Switch-Air Digital Convection Ovens Cooking Guide
Models XAF-195, XAF-188, XAF-135, XAF-130, XAF-115, XAF-111
Congratulations! You have just purchased a new Cadco Switch-Air Digital Convection Oven. Let’s go
over some of the basics before you start using your new oven.
Your new Cadco Switch-Air Digital Convection Oven will have one of two control panels which will
provide the following functions:
Classic control panel (XAF-130, XAF-111):
• Set time
• Set temperature
• Set multi step operation
• Set up to 70 programs into memory
Dynamic control panel (XAF-195, XAF-188, XAF-135, XAF-115):
• Set time
• Set temperature
• Set humidity
• Set multi step operation
• Set up to 70 three step programs into memory
• Control (optional) models XAL135 & XAL195 Proofer functions
The first and most important step will be: Have your new oven hooked up to the proper power and (if
applicable) water source. If there is any doubt about the proper power or the connections, have the oven
installed by a qualified electrician according to your local codes.
The Cadco Switch-Air Digital Convection Ovens work on the principle of moving air. This air movement
removes the “Hot Spots” so we get very even browning, rapid preheats (10 minutes), and faster cooking.
Here are some basic do’s and don’ts for convection cooking:
• Use pans that have sides no taller than a common sheet pan.
• Preheat the oven to 50ºF above your baking temperature.
• Set the oven for your desired cooking temperature after you have placed the food inside.
• If you notice uneven cooking, set the oven temperature down 25º/30º. Let the product tell you if it
needs more or less heat.
• Aluminum foil can get pulled into the fan and cause damage.
• Don’t overload the oven.
• Maintain a minimum 2”-3” between the product being cooked and the next shelf. Remove shelves if
necessary.
• Your Cadco Convection Oven is a powerful tool, so don’t hesitate to utilize its full capacity.
• Keep your oven clean. Wipe up spills as they occur. Never allow grease to build up on the interior of
the oven, or collect on the bottom of the cooking cavity.
1
We recommend preheating your Cadco Oven, as you would with most ovens, to about 50ºF above your
chosen baking temperature. After loading your product, remember to reset the oven to the desired baking
temperature. Frozen products draw more heat from the oven and may require a longer recovery time.
One of the most common items baked in your Cadco Convection Oven will be cookies. There are dozens
of cookie manufacturers, and their products all have different baking characteristics. We have found that
baking cookies at about 300ºF will produce a superior product with most brands.
When roasting meats we suggest using a cooking rack to elevate the product and facilitate even roasting.
Lower temperatures will reduce shrinkage and save money with all of your roasted meat products. Smaller
cuts such as boneless chicken breasts, or seafood portions may be baked directly on the pan if desired.
Have fun and experiment with your new Cadco Switch-Air Convection Oven. Your times and
temperatures will vary with the different products you prepare. Refer to this Cadco Switch-Air Cooking
Guide for direction or contact the Cadco Certified Executive Chef (877.603.7393) or the Cadco, Ltd. website
(www.cadco-ltd.com), for specific answers to your cooking needs.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Loren Lippitt C.E.C.
Cadco, Ltd.
Certified Executive Chef
Use this cooking guide to help determine which time and temperature works best for your specific food
items. If your specific product isn’t addressed, you will probably find something similar.
You’ll find many helpful hints in this cooking guide. Our aim is to help you use your Cadco Switch-Air
Digital Convection Oven to its fullest, rather than teach you how to cook.
Pies
The variables for bakery products are endless, and pies are no exception. These are some of the things
which will affect your cooking time:
• Amount of sugar in the crust.
• Size of your pie tin and the amount of filling used.
• Butter or oil in the crust.
• Amount of shortening to flour.
• Your choice of canned or fresh filling.
For our test pies we used 9” pie tins with homemade apple filling. Our crust was made using a basic 3-2-1
recipe:
• 3 parts flour
• 2 parts shortening
• 1 part (approx.) water
With a little salt and a four finger pinch of sugar added.
