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Glam Journal

What is the temperature difference between fan oven and conventional oven?

Author

James Austin

Updated on February 28, 2026

What is the temperature difference between fan oven and conventional oven?

Cooking temperatures for fan-forced ovens are roughly 20C lower than those for conventional ovens but with the same cooking time. At lower temperatures this difference is less, 110C/100C fan. Conversely, at higher temperatures the difference is greater, 250C/220C fan.

Is a fan oven the same as convection?

A convection oven is any oven that has a fan in it. A fan oven has a fan with a heating element behind it and these are always electric. A fan assisted oven is an oven with heating elements in the oven (top and/or bottom) and a fan at the back.

Is a conventional oven a fan?

The difference between them is that the source of heat in a conventional oven is stationery and rises up from the bottom. The heat from a convection oven is blown by fans, so the air circulates all over the inside of the oven.

What is the advantage of a fan oven?

The fan inside the oven allows the hot air to circulate and maintain the consistent temperature within. Efficiency of the fan in the oven makes it possible to cook food at lower temperatures. Where you would normally to be cooking at 350 degrees, you could potentially cook food at only 300 degrees in a convection oven.

When should you use a fan oven?

When using ovens with both fan-forced and conventional settings, it is best to use conventional when you are baking long and slow (like for cakes) and fan-forced for fast cooking at high temperatures. If using a fan-forced oven, as a general rule, drop the temperature by 20°C to imitate conventional.

Can a fan oven work without the fan?

It will not work with the fan removed, and infact could be dangerous as the element will overheat without air being pulled over it. The heating method is completely different to a normal oven. Yes they do tend to cook quicker if set at the same temperature as a normal oven.

How do I know if my oven has a cooling fan?

You needn’t turn the oven on to find out if it’s fan-equipped, however – there should be a little fan symbol on the outside: a three-pronged fan for a fan assisted oven, and a three-pronged fan inside a circle for a fan oven.

Do you have to wait for a fan oven to heat up?

Step 1: Preheat the Oven? Unlike an ordinary oven, your fan oven does not always need preheating. If you preheat, you risk overcooking. DO NOT preheat for any meat or poultry.

What’s the difference between a fan oven and a convection oven?

Also known as convection ovens, fan-assisted ovens are – as the name suggests – equipped with a fan inside which forces hot air to circulate around the oven. Conversely, a conventional oven simply heats up the inside to the desired temperature, cooking the food by blanketing it in a layer of heat.

What’s the difference between fan assisted and conventional ovens?

Heat rises, cool air sinks but the oven walls itself conducts heat away but the temperature will not be so even throughout the oven cavity. A fan assisted oven has a small fan to move the air around so the hot air is circulated quite well.

How does a fan work in an oven?

The fan takes air through this panel and passes it through the element coil, distributing hotter air around the side, top and bottom walls so it evenly heats the oven cavity. This has various advantages over conventional ovens:

Which is hotter a conventional oven or a fanned oven?

The principle remains today, with conventional heating elements placed at the top and bottom of an oven cavity, inducing a natural convection which makes the oven hotter at the top than the bottom.

Also known as convection ovens, fan-assisted ovens are – as the name suggests – equipped with a fan inside which forces hot air to circulate around the oven. Conversely, a conventional oven simply heats up the inside to the desired temperature, cooking the food by blanketing it in a layer of heat.

Heat rises, cool air sinks but the oven walls itself conducts heat away but the temperature will not be so even throughout the oven cavity. A fan assisted oven has a small fan to move the air around so the hot air is circulated quite well.

Is it better to use a fan oven or regular oven?

Not only will this reduce your carbon footprint, but it will also reduce the size of your bills as well. That being said, fan ovens aren’t perfect. Overfilling your fan oven can impact the way air circulated and lead to an uneven cook, while the fan can also make cooking times inaccurate.

Where does the heat come from in a fan oven?

Fan-assisted conventional cooking blows air through the oven cavity, but the heat comes from the heating elements at the top and bottom of the inside of the cavity. Convection cooking circulates the air from the cavity over a separate heating element that is not inside of the cavity.