You’ve probably heard of steam ovens, but do you actually know how they work? Even though the idea of steam cooking has been around for centuries in sous vide and pressure cooking, we now have the ability to harness the power of steam in an oven.

Once you understand steam cooking, you will see the benefits of adding this appliance to your own kitchen, and it will change the way you cook.

How it Works

Traditional ovens use heating coils at the bottom and the top of the oven to create radiant heat. Steam ovens, however, siphon water from a small water tank into a built-in boiler, heating it to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam is then released into the oven with a valve that helps control the temperature and moisture of the oven. This superheated steam cooks your food through.

The Benefits of Cooking with Steam

When steam is used as the heat source, food cooks faster and stays moist. It locks the moisture into the food and eliminates the need for any oils or fats.

This method also allows food to maintain more of its natural vitamins and minerals, so you get the maximum flavor and nutritional value from your food. In addition to great taste, the food also has an inviting texture when cooked in a steam oven.

Steam ovens like those from Miele have 8 steam inlet ports that distribute steam quickly and evenly and cooks your food to perfection. It’s very efficient at cooking vegetables, small cuts of meat, fish, or grains. Vegetables become moist rather than oily or mushy, and they also work well for specialty food items like custards. Steam can even be used to bring new life to leftovers rather than being dried out in a microwave.

Another plus is that steam eliminates food transfer, so you can cook different dishes at the same time and maintain the integrity of the flavors. With the XL cavity on several Miele ovens, you can cook up to 3 dishes at once and it even tells you when to put each dish in so all of your food is done at the same time! Other features of this model include a roast probe that monitors the meat temperature, and a motorized control panel to give you access to the water tank for refilling.

Because of the constant moisture, cleaning is a breeze as you just wipe down the interior. The steam keeps food particles from drying and burning onto surfaces, and you can even use it to lift food off of other dirty pans for quick, easy cleaning.

If you aren’t ready to fully commit to a steam oven on its own, the good news is some ovens offer a combination of steam and convection, like Miele’s Combi-Steam ovens, so you can get the best of both worlds.

Visit our showroom so we can help you navigate your choices. We will show you how steam can revolutionize your home cooking!