the general rule of thumb is to adjust the temperature by about 100 degrees. times vary, of course, depending on what's being cooked.

don't use convection for things that are delicate (souffles) or that are prone to drying out (fish).

do use convection for extra browning, extra crispiness (roasted potatoes), and high heat roasting when you want good caramelization on the outside but nice juiciness in the middle (like for roasting meats).

whoa - I'm afraid I'm going to have to stronly disagree with edlakin - the general rule of thumb is to either reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and/or reduce the time. I generally keep the temperature the same and then watch the time.

I use convection for almost everything except those things that require bottom heat such as souffles or popovers. Convection also won't work well I believe for things like cakes since the sides of the pan don't expose the contents to the circulating air.

Gas convection is very moist so it will be good for roasting meats and poultry.

Uhm, yeah 100 degrees a bit much. More like weissman said. Just keep an eye on the goods. A little more experiance and she'll be good to go.

Use low sided bakeware for better air circulation.

Convection is not the end all of bake modes, but a fine asset.

25 degrees is about right, although I have to admit I don't adjust the temp and just keep an eye on the food. Convection is also helpful if you have multiple pans in the oven too as it helps even out the browning. It's great for roasting and for baking multiple pans of cookies at one time.

From a pro cook, here are the rules of thumb I use:

1. Lower temp 25 F or reduce time 10%. Generally the latter.

2. Convection is best for things with a crust: Roasts, breads, cream puffs, and the like.

3. Convection is not good for:
a: Things without a crust-cakes, pastries, souffles
b: Things that rise WITHOUT yeast: biscuits, souffles, pastries, cakes, etc.

4. Convection reduces the need to turn pans of things like cookies, but it may not eliminate the need to turn.

5. If in doubt, use convection.

whoa - I'm afraid I'm going to have to stronly disagree with edlakin -

no need to be afraid--people strongly disagree with me all the time. ;-).

at any rate, i may have misspoken. that's the general guideline we use here at work where we're working with a professional convection stack. home convections probably don't blow nearly as hard.

as others have said, i don't really adjust it when i'm at home, but then, as a chef, i tend to ignore recipes, cooking times and temps, etc, and just assess things by looking at what's going on with the food.

Thanks all - this is quite helpful