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You are here: Home / Product Reviews / Types of Ovens – How to Choose an Oven

Types of Ovens – How to Choose an Oven

February 28, 2020 32 Comments

These are the most common question I get, especially after starting this blog, after how to pre-heat an oven.“What sort of oven should I buy?”

“What’s the better option – an OTG, a microwave oven or a conventional oven”

So here are the different options you need to consider. All of them differ in cooking method, price, etc. Consider the space you have in your kitchen, your budget and what sort of use you have for your oven before zeroing in on one.

(a) Conventional ovens

types of ovens, how to choose an oven

 

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Conventional ovens work on an electric element for cooking or a gas burner. In this type of oven, heat radiates up and pushes cold air down which can lead to uneven cooking or baking. However, this type of oven is very common and usually inbuilt in kitchens or come as part of the kitchen range.

(b) Convection ovens

types of ovens, how to choose an oven

Convection ovens cook food a bit differently. There’s a fan at the back that forces air circulation throughout the oven, cooking food more evenly. This also results in quicker heating and is said to consume less power. The cooking time will differ from that of a conventional oven.

(c) Microwave Ovens

types of ovens, how to choose an oven
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These are the ‘ovens’ that most of you probably own. They are most popularly used for heating and defrosting and use radio waves for this. There are some microwave-oven-specific recipes that are best for baking in a microwave. If you try a normal recipe in the microwave, it may not work out well so don’t make that mistake.

(d) Microwave cum Convection Ovens

types of ovens, how to choose an oven
These are the rage now! Its a microwave oven that has a convection oven option, which means, when you turn a knob, your microwave turns into a normal oven (convection type) and you can bake your cakes and cookies and anything else, as usual following the usual recipes. Some of these ovens also come with a grilling option and you make use of that feature too.

(e) Oven Toaster Grill (OTG) Oven

types of ovens, how to choose an oven
image source

These use old-fashioned filament coils for heating and cooking (much like a geyser). Although they work fantastic for making toast and even grilling, baking in them doesn’t work out as best as in the other ovens. Before I moved to Singapore, I had an OTG in which I used to bake and although the food turned out just fine, sometimes, the crust used to dry out or the cake used to get unevenly cooked. I made these Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies and my first No-Knead Bread in an OTG and although they tasted just fine, I am sure they would have come out much better in a convection oven.

**Disclaimer**
This post and information on it is based on my research. I claim to be no expert so if you find anything wrong or unclear, do drop a note.Ā 

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By nags Filed Under: Product Reviews

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Comments

  1. Kavitha

    August 21, 2020 at 11:32 am

    Hi Nags
    This is a very useful Post. I’m in Kerala
    I am in the same confusion. I want to buy an oven
    for all my baking needs, not just cakes but also for
    Lean dough breads.could u pls suggest which one is best, conventional (gas) or convection electric.
    Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • nags

      September 8, 2020 at 9:42 pm

      go for a convection oven, that’s best in my opinion

      Reply
  2. Ravijot Kaur

    August 17, 2016 at 2:05 pm

    Hi Nags,

    Indeed an insightful write up, especially for someone like me,who is going t o set up a new kitchen. I went through all the comments, but still have a few queries regarding what would be the most suitable for me. I have a small kitchen. Also, I bake quite often, I also take a few orders here and there. Very few, but they do trickle in. I love baking for myself and my family, and bake a lot. Currently I have a microwave, convection oven, which serves my purpose right, but it is very small in size, and i feel it bakes more on one side, resulting in a little uneven browning of stuff. I wanted a bigger one, which could lessen my effort of baking small batches of cookies or cupcakes, and could bake a bit bigger batches.
    Please suggest, whether i should take just a bigger microwave convection oven, or take separate ones, a microwave and an oven. I have a 2 year old, so I don’t think i can do way with the microwave too.
    Kindly suggest, it would be helpful!

