods.
A Convection Oven Provider in Every State
Because so many professionals like having a convection oven in their kitchens for their "just in case" moments, you will probably find a provider of these ovens in your state. Yes, you can buy and use a convection oven in your own kitchen at home, but it is still recommended that you have a conduction oven, too. It is the same as saying that you can have and use a microwave, but you really cannot have and use a microwave exclusively for cooking at home.
Convection Ovens Are Harder to Come by Unless You Are a Chef/Restaurateur
A chef or restaurateur has lots of supply catalogs coming in the mail for all things cooking. They know how and where to buy some of the lesser found kitchen appliances, and the more rare appliances, too. A convection oven definitely falls under the hard to find category, since it is considered a professional's oven.