What is the difference between convection, microwaving

and grilling?
My microwave oven has several modes :
Microwave mode

Convection mode

Grill mode

Micro + Oven mode

Micro + Grill mode

Grill + Oven mode

How does one know that which food items should use which of these modes? What is the
basic difference convection, microwaving and grilling?

10 Answers

Jim Gordon, They're the intersection of my passion for Cooking and Food with my
interest ...
86k Views Jim is a Most Viewed Writer in Cooking with 660+ answers.

The differences stem from how the appliance heats the food:
Microwaving uses radio-frequency energy to heat the food, especially its included water
and fats, from the center of the food.
Convection uses hot air, circulated in the oven plenum by a fan (not passively circulated,
to heat the food from its outside surface.
Grilling transfers heat directly from contact surfaces to the food.
The choice of method depends on the nature of the food (water/fat content, type, size and
shape, and its behavior when heat is applied.) This is what learning to cook is all about.
In the near term, if a cook hasn't already learned the background, it suffices to use recipes
and instructions that usually accompany the appliance. Alternatively, there are cookbooks
and internet sites with useful recipes. Be sure to specify "recipe microwave convection grill"
in your Google search, along with the main ingredient and desired cuisine or dish name.
Written 18 Aug 2012 View Upvotes Asked to answer by Nikhil Garg

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microwave?

Joshua Engel
133.4k Views Joshua is a Most Viewed Writer in Cooking with 19 endorsements.

Metal objects in a microwave oven heat up very, very quickly. Some models of microwave
have a metal grill designed to fit inside. The metal bars heat up very quickly, cooking the
food by conducting heat to the surface at very high temperatures, giving you charred grill
marks (and some extra flavor).
(Do not put metal in the microwave unless it was specifically designed for it. Not only can
the metal get hot enough to melt the plastic interior, protrusions on the metal can develop
high static charges that then discharge into the microwave itself, potentially destroying it or
making a fire hazard.)
It sounds as if this oven is also built in such a way that the oven interior can get very hot.
This cooks food via radiant heat and by air conduction. This heats up the outside of the food
more quickly than the inside, since that kind of heat doesn't penetrate as deeply into the
food as microwaves do. This gives you a drier, potentially crisper exterior, and allows the
food to brown, which doesn't happen in a microwave.
The convection mode uses a fan to move the air around, moving moisture and cooler air
away from the food, cooking it more quickly.
Written 18 Aug 2012 View Upvotes Asked to answer by Nikhil Garg

Shareef Umar, working on www.zelect.in to make kitchen Appliances selection simpler

21k Views Shareef is a Most Viewed Writer in Kitchen Appliances.

For the most part the microwave ovens are accessible in three classifications. solo, grill &
convection. Here is quick list on what you can cook in which microwave.

In detail the explanations are below.

Solo Microwave Ovens

This is an entry-level model. If you are looking for all-round cooking solutions, a solo model
would be the ideal choice. With uniform heat distribution, multiple power levels and a host
of other features, the Solo is ideal for everyday tasks like defrosting, reheating and cooking.
However, there is no option provided for baking and roasting functions. Hence it can be
used for simple cooking purposes.
Grill Microwave Oven

The grill microwave oven is grill plated and provided with heating coils. Apart from
performing all the functions of a solo microwave oven, it also works like a convectional
griller which browns food, making them crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. These
are ideal for making toast, kebabs and tikka. Various power levels in grill and combination
modes can be used to suit your cooking requirements.
Convection Microwave Oven

Convection microwave ovens use a fan and a heating element to create air flow patterns
inside the microwave oven. The continuous hot air flow ensures optimum browning and
crisping of the food in the fastest possible time, making them perfect for baking cakes,
muffins and more. These ovens can also combine grill and convection functions.
You can choose right type of Microwave oven by using our smart tool at Microwave oven
buying guide and selection tool
Disclaimer: I am the founder of Smart selection tool, buying guides, how to select
Updated 16 Sep 2015 View Upvotes

Ankur Mishra, Working with Godrej and Boyce home appliances division
20.9k Views Ankur is a Most Viewed Writer in Household Appliances.

