Convection roast is a cooking mode available on many LG oven models that utilizes a fan to circulate hot air around the oven cavity during the cooking process. This results in faster, more even cooking than traditional bake mode. There are a few key things to know about how convection roast works on LG ovens and how to use this mode effectively.
How Does Convection Roast Work on an LG Oven?
The key difference between convection roast and regular bake mode is that convection roast uses a fan to continuously circulate the hot air in the oven. Here is a brief overview of how convection roasting works on an LG oven:
- A heating element in the back of the oven heats up and warms the air inside the oven cavity.
- A fan near the back wall draws in the warm air and rapidly circulates it around the oven.
- The constant motion of hot air surrounds the food more evenly than static hot air.
- The improved air circulation allows for faster cooking at lower temperatures.
- The fan runs throughout the cooking cycle for continuous convection roasting.
This constant circulation of hot air removes cold spots in the oven and provides a more consistent environment for roasting. Food cooks faster and more evenly, often at 25-50°F lower than traditional roast temperatures. The increased air circulation also promotes browning and crisping of the food’s exterior.
Benefits of Convection Roasting
There are several advantages to using the convection roast setting on an LG oven:
- Faster cooking times: The circulating fan allows food to cook 25-50% faster than regular roasting.
- Even cooking: No cold or hot spots means food roasts evenly throughout.
- Consistent browning: The hot air circulation crisps and browns the exterior nicely.
- Moist interior: Faster cook times mean less moisture loss from long oven time.
- Lower temperatures: Food can roast at lower temps than conventional methods.
- Multi-rack cooking: Air circulation allows multiple racks to be used effectively.
The combination of faster cook times, even cooking, and excellent browning makes convection roast an effective cooking mode for meats, vegetables, and more.
Tips for Convection Roasting
Here are some useful tips to get the most out of your LG oven’s convection roast setting:
- Lower the temperature – Most recipes can be lowered 25-50°F when convection roasting.
- Check for doneness earlier – The accelerated cook times mean food will be done sooner.
- Use a meat thermometer – This is the best way to test for perfect doneness.
- Watch the browning – Lower oven temps can mean less exterior browning.
- Use lighter pans – Heavy, dark pans will promote more browning.
- Allow oven to preheat – Wait until fully preheated for best results.
- Rotate pans halfway – Rotate dishes to ensure even cooking.
- Tent with foil – If browning too fast, loosely tent with foil.
With a little practice, you’ll find that convection roast cooks food incredibly fast and evenly for delicious results.
Convection Roasting Times and Temperatures
Here are some general time and temperature guidelines when convection roasting in an LG oven:
| Food | Conventional Temp | Convection Temp | Cook Time (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 350°F | 325°F | 60-75 minutes |
| Turkey | 325°F | 300°F | 13-15 min. per pound |
| Pork loin | 350°F | 325°F | 60-75 minutes |
| Beef roast | 350°F | 325°F | 60-90 minutes |
| Root vegetables | 375°F | 350°F | 45-60 minutes |
| Potatoes | 400°F | 375°F | 45-60 minutes |
Keep in mind that food type, size, and quantity will affect overall roasting time. Get to know your oven and make adjustments as needed to achieve your desired results.
Tips for Roasting Specific Foods
Chicken
- Truss chicken for even roasting.
- Season skin liberally with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Roast breast-side up, then flip halfway.
- Roast until thighs reach 165°F internally.
- Tent with foil if skin browns too quickly.
Turkey
- Thaw completely before roasting.
- Season cavity and coat skin with oil.
- Roast breast side up, rotate pan halfway.
- Cook to 165°F in thickest part of breast.
- Allow to rest 20+ minutes before carving.
Pork
- Choose evenly shaped cuts like loin or tenderloin.
- Trim excess fat to prevent smoking.
- Season exterior with salt, pepper, herbs.
- Roast to internal temp of 145°F.
- Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Beef
- Pick evenly shaped roasts like sirloin or rib.
- Coat lightly with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Insert meat thermometer into thickest part.
- Roast to 5-10°F below target doneness.
- Rest 15+ minutes before carving.
Root Vegetables
- Good veggies for roasting include potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
- Cut into 1-2 inch pieces for even cooking.
- Toss pieces in oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.
- Spread in single layer on sheet pan.
- Stir/turn vegetables halfway through.
Common Convection Roast Problems and Solutions
While convection roasting often produces delicious results, you may occasionally run into some issues. Here are some common convection roasting problems and tips to fix them:
- Uneven cooking: Rotate pans midway, ensure adequate airflow around pans, and use multiple racks.
- Over-browning: Lower temperature, tent with foil, or use lower side racks.
- Under-browning: Raise temperature 25°F, use broil at end, or move to higher racks.
- Dry, tough meat: Use lower temp, pull out earlier, and allow resting time.
- Burnt drippings: Place roasting pans on lower racks to avoid burning.
It may take some trial and error to find the ideal roasting conditions for a given recipe. Adjusting the time, temperature, and rack position can help troubleshoot most convection roasting issues. Using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of achieving perfect doneness.
Should You Use Convection Roast or Convection Bake?
LG ovens equipped with convection cooking offer both convection roast and convection bake modes. Here’s how to decide which to use:
- Convection roast: Ideal for whole poultry, roasts, thicker cuts of meat. Provides great browning.
- Convection bake: Better for baked goods like cookies, cakes, pies. More gentle, even heating.
For meats and veggies, convection roast is usually the preferred setting. The fan circulates air for excellent roasting. Convection bake is gentler for delicate bakery items.
What Oven Features Work Best with Convection Roasting?
Certain LG oven features pair especially well with convection roasting, including:
- Multi-rack positions – Take advantage of excellent air circulation to roast on multiple levels.
- Temperature probe – Monitors internal food temp for perfect doneness.
- Air fry – The super hot air frying fan doubles as a convection element.
- Quiet operation – LG’s quiet convection fan evenly roasts with minimal noise.
Look for an LG oven with these kinds of features to make the most out of the convection settings. The FAST preheat elements also help ovens get hot quickly when you want to convection roast.
Conclusion
Convection roast makes efficient use of hot circulating air to roast meats, veggies, and more to juicy, browned perfection. Lower oven temperatures, frequent checking, and using a meat thermometer are key to mastering this speedy roasting method. With some practice using the convection roast setting, you can whip up perfectly cooked roasts, chickens, hams, and anything else you would traditionally “oven roast.” Take advantage of LG’s easy-to-use convection cooking modes for faster, more consistent roasting results at home.