OK we;re getting all the things together for my licensed kitchen and I am still at odds as to which oven to have for the cake baking. I was hoping to get some input from the folks here before making the purchase. What are the pros and cons - I have never owned a convection oven and I just would like to have some info/input from those of you who have and use them for their cake baking.Thanks in advance!

I have a noncommercial GE Profile Convection oven. Love it, I can bake cakes on all 3 racks at once.

One thing to be aware about, though...is that the convection ovens are not as deep as regular ovens because of the fan in the back. I could easily get a 16" pan in my regular oven but not in the convection oven without hitting the door and I really don't want to bake with it sticking out that far past the rack so I use half rounds and bake 12x16 sheets when I need squares. (same with 18's - use half rounds and bake 12x18 sheets)

Some convection ovens are deeper than others, the one I picked out is alot deeper than some of the other ones I saw, so you may want to take your measuring tape with you.

Mine has 2 fan speeds...Convection Bake and Convection Roast. The Convection Bake is a lower speed fan so I have absolutely no issues in batter flying. I have read that some people do have a batter flying issue when there is only one speed.....so something else to look at.

It can also bake in regular mode as well. I have the one that has second oven instead of the storage drawer so I can fit more in there if I have to (but it only bakes in regular mode, not convection)

Thanks for the heads up on the measuring! I would like the double oven option too. There are so many out there (even more when you add in the option of a commercial one!) It makes my head spin. (now I will go get the tape measure to keep in my purse....)

Is there a difference in the moistness of the baked product - since there is air circulating constantly?

Again, any advice and info is greatly appreciated!

I think it makes it more moist, because when I place more cakes in there..I kind of get a steaming effect, you can sometimes see a little condensation on the window.

I'm sure the commercial ovens are deeper, I have heard good things about the Deluxe oven, it's the one in all the cake decorating mags.

I have called Deluxe - no one there to give me prices, they're supposed to be returning my call. The HSM-4 looks like it would work nice.

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=fyc&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=258602321&Count2=175742745&ProductID=1630&Target=products.asp

The DeLuxe HSM-4 is $3000 here.. just to get an idea.

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=fyc&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=331218898&Count2=248359322&ProductID=1631&Target=products.asp

Looks like you might as well just get the HSM-6 though since it's not that much more at $3300.

Now I want one..

That is less than I thought it would be! (have been to several restaurant supply places here in Ohio) and the ones that are comparable to the HSM-4 (and HSM-6) are higher than that. I am hoping they call back today - I have also heard they give discounts to ICES members, that would help me there too.

IF I get one, I will be sure to let you all know!

I've not ruled out a regular oven yet too - I have a close relative who works for a big manufacturer - so there is another option for a discounted big ticket item - more money for the other stuff I want.

BTW - thanks for the links to the pricing on the Deluxe!

look into used equipment too.. it'll save you a ton. Good luck!

I would strongly recommend the convection oven since you can bake multiple cakes at the same time and save baking time (and elec costs). I can bake an entire 3-tier wedding cake at one time. I put a small pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven to add moistness and had to reduce the temp to 275. Sometimes I lose a rack (can't put 18x26 baking sheet on the rack with the pan of water) but with double ovens, I still have 8 racks to work with.

Good advice, indydebi
I have tried a convection oven for cakes and hated it. The cakes looked burnt and the edges with crisp. That was with the fan on low.
I will try it tonight with your suggestions.
However, I love it for cookies...my recipe takes 14 minutes in a conventional oven and 5 minutes in the convection oven.

One other question...when you reduce the temp to 275, how much longer does it take?

Believe it or not, it doesn't take any longer to bake them at a lower temp in a convection oven. (surprised me, too!).

My first 3 cakes in a convection oven went right in the trash. Undone in the middle and the top of the cake had a THICK layer of crust ... too thick to even trim the doming! I kept lowering the temp until I found the 275 that worked. I added the water on a whim and it fixed everything.

Great--thanks for the tips.

Thanks! (a special one to you indidebi - I spoke with you on the phone a couple of weeks ago!) Still no return call from Deluxe, I am going to try again today. Convection it will be.....now I have to decide which one.

Loucinda,

Call Deluxe again and ask to speak to Russ. He is the salesman there. He is the only one that gives out pricing.

I have a Deluxe oven and I LOVE it. I used to bake in Blodgetts, but the fan, which you can't turn off, produced the same results as described by indydebi - undercooked on the inside and over cooked on the outside. Even on low, the fan would push the batter fowrard to the point where the top of the cake was completely lopsided.

I have the Deluxe ovenl with double doors and 7 inch crowns since I use 3" high pans. I absolutely LOVE it. I received over a $1000 discount for being an ICES member (the first and only benefit of being an ICES member). They shipped it out right away, too. I love that it is designed specifically for baking cakes. I can bake two full wedding cakes in my oven at one time.

Good luck.

THANKS! Spoke with Russ yesterday.....he gave me a price quote and was very informative. I appreciate your post on who to ask for (and in his defense, he was out of the office all last week) Those are NICE ovens, that is for sure.

I have the Dacor convection oven (not commercial) and hate it for baking cakes! I end up using "standard" bake when baking. Everytime I use convection bake, my cakes collapse and take forever to bake!

I might have to try again...I had given up on the convection bake!