The Cadco Switch-Air Convection Oven was preheated to 325ºF and the pies were baked for 45 minutes
to an hour depending on the filling. The aroma coming out of the Cadco Training Center was fantastic!
2
Cheesecake
People generally love cheesecake and it’s not hard to make. Let’s start with a basic cheesecake batter:
• #3 cream cheese
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• lemon to taste
• 2 cups Half and Half (approx.)
This will make enough batter for a 10” springform pan.
There are so many fun options for making cheesecake, such as:
• Substitute chocolate milk for Half and Half in a triple chocolate cheesecake.
• Orange juice for an orange cheesecake.
• Baileys Irish Cream.
• Cookie dough.
• Turtle cheesecake.
• Lemon poppy seed.
• Pumpkin…peanut butter…pistachio…what else?
For my crust, I usually spray the inside of the springform pan with vegetable oil and dust it with graham
cracker crumbs. There are endless options for crusts such as shortbread, brownie, or Ladyfingers, or my
simple dusting of graham crumbs. It’s your choice.
Bake in a 200º oven for 4 hours, then cool, cut and serve.
Have fun with some imaginative sauces also:
• Walnut, caramel and chocolate chip sauce.
• Lemon sauce.
• Pear sauce
• Pistachio sauce.
• Cinnamon Squared² Sauce (cinnamon stick and candies).
Cookies
Most of the cookie recipes suggest a baking temperature of 325º to 350ºF. I have found that “Lower is
better”.
Over the years we have found that cookies bake best at about 285º/300ºF, assuming a 1.5 ounce cookie
from refrigerated/frozen dough. By baking at a lower temperature, they tend to remain higher after cooling
and produce a more eye appealing finished product.
300ºF for 15-18 minutes.
Muffins
15 minutes at 325ºF/ 20% humidity works well for most standard size muffins. For jumbo muffins set the
oven temp at 300ºF/ 20% humidity and bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
The more dense your batter is the longer your muffins will take to bake.
Biscuits
For the test we used a basic baking powder biscuit about 3” in diameter.
Bake at 350ºF for 10 – 12 minutes.
Some suggestions;
• A simple glaze can be made of powdered sugar and water.
• Glaze while your biscuits are still hot.
• Try peanut butter, lemon poppy seed, cinnamon raisin, cheese and bacon, sour dough, and of course,
good old buttermilk biscuits.
3
• Drop biscuits take about the same amount of time to bake and they are wonderful. Call me and I’ll
share a family favorite with you.
Biscuits can be so much fun to make and they are so easy that even kids can help make them. I remember
Mom throwing biscuits together for breakfast when we were growing up. Hot, delicious and full of TLC, it
just took her a few minutes, and I even got to help!
Bread
Large loaves (1 lb – 1 ½ lb) baked in 30 - 40 minutes at 325ºF. We found that you can bake dinner rolls
using the same method as you do for biscuits.
Call and ask about “Butterflake Dinner Rolls” You’ll love them! (While you have me on the phone ask
about sourdough starter. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to make and to use.)
Pizza
There are so many pizzas it’s hard to know where to start. The pizza we used for our tests were the 11”,
frozen, self rising type from the grocery store. They were all baked at 350ºF for 8 to 20 minutes, and our
results were great on all of them.
(The pizza manufacturers suggested a temperature of 400ºF for 20-30 minutes).
Burgers
Lay your ¼ pound frozen burgers out onto a sheet pan and season to taste. Place them into 350ºF oven for
about 10 to 12 minutes. Hamburger should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF to be safe
according to HACCP guidelines.
Try cooking your burgers at 250ºF for 15 to 20 minutes and notice how juicy they are. Browning is not as
pronounced using the low temperature method but the added flavor makes up for it.
Chicken
Let’s say that you want to serve fried chicken in your food service operation but you don't want all of the
problems associated with a chicken program. You don't want to deal with an expensive breading program, the
high insurance costs, constantly buying oil, employee training, the dangerous cleaning/filtering of French
fryers, and the high cost of purchasing equipment. Cadco has the answer: how about "Oven Fried" chicken.
