this is wonderful!! Thanks so much for this info.

my personal experience of my Miele ovens is similar. I have to add that I NEVER change the temperature and have found most things take the same amount of time to cook as the recipe says even when the cooking time is longer using convection. ANd my cookies are pretty evenly cooked front to back, no flipping or rearranging trays. Are you using flat cookie sheets or are you using baking trays which have a slight lip? Lipped trays don't allow the fans to blow the air over the cookie and the ones closest to the heat source (fan) are going to cook faster.

You must try roast turkey which cooks much faster on autoroast. I make it often now that it is a quicker meal to prepare and results in lots of food for my big family

thanks. so you also agree with not deducting 25 degrees when going from baking to convection? And yes, the cookie sheet did have a lip. Great tip; I'll use my flat ones next time and see what happens.

Yes, I have found that with the Miele ovens I bake on convection using regular time and temp although I always watch a recipe the first time I make it to make sure it doesn't overcook. I've yet to find a recipe that does need adjusting, at least on convection and I bake a lot and a big variety.

I had thought that the idea behind convection was to make baking faster. Is that not right? Is there a difference between convection baking and speed baking/cooking (i.e., with the Miele speed oven)?

Thank you for all the comments. After 26 years, I now have two brand new Miele ovens with all the bells and whistles. Unfortunately, I am a bit overwhelmednwith all the choices available. For instance, this weekend I have to cook two beef filet/ tenderloins. Which setting do I use: Autoroast, Convection, Bake or????

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

For filets use Autoroast with the probes which will cook it to exactly the temperature you want.

Convection is fan-assisted heating that moves air around the oven.

Surround is a particular setting that runs the bottom oven element and the broiler at the same time. It is excellent for certain things but also fairly limited.

Thank you for your advise. Will post after I hopefully impressed my dinner guests.

Thanks for the tip (above) about not using a cookie sheet with a raised edge. This may sound really weird but I've had the best luck with switching between convection bake and regular bake on my Miele when doing cookies specifically. If you use regular bake, they spread out like they are supposed to, but they don't brown. Then you switch to convection bake (making sure to readjust the temperature so it matches) and they brown perfectly.

Hi... i am so confused with my miele oven as well ... it is said to bake cakes perfectly where they rise evenly, but every cake I baked so far did not rise evenly... and I want to bake a red velvert cake today ... what mode do i bake it on that it rises evenly and comes our perfectly... i have previously been using convection setting.

Here's my understanding, similar to the first comment (from momotom) above:

Convection Mode is the 'go to' mode, you use it for everything you would do in a normal/usual US made oven (with exposed heating elements top and bottom) unless there is a reason to do otherwise. Use convection mode for a cake. If you have a combi steam oven set a moisture level at about 35-40% for the duration of baking.

In a normal US made oven, the bottom heating element, which is almost always exposed and you can see it, is what turns on when you set a temperature to 'bake' something.

In a Miele oven, in Convection Mode heat in the main oven cavity is generated by heating air, in a cavity in the rear of the oven which you cannot see, and using a fan to circulate the air throughout the oven cavity. Miele variously calls this 'true european convection baking' (they use different variations) in their descriptions.

Said again Miele's Convection Mode is the same as a US made 'select the temperature and do some baking mode.'

Miele ovens, I'm talking about the current models, have heating elements at the top of the oven cavity (exposed and you can see it and clean around it) and in the bottom of the oven cavity (which you cannot see, it's below the solid metal 'floor' of the oven cavity).

Look at the icons in the manuals or on the screen if you have M-Touch controls for different cooking modes. They show which heating elements are used in the different modes:

Surround Mode: the top and bottom heating elements.

Bake Mode: The bottom element.

Browning: top element

Broil/Maxi Broil: As you'd expect, the top element for broiling. Same as Broil on a generic US Made oven.

For these modes, unless the icon shows the fan (indicating circulating heated air) you only get the top or bottom element, or both.

There are some modes which combine a heating element with the convection fan (in heated air convection mode):

Convection Broil/Gentle Bake: Top broiling element and convection

Intensive: Lower element plus fan

From my experience its all different at first, and even after a training session or two at a Miele experience center you still have to think about how all the modes work. Hope this helps.

