The knobs are stainless steel metal knobs. Hope this helps.

Does it have a convection oven?

Unfortunately no, the oven for this model is not a convection oven. Hope this helps.

Do these oven/ranges come with built in timers?

Yes, the unit does come with a timer. It is a manual timer located on the far left, first knob. Let us know if you have any other questions.

Thank you, also I'm curious about how the temperature control works for the oven- I'm reading that it doesn't let you know when desired temperature is reached...How does one find out?

The oven knob has the temperature measurements written around it. However, if you will like to know the exact temperature given then we suggest to invest on a thermometer and measure off the units temp once set at a preferred heat temperature. Hope this helps.