I take this opportunity to answer this question in laymen terms as far as possible to make
you comfortable to use your microwave & before I answer this question I would like to tell
you my profile as I have worked with IFB industries limited & Godrej & Boyce Home
appliances division. So I am in position to answer these Washing Machine(TL &

FL)Microwaves & Refrigerators related queries as I have been playing with them since I
passed out of my engineering.
Microwave mode- When you simply want to cook something like Rice, maggi,
boiling potatoes etc. So for cooking microwave mode should be used where
magentron(frequency generator) inside works & generates high frequency waves
which cooks food from inside-out.

Convection mode- It is used for baking of cakes & cookies etc . In this mode
heater turns on & fan is provided inside microwave chamber which circulates
the air throughout the chamber to give that baking effect to the item placed
inside.

Grill mode- It is simply used for grilling. There is a another grill heater placed at
a specific location which can provide grilling effect which is required most of the
times in chicken. It gives the same effect which you often see on barbeque at
parties.

Micro + Oven mode- Cooking + baking is required

Micro + Grill mode- Cooking+ Grilling is required

Grill + Oven mode- Grilling + Convection is required

Remember with either Grill or Convection or dual mode Microwave mode is turned on
automatically & program which one has selected determines which mode will work for how
much time.
Rest for cooking menus you can ask your company to provide you cooking booklet which
will tell which program to select for what food.
I hope this will help
Thankx
Written 19 May 2015 View Upvotes

Arie Litman, add a little o' this, a little o' that, mix..
70.6k Views

Microwave mode
The oven is using radio waves that cause water in the food to heat up and boil. This mode
does not use direct heat from an element, so the food warms from the inside. Since the heat
comes from boiling water, it rarely goes above water boiling temperature. Microwave
cooking does not brown food.

Convection mode
The oven uses a heating element and a fan to move hot air around the oven which is
equivalent to a regular oven but a bit more efficient because the hot air helps to heat up all
exposed parts of the food and you get a more uniform heat.
Grill (Broil) mode
The food is exposed to a high heat from below (or Broil from above) and is cooked very fast.
This works for thinner pieces of food such as burgers, steaks, veggies etc.

 Micro + Oven mode

In addition to using microwave to heat up the food, it also uses direct heat from the heating
element to brown and roast the food.
Micro + Grill/Broil mode
Good to use on frozen food that you want to grill, as the microwave will help defrost the
inside of the food while the grill browns the out side.
Grill/Broil + Oven mode
When ever you bake something that needs extra browning.
Updated 12 Oct 2015 View Upvotes

Swapnil Likhdhari, curious wannabe !!

5.6k Views

Good Question, I also had the same as when we had our first microwave.
As you've already got many technical answers, I would give you a layman's explanation.
There are mainly three types of cooking:
1)Roasting- cooking food without water but with direct flame. Eg: Chicken, Naan etc
2)Pot-Roasting (or known as 'Cooking' in general)cooking food with use of water but without direct flame. Eg: Maggi, Vegetables, Curries etc
3)Baking- Cooking without use of direct water and direct flame (i.e using indirect heat and
indirect water which may be called but not always as - 'Steam'). Eg: Cakes, Momoes etc
Therefore, these three types of cookings are known in the words of Microwave Users as:
1) Roasting- 'Grill'
2) Pot- Roasting/Cooking- 'Microwave'
3) Baking- 'Convection/Oven'
Updated Jan 10 View Upvotes

Michael Grimshaw, Home Appliance Repair Technician, 12 years.

23.3k Views Michael is a Most Viewed Writer in Kitchen Appliances.

Convection means the air is heated and circulated.

Grill implies a radiant element (usually a quartz bulb behind a layer of glass) which heats
the outer layer of the food without necessarily heating the air directly. This can also be
achieved with cal-rods (glowing red bars), like they use in toaster ovens, but you couldn't
put cal-rods in a microwave because it would cause arcing and sparking.

Solo (though I'm not familiar with the term) I assume means a standard microwave oven
without either of the above features.
Written 13 Oct 2014 View Upvotes Asked to answer by Ashish Agarwal

Dan Hunter, Just an old guy who has been cooking his own meals since he was a kid.
8.5k Views Dan is a Most Viewed Writer in Kitchen Appliances.

