Home kitchens have different kinds of ovens: gas, microwave, electric, and convection ovens. Which kind of oven is the best for baking a cake, like the lemon olive oil cake in the picture above? Gas ovens create a humid heat and its elements heat and cool quickly, but oven temperatures are hotter at the top of the gas oven. Which means that kids have to place their cupcakes farther from the heat source and rotate them during baking. A microwave oven is mainly for reheating prepared foods as it heats the molecules in the outer 1.5 inches of the food with electromagnetic radiation. The boiling-range temperatures of a microwave will not brown or caramelize food or produce the flavorful chemical reactions that other ovens will when frying, browning, or baking at a higher temperature. An electric oven heats up faster than a gas oven and the heat is drier and more evenly distributed, which makes it better for baking and roasting.
A convection oven is a type of electric oven and is the best kind of oven for baking. It has three heating elements and a fan that circulates the air around the food to bake it. The extra heating element and fan is what distinguishes a convection oven and creates the more even baking. The exhaust system pulls the moisture out of the oven, so food becomes more crisp and brown. The fan circulating the air transfers heat more quickly than still air of the same temperature and the food bakes more evenly and 30% faster.
Cooking Magic for Kids 