Steam Ovens ----anyone have one?

We're redoing our kitchen and are debating about adding a steam oven in lieu of a second convection/standard oven. We were intrigued after talking to a chef at Pirch about her preference for the steam oven technology. Now that we're getting close to making a purchasing decision, I'm wondering if having a steam oven is really practical or if it's something we would never really use and wish we would have gone with a second full size oven. I'd love some input! TIA

Do you bake a lot of bread?

I do not, though I would be willing to! Is it good for bread? I reheat a lot of meals and I was very big into steaming vegetables and fruits for my toddler at the time I initially was looking at them, though I now realize this is a short lived phase now that he has teeth. I also like the idea of steaming fish. The oven we are looking at is a combo of steam and convection, so it could roast meats nicely as well.

Steam is great for baking many breads, as it allows the loaves to stay moist and expand -- more than they would in a dry oven -- before their exteriors develop crust.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Steam is great for baking many breads, as it allows the loaves to stay moist and expand -- more than they would in a dry oven -- before their exteriors develop crust.

=R=

For the occasional home baker like myself, this would be a real indulgence. But I do however, occasionally go on bread baking binges, and Rose Levy Beranbaum is my bread guru. Rose advises the home baker to place an empty pan/cookie sheet in the bottom of your preheated oven, and at the moment the proofed bread goes into your oven, throw a cup or two of ice cubes on that pre heated sheet pan - creating an abundance of steam as your ice melts and bread bakes. This has worked for me literally hundreds of times. Similar results I am guessing although certainly not as cool!

Evil Ronnie wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Steam is great for baking many breads, as it allows the loaves to stay moist and expand -- more than they would in a dry oven -- before their exteriors develop crust.

=R=

For the occasional home baker like myself, this would be a real indulgence. But I do however, occasionally go on bread baking binges, and Rose Levy Beranbaum is my bread guru. Rose advises the home baker to place an empty pan/cookie sheet in the bottom of your preheated oven, and at the moment the proofed bread goes into your oven, throw a cup or two of ice cubes on that pre heated sheet pan - creating an abundance of steam as your ice melts and bread bakes. This has worked for me literally hundreds of times. Similar results I am guessing although certainly not as cool!

Yep, that's how I do it too . . . courtesy of Nancy Silverton's Breads from the LaBrea Bakery, a book that truly changed my life. There was a time when I was baking bread often enough and fervently enough that I would have coveted a steam oven. These days, not so much. That starter required more care than my son ever has!

I'm guessing a steam oven can favorably impact modes of cooking beyond bread baking, too.

=R=

IIRC, the steam oven can do things that are essentially like high temp sous vide: tight control, not quite a pressure cooker but in that direction. Or is that the combi-oven?

JoelF wrote:IIRC, the steam oven can do things that are essentially like high temp sous vide: tight control, not quite a pressure cooker but in that direction. Or is that the combi-oven?

Hi Joel,

Combi ovens are combination oven/steamers, powered either electrically or w gas. With almost unlimited degrees of tweaking oven heat/ steam ratio's. The Casino Club has a double stacked Rational Combi oven planned for our kitchen renovation. 10 full sheet pan capacity. (For about the price of a new BMW.) we had one at The Standard Club in our bake shop.

They can be programmed for oven steaming whole lobsters, roasting rib eye rolls, whole tenders, you name it. Just press a button.

Also w cook and hold ability for roasts. Just incredible!

My thoughts on residential ovens is to keep it simple. I don't even like electronic controls. I have a dual-Thermador wall oven that has a probe socket in the top oven and if any particles get in the socket (from a self-clean cycle) the whole oven shuts down - top and bottom. The electronic display shows an error and neither oven will work (then I have to meticulously clean out the socket with q-tips, give it about a day to dry out and then cross my fingers). I have a third, commercial, oven which has a single knob and will work during the zombie apocalypse.

Thank you all for your feedback all! I agree spinnynorman99 with your advice to keep it simple. That being said, it is a dream kitchen, so I am thinking of going for it. Looks like there will be some bread baking in my future!!

Hi,

I have to ask: what is the cost for a steam oven over having a conventional dual oven? Who makes it?

Did you see a demonstration where they steamed fruits, vegetables and fish in an oven?

I have had several ovens with rotisseries. It was cool to know I had one, but practically never used it. When I did, it was clumsy probably due to operator error as in me. I don't miss it since moving on to convection ovens, though it sure was a neat feature when I bought it.

Regards,
Cathy2

raydle wrote:Thank you all for your feedback all! I agree spinnynorman99 with your advice to keep it simple. That being said, it is a dream kitchen, so I am thinking of going for it. Looks like there will be some bread baking in my future!!

Then I'd suggest getting a whole-house warranty once your standard warranty expires. It's worth the $50/month for peace of mind.

I have to ask: what is the cost for a steam oven over having a conventional dual oven? Who makes it?

Did you see a demonstration where they steamed fruits, vegetables and fish in an oven?

They are generally more expensive, I'm looking at the Thermador which is around $3K, there are many of brands that make them. I've seen some of the demos online, there are a ton on YouTube. The one I'm looking at is convection and steam, so you can use it as a regular convection oven, or all steam or both at the same time.

I bake a great deal and use some amount of injected steam with just about everything. There are lots of ways to surround the bread with moisture. I use this along with a large metal dome for pretty precise control:

http://amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DF0RB

You can see the dome in this very old video @ 4:40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze2F9x6jRZk

Bill,

Your amazon link may be wrong, it opens to:

McCulloch MC1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner
by McCulloch
4.1 out of 5 stars 2,055 customer reviews | 530 answered questions
List Price: $150.00
Price: $139.13 & FREE Shipping. Details
You Save: $10.87 (7%)

Did the dome keep the moisture within or did you add water via ice cubes or something?

Do you happen to own a steam oven? I always consider you the guy with the best toys on the block.

Regards,
Cathy2

Hi Cathy!

There are 2 pieces to this approach:

1) The portable steam cleaner in the Amazon link is what I use to inject steam into the dome.

2) The dome keeps the steam around the bread. As soon as I remove the dome, the ventilation in the oven effectively removes the steam. It is important to remove the steam as soon as the crust sets up to prevent a thick crust. I usually shoot for a very thin, shattering crust in baguettes and the like.

The amount of steam I inject into the dome and the amount of time I keep the dome over the bread gives me the control needed to get maximum oven spring. The steam, they say, also accelerates caramelization of the surface sugars for the crispiest, most flavorful crust.

I've looked at ovens with built-in steam injectors and prefer this DIY approach for the small batches I bake for my family. I also use the residual heat from my WFO for baking larger batches.