A convection oven has a fan blowing hot air around your food.
A microwave zaps it with microwave radiation which excites the hydogen in water and oil
molecules getting them all heated up.
Written Sep 17 View Upvotes

Pawan Kumar, SEO Professional

22.2k Views

Microwaves are available in the market according to the technical features for preparing
eating food items. Here are the difference between convection & grill microwaves.
A convection microwave uses a combination of the two technologies: a regular microwave
and a convection oven. It can be used to bake anything.
A grill microwave oven is a solo microwave equipped with heating coils and can be used to
grill, toast or roast food.
Visit online, if you want to know the various range of Microwaves, Convection Microwave
Oven Prices
Written Mar 30, 2015 View Upvotes

Ranbir Tandon, Always ready for Online Shopping.

5.1k Views

You mentioned the proper modes and all are different with their usage but basically they are
the types of microwave ovens.
But my point of view if you want to buy a microwave then Convection
Microwave Oven is best choice for you because convection microwave ovens have all the
features that other microwave oven have.
Yes you can see the differences below but dont try to confuse. Its not a big difference.
Written Oct 19

How To Use A Convection Microwave For Baking / How

To Bake In A Convection Microwave

How To Use A Convection Microwave For Baking / How To Bake In A Convection Microwave. Watch
my video! Please follow my page on Facebook for updates on new videos for beginners in baking, every
Monday! Click here to subscribe to my You Tube Channel. Click to subscribe now!

When I started writing the series for beginners, this post should probably have been the very first! Very
naturally of course as buying an oven or knowing how to use your existing microwave (if suitable for
baking) is the foremost step in getting one started with baking. Some of us have purchased microwaves
when they first hit the market, been using it for heating and cooking a few things. Now you suddenly have
the urge to see if you can bake in it too! If you are like me, most likely the manual is misplaced, if you
have a hubby like mine, there is at least some hope of retrieving it. In any case, knowing the oven type,
the accessories that came with it or trying to replace them is a good start. So shall we get started on this
rather rather lengthy post on How To Use A Convection Microwave For Baking? Sorry, could not help
it!

Please note, I use an LG convection microwave (MC8040NSR), and the information I have given below
is mostly with this one in mind, though I have included a bit about Samsung too. This again is just sharing
my personal opinion from my experience in using a convection microwave for about 2 years.

Basic microwave functions : There are three basic functions a microwave can perform - cook,
bake, grill.

Microwave function for regular cooking, de-frosting, re-heating and even some instant mug cakes
(more below).

Convection function to literally bake anything - from cakes, cookies, breads, pizzas - I
mean everything!

Grill for grilling vegetables, meat and the kind.

Microwave Accessories : You get these along with your oven depending on the type of the microwave
you have (given below) : A glass turntable, a short metal rack for baking, a high metal rack for grilling.
You sometimes also get a non stick large round tin for baking pizzas.
Microwaves fall in 3 basic categories, a basic microwave, microwave cum grill and then the convection
microwave. There are more too, but to that later.
1. A solo microwave / a basic microwave - All of us know how to use this, but bear with me . One which
comes with a microwave mode only. Allows you to set the time and the power level of cooking - high,
medium, low power, defrosting food and some auto menus. Comes with a glass turntable on which you
place your dish.
This kind of microwave can be used for re-heating, cooking and defrosting frozen food. Period. But no you
can't bake anything in this, but can certainly cook some kinds nice instant microwave brownie, cinnamon
crisps , fat free potato wafers and even some types of regular cakes and brownies. These get cooked
really fast, as in a minute or two for single serve portions and around 8-10 minutes for other kinds of
cakes and brownies, depending on the size of the pan and quantity of batter.