    Thanks,
    Ravijot

    Reply
    • nags

      August 26, 2016 at 9:23 am

      A larger microwave convection oven should work for your purposes and also saves space. I recommend going to a retailer and checking out all options, prices before deciding. Ultimately it’s up to you of course

      Reply
  3. Aruna

    March 29, 2016 at 4:49 am

    Hi iam from India,planning to start a vry small bakery, kindly suggest what type of oven to buy and the capacity of the oven.probably I might bake 2 -3 cake, some 100-150 cookies and 10-15 breads that’s all….pls help

    Reply
  4. laitis

    April 9, 2013 at 9:28 am

    hi , i am laitis from kerala
    i am planning to buy an oven, i mainly want to cook south indian recipies ( both veg and non veg), fried rice and cakes.so can u please suggest the type of oven for me
    regards
    laitis

    Reply
  5. Anonymous

    October 18, 2012 at 7:37 am

    Hi, I bought a convection oven recently and I have trouble baking with it! My oven has an option to turn on/off the fan. I baked muffins yesterday and it turned out to be burnt on the outside and uncooked inside. Do you know if I need to follow the recipe for the temperature and timing, or do I have to adjust accordingly? because i am using a dark pan to bake, do i have to lower the temperature and reduce the baking time? and do i need to turn on the fan? i am really worried about my future baking šŸ™ please help me!!

    -Fei

    Reply
  6. Nags

    August 1, 2011 at 2:10 pm

    Debaleena, i am really not an expert in this. but i think looking at your usage, go for a conventional table top oven that does only baking. OTG in my experience doesn't work too well and most of my friends who have a convection cum microwave find it ok to use although its not as good as conventional ovens.

    i am not familiar with brands and models available in the market so please go to a good electronic store and weigh in the options.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    July 31, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Hi I am completely confused with which oven I need to buy and whether I should buy a convection microwave or an OTG.My main purpose is as follows-

    Grilling/roasting/Broiling non veg (chicken, fish, beef etc)and vegetables.
    Browning
    baking cakes and cookies and pies.

    As you can see I am looking mainly to cook non Indian recipes after getting inspired from Top chef and master-chef Australia programme.Pl
    let me know whether I should go for a convection microwave or an OTG
    or both.

    As you are an expert in this field I
    am really looking forward to your answer. I am going through the net
    but have been receiving contradictory opinions.
    I will decide my option based on your answer . Kindly help. Pl give the
    make and model number too.
    REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR REPLY
    Thanks
    Debaleena
    91 9845473102

    Reply
  8. Sita Natarajan

    April 28, 2011 at 5:09 am

    Hey Nags,
    Thanks. It is nice and cute .

    Reply
  9. Nags

    April 28, 2011 at 4:54 am

    this is what i have, but smaller size
    http://www.delonghi.com/sg_en/products/aov-842/

    Reply
  10. Sita Natarajan

    April 28, 2011 at 4:53 am

    Nags,
    could you pls tell me the model and features of your oven?

    Reply
  11. Nags

    April 28, 2011 at 4:39 am

    Good luck Sita! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  12. Sita Natarajan

    April 28, 2011 at 4:38 am

    Nags,
    Thanks for answering my questions so patiently.Actually I am new to baking and hence hesitant to choose the right oven.Am doubtful whether this type of electric oven would give better results for baking or the food would get burnt.hope i settle with the right one.

    Reply
  13. Nags

    April 25, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    Honestly, I don't know enough about this model to recommend one for you. I have a Delonghi oven and it works well. Why don't you go with the model that's in stock?

    Reply
  14. Sita Natarajan

    April 25, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Hey Nags,
    Kindly scroll down the page
    http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/4/?s=oven&x=37&y=9 and compare the Electric Oven: (1)CEO-TS30L
    with (2 ).model cco33 in the page
    http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/2/?s=oven&x=37&y=9.
    Both are of 28l.first one is 28l 1500w. It is having holes on the right side from top to bottom.the second one is 28l 2000w with holes on the top only.Which one would be a better one.Kindly reply.

    Reply
  15. Nags

    April 25, 2011 at 9:30 am

    42L seems too big. I use a 26L and that's a decent size for home baking, so I would recommend the smaller size. Of course, I claim to be no expert šŸ™‚

    Reply
  16. Sita Natarajan

    April 25, 2011 at 9:27 am

    Dear nags
    Sorry for confusing you. Kindly compare
    Electric Oven: CEO-TS30L
    in the page http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/4/?s=oven&x=37&y=9
    and model cco33 in the page
    http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/2/?s=oven&x=37&y=9.
    waiting for your reply.