We take cooked, frozen, browned chicken and season it with the seasoning(s) of your choice to produce the
most delicious, unique chicken your customers have ever tasted...and it's all done in your oven in about 30
minutes. Your chicken goes from the freezer, to the oven, to the display case (and your customers) in less
time than it takes to fry from raw.
We suggest Pierce Super Chicken; lay it out in a Cadco “Oven Fry Basket”(# GRF018/ Full Size), and
season the pieces with any seasoning of your choice. Then you simply bake it in the Cadco Switch-Air
Convection Oven at 325ºF for 20 minutes and it's ready to serve. You can have Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Italian,
TexMex, Smoky, Jamaican, or…Whatever flavor you want, “Oven Fried” Chicken!
Rotisserie Style” Chicken
Tired of paying the grocery store to make those delicious rotisserie chickens for you? Once you make
your own “Rotisserie” chickens, in your Cadco Switch Air, you’ll never buy another cooked chicken from the
store again (and I’ll bet your customers won’t either).
You’ll need a baking sheet pan and a cooking rack to keep your chicken elevated during the cooking
process. The cooking rack allows air to circulate all around the chicken, similar to a rotisserie.
You can also place your chicken directly on the oven rack and let it drip into a pan below. Caution!
Never allow grease to drip onto the bottom of the oven!
Method
• Season a #3 chicken and place it on the cooking rack. (For options, see below)
4
• Preheat your Switch-Air oven to 325ºF.
• Roast the chicken for about 45 minutes. If a more crispy product is desired, raise the temperature to
about 350º.
• Cook chicken to an internal temperature of 180º.
• Stuffing the chicken will increase cooking time and it is NOT suggested.
Options
• Slip slices of lemon under the skin on the breast before roasting.
• Italian sausage under the skin of the breast before roasting.
• Sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, under the skin before roasting.
• Spray the chicken with olive oil, season, and dust with mashed potato flakes before roasting.
• Save the chicken fat after roasting and chill it. Mix the fat, and a little stock, with left over shredded
chicken, and season with salt and pepper, to make a spread on slices of French bread. Needless to
say…this is NOT heart-healthy fare, but it sure is good.
• Truss the chicken before roasting for more even cooking and eye appeal. Call for my quick method of
trussing a bird.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Optional Accessories for your Switch-Air Digital Convection Oven
XAL195 Proofer (full size 18”x 26”)
• Must be used with a full size Switch-Air Digital Oven with Dynamic control panel.
• Oven and proofer are both set using the Switch-Air control panel.
• The proofer must be on a separate power source from the oven.
• Capacity of 8 full sized (18”x26”) sheet pans.
XAL135 Proofer (half size 13”x 18”)
• Must be used with a half size Switch-Air Digital Oven with Dynamic control panel.
• Oven and proofer are both set using the Switch-Air control panel.
• The proofer must be on a separate power source from the oven.
• Capacity of 8 half sized (13”x18”) sheet pans.
XR190 Oven Stand (full size)
• Accommodates oven models: XAF-188 and XAF-195
XR130 Oven Stand (half size)
• Accommodates oven models: XAF-115, XAF-130, and XAF-135
XR621 Wheels Kit for Oven Stands (full and half size)
• 2 front wheels w/brakes
• 2 wheels w/o brakes
GRF018 Oven Fry Basket (Full Size)
• 2 ½ pound (approx.) capacity
GRP825 Poultry Rack (Full Size)
• Holds a maximum of eight 3 pound birds
TG450 FAKIRO™ Heat Plate (full size) – For very fast baking times of pizzas, breads, etc.
TG320 FAKIRO™ Heat Plate (half size) – For very fast baking times of pizzas, breads, etc.
EL080 Auxiliary Pump Kit – for pumping water from a bucket when water hookup is not available (for
Dynamic controls oven models only; pump comes with XAF-115 & XAF-135 ovens)
5
Loading...