This exchange is old but so useful!! The best I’ve read yet. I just got my Miele combi steam. Has anyone used the defrost mode ?

I read through the entire thread and yes in hindsight it still puts some things in perspective.

If you are new owner I'll suggest these three to dos:

1-Attend a demo at a Miele "experience center." You want the basic demo or class session, I think it's titled Product Cooking Demo. These are no cost to you, you find then under the event schedule for each Miele center. Even if you have to make a weekend travel thing out of it, do it, it's well worth it.

2-Look for YouTube videos how to use convection oven, etc. Preferably the videos from Miele, including Miele UK, AU etc. but not from Appliance Dealers (videos from dealers tent to be very superficial, and show what you'd learn from a five minute talk with a typical appliance salesperson). Miele has a staff of full time trainers, advisors, chefs and home economists whose job is to pass along how to use knowledge to their customers. These are the people who author the cookbooks and online recipes.

3-Download the Cookbooks and lesser so recipes on Miele's website. On the US Website both are under the Miele à la carte section. Also note there are cookbooks written in and for the US, the UK and Australia and New Zealand. Download all of them, they're all useful. Worst case if you'll have to convert Metric to Imperial.

I found this in a thread on Houzz that I have used as my guideline. I used to use surround where I would use “Bake” but switched to convection bake following the below. I have had very good results. I still use surround for lean breads like sourdough and where heat source doesn’t matter such as baked potatoes. If you have the M touch I use their automated programs like Baked goods/cookies or cakes. Hope this helps!

Miele Oven Modes

When I first got my oven the Home Economist at Miele in Princeton sent me the following:

MASTERCHEF OVEN COOKING TIPS

When baking, if a recipe calls for 30 minutes of cooking time or less, use CONVECTION BAKE and chose the same temperature as indicated in the recipe. Baking time will be similar to the recipe. (Cookie baking is an example of this.) If the cooking time is over 30 minutes, choose CONVECTION BAKE and turn the temperature down by 25 degrees. Again, cook the item for about as long as indicated in the recipe. (Quick breads work well with this technique.)

SURROUND is a mode which does not utilize the convection fan but instead heats from the bottom and top of the oven. Use SURROUND ROAST when preparing meats that benefit from a long slow cook time, such as pot roast or brisket. SURROUND BAKE works well for meringues, soufflés and any delicate baked good that would not benefit from the blowing of the fan.

INTENSIVE is considered the "brick oven" mode and is the hottest of all the bake modes. The radiant heat from the bottom of the oven sets the crust while the convection heat melts the cheese. This is a perfect setting for pizza. "Homemade Pizza, the Intensive Way" is a recipe on the website that showcases this mode.
The BAKE mode uses radiant heat from the bottom of the oven and can be used for such items as boxed cake mixes.
For cooking roasts and whole birds, AUTO ROAST works well. It is a convection program which automatically sears meat at 450 degrees F for about 15 minutes and then drops down to a default temperature of 325 degrees or any temperature you select to finish cooking with Convection heat. By inserting the roast probe into the meat and setting it to an appropriate internal temperature (you can look in a dependable cookbook for these temperatures), the oven will beep and shut off when the roast is done.
Foods that usually take a long time to cook are finished in a much shorter time when using AUTO ROAST. For example, a 19-pound unstuffed turkey will take about 2 1/2 hours to cook on AUTO ROAST as compared to about 4 hours in a conventional oven. "Turkey with Giblet Gravy for the Holidays", "Beef Tenderloin", and "Roast Pork Loin" are recipes on the Miele website which describe the AUTO ROAST mode in more detail.
Use CONVECTION ROAST for smaller cuts of meat and poultry and for fish. The temperature and time suggested in any dependable recipe will work well.
When broiling, use the BROIL or MAXI BROIL mode at a high temperature. Let the oven preheat for about 10 minutes. When broiling something thick like a London Broil, CONVECTION BROIL will cook the interior as it broils the top.

I use convection bake for cookies and there is nothing wrong with adding minutes if whatever you're baking isn't quite done. It's a great oven, but you still have to manage your baking/cooking no matter what appliance you have.

boxdad-How did your beef tenderloin turn out? I am planning to do a 6 LB tenderloin for Christmas on in my Miele on Autoroast. Any advice??