Convection

Convection is one of the three basic cooking methods, along with radiation and conduction. Convection is the most efficient way to transfer heat in materials that act as liquids, like water or air. In convection, excited molecules of the transfer / cooking medium circulate around a cooler object. As a liquid closer to a heat source absorbs heat, the hotter liquid will rise as it decreases in density while cooler liquid will take its place. The now hot liquid will circulate about the chamber, lose energy, increase in density, and eventually descend back toward the heat source. In cooking, the circulation of the hot air/liquid works as a medium to transfer heat from the heat source and into the food. The transfer of heat via convection is more even than heat transferred by the other two main methods.

Convection is commonly found in ovens - especially convection ovens which use a fan to more forcefully move the air around the cooking chamber.