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seattlelisa

Pumpkin pie/convection oven advice needed!

10 years ago

I have been cooking pumpkin pie for a long time, in both gas and electric ovens, but my tried and true recipe is just failing over and over with my convection oven. The problem: The center just takes forever to get done. My recipe is supposed to take a total of 55-60 minutes, and instead it takes about 1 1/2 hours. The crust ends up dried out, despite my pastry shield. I know people say to lower the temperature with convection, but that really doesn't work! I take the oven off convection, and it still doesn't get done. I've checked the temperature with an oven thermometer, (and called sears when the darn thing was new), and it seems to be getting to temperature. The Sears guys told me to preheat for an hour before baking (which really defeats the idea of quicker cooking, and didn't work). I just hate this oven, but we spent way too much on it to replace it anytime soon.
Does anyone know what I can do?
Thanks!
LIsa

Comments (13)

  • 10 years ago

    Some things are better cooked on "non convection"...I believe pumpkin pie is one.
    Heat your oiven on non convection to 425.....pop your pie into the oven, set your timer for 10 minutes and WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR...turn the temp down to 350....and cook another 40 minutes.
    If that doesn't work you call the service man back. Your oven should get to 425 easily with in 30 minutes....most likely with in 20 minutes.

  • 10 years ago

    Is this a regular oven with both "bake" and "convection" choices?

    I recommend just using "bake" for any baked goods like pies, cakes, cookies, etc.

    I only use convection for meats, casseroles, pizza, etc.

    For "real" baking, I only use "bake".

  • 10 years ago

    My convection oven automatically lowers the temperature--I do nothing. Could that be your problem?

  • 10 years ago

    You can make a stove-top no-bake pumpkin pie, which is basically a custard that you pour into a baked pie shell and chill. I used to make this frequently, and it is almost no different from the baked pumpkin pies that I made.

    If you are interested, I will look for the recipe that I used. I think it came from The Joy of Cooking, as I used that book a lot back then.

  • 10 years ago

    When I had a convection oven at the old house the hints in their booklet specifically stated that there were certain kinds of bake ware that wouldn't bake good in a convection oven. Of course all my bakeware was all the wrong thing and I had to go buy all new. (Awwww!) I remember that what was called for was all single layer, non-coated, and heavier metal, so I now have some serious bakeware. I think my biggest pie pans were already the right thing and don't remember ever having a problem using them; and I always baked pies on the bottom shelf. Hope all this helps.

  • 10 years ago

    beachlily, I do wonder if my oven is lowering the temperature periodically. Do you have any idea how to stop it? My husband just suggested that I constantly reset the temp, to make it maintain, but I would really like an easier route!


    I generally don't use the convection feature for baking. I've kind of taken on the role of pie-maker in my family, for family gatherings and so on, and this problem with the pumpkin pie is really getting to me.


    CA Kate, do you remember what bakeware wasn't recommended? Most of my pie plates are pyrex. I have some ceramic ones also. My booklet didn't say anything about bakeware, but I'm feeling curious now. What kind of metal are your pie plates?


    Thanks everyone for your ideas and help!


    Lisa

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Pumpkin pie is a custard-type pie that bakes most easily in the convection oven at a steady temperature, because the heat is disbursed and not just sitting there. Because ovens can vary, if your pie gets too dark too soon, reduce the oven temperature by another 25 degrees.


  • 3 years ago

    Yeah, that wind blowing the heat around can really mess with eggy things while not just sitting there. I have a really excellent oven, but I don't use convection for any kind of pie, nor anything delicate.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Sorry, I bake pies 5 times a week and never experienced a problem. I just did 15 pumpkin pies this morning.. 😉 Here is the last one 🫶🏻

    I usualy do 3 at a time.


  • 3 years ago

    Each oven is different. I just meant that your assertion shouldn't be taken as a blanket statement. Notice how many people posted in this thread saying they don't use convection for their pies.

  • 3 years ago

    Not using a convection oven isnt the same as affecting the pies quality; that is all..

  • 3 years ago

    Here's a follow-up: I limped along with that dratted oven as best I could. We tracked it, and the temperature swing was really quite wide. The oven would really lose a lot of heat before deciding to start heating again. Part way the pandemic it bit the dust altogether. I wasn't too sad about that! The price of fixing it was nearly the price it was new. Comparable replacements were not to be found anywhere within 50 miles of me. We bought the last, slightly beat up, cheap floor model from the previous year, stashed (and temporarily lost) in the back of a warehouse. It's a very basic, old school range. The pies are perfect once again! If we ever do replace it, I will do some serious research about brands and temperature swing. I miss the induction cooktop, but not that much...

    Thanks everybody for your help!