Be aware that instant versions of brownies and mug cakes are good consumed immediately though
some cakes and brownies may keep well. But yes, you can very surely try these, I do quite often as they
are life-savers! Am not crazy about using this mode for the regular cake kinds etc or maybe I haven't tried
the right recipe. If I do, you will surely find it here !
What you could use : Any good quality microwave safe containers, your coffee mug, Borosil kinds of
glassware, Tupperware. You can't use metal tins and pans as it will cause arching.
How to use : By default, your microwave will set on the highest power, you can see it as either HIGH,
MEDIUM, LOW etc or 900 (watts), 700, etc. Set the time and power levels as needed. You will need to
consider the 'standing time' i.e, the time after the microwave is turned off, but during which the food
continues to cook with the internal microwave energy in the food. Useful to keep this in mind while
cooking instant cakes and brownies. Overcooked food tends to burn ..sometimes along with your
Tupperware!
2. Microwave cum grill : Apart from the basic microwave functions above, this type of microwave has a
grill function also, allowing you to grill vegetables, cottage cheese and meat, sometimes with the
combination of both modes working simultaneously. Apart from the glass turntable, this must come with a
tall circular metal rack on which you place the food to be grilled. Has function knobs or buttons indicating
Microwave and Grill, and a combination of both.

3. Convection or combination microwave: Now, we talk baking! Microwaves in this category come with
it all! Microwave, grill and convection modes. It has function knobs indicating microwave, grill, convection,
a timer, temperature setting buttons and power setting buttons for use in microwave mode. This
microwave comes with the glass turntable, a low circular metal rack for baking, a taller one on which you
grill food and a motorized rotisserie for cooking meat again. Irrespective of what mode you need to use,
the turntable and the roller wheel beneath it need to remain in place at all times, except of course when
you clean the microwave.

Microwave mode : So when you have this type of an oven, you normally keep the metal racks under the
table till you need them for baking. Otherwise use the microwave for mundane but essential purposes.
Using this mode in a convection oven is the same as given above.

Grill mode: To use this, place the tall metal rack on the turn table and the food on the grill, press 'Grill'
(you cant set the temperature here, at least not in mine) and set the timer. If you do not grill a lot, this
rack can still be put to use as a cooling rack.

Convection mode : This is the mode used for baking where you need the low metal rack to place your
baking tray on.

In this mode your microwave works just as an OTG works. So you can use aluminum baking tins and
pans, glassware,silicon and ceramic ware like ramekins and other oven safe bake-ware.

My oven sets at a minimum of 40 degrees C and a maximum of 250 degrees C. The temperature in your
convection microwave sets in certain intervals say 10 degrees, eg, 180 C, 190 C, 200 C and so on as in
LG microwaves or in intervals of 20 degrees eg, 180 C, 200 C, 220 C and so on as in Samsung
microwave ovens.

Pre-heating: You need to pre-heat your oven just as you pre-heat an OTG. Pre-heating is getting your
oven to the desired temperature before you put your cake pan with the batter / cookie sheet in it. For
example, the recipe says, pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Your microwave takes about 5 minutes or less
to pre-heat as compared to the 20-25 minutes in an OTG. So you can pre-heat the microwave even when
you are just 5 minutes away from getting your cookie dough/ cake batter ready.

Place the short metal rack inside the oven on the turntable, make sure its stably placed in the
center (hold on, you will not place the cake tin inside right now), close the door, press Convection. The
display will show 180 degrees temperature by default.

Your oven will have buttons to increase and decrease the temperature. So you now keep
pressing Increase till you see 200 degrees (in this example) in the display. Now press Start. The
turntable will start rotating and your oven begins to heat, the display shows as PRH meaning pre-heat.

Once the oven reaches 200 degrees , it will sound a beep (a series actually) and the display
shows 200 C. Now, do not press stop or do anything other than just opening the door of the oven. Put
your bake in, close the door. Set the timer as needed, say 30 minutes. Press Start. Now your bake cake
is baking at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

I prefer to write down the time and the duration for which I have set my oven in my recipe book just in case of power failure or re-setting the timer by mistake - when you lose track of how long the cake
has been baking.
If you need to pre-heat the oven to a temperature less than 180 degrees C, then use the decrease button
to set the temperature needed. In case you press stop or leave the oven turned off for more than a
minute, start the pre-heating process all over again as given above.

