For as long as I can remember in the 20+ years of being in the kitchen industry, I’d say 95% of my clients opted for the steam oven in their new kitchen design. We are now more health conscious and aware of how we cook food. We also understand how many vitamins and nutrients are thrown down the drain by simple techniques like boiling, deep fat frying and microwaving.
So What Are The Benefits?
Steam ovens introduce a healthier way to cook, retaining all the vitamins, nutrients and even the colour to the food. It may take slightly longer to adapt to the steam oven but it is definitely worth the effort.
Apart from steaming food, you can also utilise the steam oven for melting chocolate for baking, proving dough for bread making and warming last night’s leftovers… basically anything that can be cooked using moisture.
You can also sterilise utensils/baby bottles and warm up napkins to wipe your hands after dinner (like in restaurants).
Over the years, the basic Steam Oven has developed into counter top versions using combination cooking methods too.
Let me explain! I’m sure you know about the Combi Microwave which has a built in grill or oven feature? Well, the Steam Oven also has a combination oven feature too. This means you can cook using hot air cooking with added moisture.
Imagine how juicy your roast chicken can taste if it was steamed and roasted at the same time!
Now let’s talk about Steam Oven brands on the market.
1. Miele – One of my favourite brands! At the time of writing this, they have 25 steam oven versions ranging from £899 up to £6129. They cover countertop versions, combinations and large capacity in size.
2. Siemens – There is the iQ700 model in the Siemens Steam Oven range and can be easily controlled from the comfort of your sofa using a phone app. Starting price at £1399.
3. Neff – There isn’t a massive selection to choose from but the Neff have a great feature called ‘hide and slide’ which allows the door to be hidden for easier access. Pricing is £1599 up to £1789.
4. Bosch – Only one appliance in their collection but with many features including the integration with Amazon Alexa. Priced at £1329.
So is this appliance a must have or a waste of money? It’s a thumbs up from me!
Comentários