    Reply
  17. Nags

    April 25, 2011 at 8:39 am

    I see that both the ovens you are considering has the same serial number? Unless you bake everyday or very frequently, your power consumption will not go up too much. I would suggest you go with what's in stock and fits your budget.

    Reply
  18. Sita Natarajan

    April 25, 2011 at 8:34 am

    Hi Nags,
    Your post regarding the various types of oven had helped me a lot in clarifying the different aspects of oven.I an in Chennai and my mother has gone to Singapore for a small trip.Since i wanted to purchase an oven she had been to a shop which had displayed Cornell oven 28l.The site is http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/2/?s=oven&x=37&y=9.Could you please help me in deciding the better oven among these.Actually she had booked for 28l oven 2000w (cco33).When I went through the site i found another 28l oven(cco33) with power consumption of 1500w(CEO-TS 30L).Since I am concerned about the electricity bills and the product is not available at present and may take 2-3 daysI want to reconsider the option .Does the oven cook fast if power is high? S he is not able to ask the sales person since they talk Chinese.kindly give your suggestions and help me choose a better oven.Kindly reply soooon.

    Reply
  19. Mehnaz Kapadia

    December 7, 2010 at 10:30 am

    Hi Nags!

    This is a very useful post and its part II too! Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Nags

    November 27, 2010 at 6:31 am

    So glad this post on types of ovens helped šŸ™‚

    Reply
  21. Deep Thoughts

    July 29, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    Thats a really useful post. I have been experimenting with my oven as I was not sure if it was exactly a proper convection oven. However, ur post and links to other posts from it have helped clear my doubts šŸ™‚

    Reply
  22. Anonymous

    June 7, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    Thanks, Naga. Didn't know of Onida having microwave ovens:D..Now you know how ignorant I am when it comes to Ovens:P Will check it out when I go, I tried to find the IFB model, and couldn't at a few stores. Only Samsung, same price range. Will look for Onida next time I go:-)~Shreya

    Reply
  23. janu

    June 4, 2010 at 8:45 am

    Very useful post nags šŸ™‚

    Reply
  24. Nags

    June 2, 2010 at 5:01 am

    Shreya, you can definitely bake in that. You may also want to look at Onida Black Beauty. I have heard that works well too and you get a lot of variety in prices too.

    Reply
  25. Shreya

    June 2, 2010 at 3:32 am

    Hi Naga, very useful post indeed! Especially for someone who has still not used a microwave and never baked:-) I so want a microwave, and also want to start baking. So, I am still confused whether to buy a microwave and an OTG or a microwave with convection + grill. I found this product:
    http://www.ifbappliances.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&productId=19509&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=11507&top_category=11506

    and would love to buy it, if baking works in it! This has preheat facility as well. If anyone has used this product, please let me know if it will serve my purpose:-)

    Reply
  26. Happy Cook / Finla

    May 31, 2010 at 7:02 am

    If you love baking i think you should go for a Convection oven. I had a combo and didn't like it and went again for a Convection. A very informative post.

    Reply
  27. Sharmilee! :)

    May 31, 2010 at 6:02 am

    Nags…such a useful post! It clears all my doubts abt the oven types.Didnt even know conventional and convection are 2 types šŸ™‚

    I own a OTG and all my bakes are with it and am totally satisfied with the outcome. But still there are some cases cakes turned out utter flop….the same ones I had baked so well in the previous days which had got me many appreciations. As a baby baker….to me the batter consistency also matters a lot, next comes the settings and the oven type.

    My entry is still pending for MMKT……will try to send in atleast by this month end šŸ™‚

    Reply
  28. Nags

    May 31, 2010 at 4:08 am

    Thanks Jeyashri!

    That's great Sowmya, hope they find it useful!

    Reply
  29. sowmya's creative saga

    May 31, 2010 at 3:56 am

    this is a good post..many of my friends ask me about this..will direct them here:))

    Reply
  30. jeyashrisuresh

    May 31, 2010 at 2:56 am

    very useful post

    Reply

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I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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