If you like to bake definitely get a convection oven - it will give you more even heat and possibly shorten cooking times a bit. With an electric oven, you can get "true" convection which has a third heating element around the fan - this provides even heating throughout the oven for things like multiple racks of cookies. Gas convection ovens and regular electric convection ovens have a fan without an extra element which will still aids in circulating heat throughout the oven. The advantage of a gas convection oven is that the moist heat is better for roasting meat and poultry and will also give you a better broiler than you can get in an electric oven,

After much research I decided that I didn't need a "true" convection oven. I cook mostly range-top and what goes in the oven is mostly roasts. I hardly ever bake at all - my boyfriend makes pies now and then, but that's about it. Let alone the extra cost of the hook-up for dual fuel, which is rather pricey. And they are also a bit more money.

Also - people tout how the dual fuel saves time in cooking, however, apparently it takes longer to come to temperature so a lot of time you save cooking is lost in the pre-heating.

I'm considering a convection microwave instead, for those times where I *might* need some extra convenience, but for me - a regular gas stove fits the bill (BTW, when I say "regular" I mean a professional gas convection range).

I have a a 3yo Kitchenaid combination thermal/convection oven and I will say that convection does a good job of bread and cookies. However, cakes don't rise well in convection ovens (probably because the top sets too soon), and I've found that casseroles are often a bit dried out on top.
With my Kitchenaid, in thermal mode, the top element (the broil element) comes on intermittently while baking, to maintain the temperature, causing everything to overbrown on top. Cakes don't rise well at all, and the only solution I've found for baking things that need high heat, like pizza, is to put a cookie sheet on an upper rack to prevent over-browning. This is not recommended by Kitchenaid, but it's the only thing that works. I wouldn't be able to bake cakes at all if I didn't have an extra oven in my guest house that I can use.

So if you like to bake, choose carefully. Ovens are not all the same.

I miss my old Thermador!

Nov