In my friend's Samsung oven, you press Convection, then press the pre-heat button. The same pre-heat
buttons allows you to move the temperature up and down, once you see the desired temperature in the
display, press Start. Your oven starts pre-heating and sounds a series of beeps when heated.
Please note, the microwave once pre-heated will automatically turn off after a certain point of time if you
do not proceed with baking. Microwaves don't like being ignored!

Changing the temperature while baking: Some recipes need you to change the temperature while
baking, that is, bake say at 190 C for 20 minutes and then at 160 C for another 20 minutes. In this case,
pre-heat the oven to 190 C and bake for 20 minutes, then press Stop. Immediately press the convection
button, set temperature to 160 C , set the time for 20 minutes and press Start again.

Always remember to take the cake /cookies / bread out from the oven once the baking is done. Do not
leave it inside the oven (though the oven turns off by itself, the heat still remains, over baking your cake)
unless the recipe specifies you to do so.

After you bake, and the timer goes off, the oven switches off and then does 'cooling'. Wait for sometime if
you wish to use it on microwave mode before you use it again.

Capacity of your microwave : Your microwave, could be anywhere around 20 and 38 liters depending on
the brand. Knowing this helps to have a rough idea about the sizes of tins that can fit in your oven and gift
yourself a new bigger one if needed!

If you own neither an OTG nor a microwave and just begun baking, it makes sense to buy a
convection microwave as you could use it for both cooking and baking. Helps economize on space too.
Buy a big OTG too later (like me).

Convection microwaves come with a fan for even circulation of hot air inside. My old 14 liters
Morphy Richards OTG does not have a fan, but my new 40 liter one does.

A microwave pre-heats in about 5 minutes as compared to an OTG which takes 15-20 minutes.
Really useful for quick small batches of baking, seriously useful when you have your batter waiting and
there is a power cut!

Microwaves also come with digital settings for the temperature and time, so more accuracy and
less guess work here.

If you are an occasional, small batches only baker, this will work very well for you! When you turn
an obsessed baker wanting to feed all you know, think about buying an OTG too!

Even microwaves with higher capacity, say 38 liter ones can't fit in big trays and tins as the
turntable needs to rotate as it bakes and the sides of the tin touching the walls of the microwave will
cause a lot of disturbance or the turntable may not turn at all. But a 40 liter OTG will be more
accommodative as the tray remains in place as it bakes.

Also you can use only one level of the microwave for baking whereas you can use both the top
and bottom racks of an OTG simultaneously. If you bake for commercial purposes, a microwave is not for
you as you will not be able to bake in big batches at one go.

When you place heavy pans its a little tricky as the light weight metal rack may tilt with the weight
of the pan. Even worse when you place a pan with ramekins surrounded by hot water for baked custards
and the kinds!

My microwave sets at the lowest setting of 40 degrees and then next to 100 C. An OTG will be
more lenient here.

The space inside a microwave will allow you little room to put your hands in and do anything like
re-distributing your granola for example as your hands will touch the hot walls or the top element.

If you melt your chocolate in the microwave, then learn to melt it on the stove top too as you can't
melt chocolate while your oven is pre-heating!

Buying a microwave: Choosing a good brand first naturally - I use an LG microwave and its worked
really well for me, no complaints on the quality. IFB and Samsung (except for the temperature interval
constraint) is supposed to be good too, though I have no idea about the after sales services. Check if your
city has good after sales facilities for the brand you choose. A brand new in the market is not very likely to
have great after sales services.

Check if the highest and lowest temperature you can set your oven to and the intervals its sets at, 10
degrees is fine, but 20 is a little hard to digest! Also most ovens here come with a maximum temperature
setting of 250 degrees C which in itself is low for baking pizzas, so make sure the maximum temperature
is at least 250 degrees C.

I would personally prefer microwaves with digital controls as compared to the manual ones for greater
accuracy and consistent results.
Having used an OTG first when I started to bake, I had my own reservations about using a microwave for
baking. But I must say, I have not found a great deal of difference between the bakes done in either.
Please do watch the videos in this playlist for more tips for beginners. Basic baking tools, baking
tins, measuring flour, using yeast, how to use eggs, separating eggs, simple techniques, recipes
and more!