Steam oven basics? Recipes?
September 18, 2014 8:49 AM Subscribe
My house has a steam oven, something that I had never heard of until, er, I bought my house. So far, I've steamed some unadventurous vegetables and reheated a slice of ham. I have no idea what else I'm supposed to be doing with it. Any tips from the field?
The oven is an older model Miele. It's steam only--not a steam / convection hybrid.
We cook a lot, and I'd love to use the steam oven to expand my techniques and repertoire. I guess I've been satisfied with the steamed vegetables so far, but it never would have occurred to me to use a dedicated appliance instead of a steamer insert in a pot. The slice of ham was indeed warm and I guess not dried out, so that's good.
If you have a steam oven, what do you use it for? How do you use it? I'm pretty sketchy on when I'm supposed to be using the perforated pans versus the solid pan, and when I'm supposed to use some other container. I'm also not entirely clear on when I put the food in and take it out (as in, do I start the steam heating sequence and then add the food when it hits 100 C, or do I put the food in the oven when it's still cold.
Really, I'm just at the point where I can turn it on and end up with steamed green beans. If you have moved past the steamed green beans stage, please tell me everything you know. Anything from the seven course meal you've made in your steamer, to the fact that steam ovens are the best way to reheat Chinese food. Hope me! Thanks!
The oven is an older model Miele. It's steam only--not a steam / convection hybrid.
We cook a lot, and I'd love to use the steam oven to expand my techniques and repertoire. I guess I've been satisfied with the steamed vegetables so far, but it never would have occurred to me to use a dedicated appliance instead of a steamer insert in a pot. The slice of ham was indeed warm and I guess not dried out, so that's good.
If you have a steam oven, what do you use it for? How do you use it? I'm pretty sketchy on when I'm supposed to be using the perforated pans versus the solid pan, and when I'm supposed to use some other container. I'm also not entirely clear on when I put the food in and take it out (as in, do I start the steam heating sequence and then add the food when it hits 100 C, or do I put the food in the oven when it's still cold.
Really, I'm just at the point where I can turn it on and end up with steamed green beans. If you have moved past the steamed green beans stage, please tell me everything you know. Anything from the seven course meal you've made in your steamer, to the fact that steam ovens are the best way to reheat Chinese food. Hope me! Thanks!
I do not have one, but my neighbor swears by steaming fish.
posted by 724A at 9:05 AM on September 18, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by 724A at 9:05 AM on September 18, 2014 [3 favorites]
Oh interesting! I never heard of such a thing.
I just found this review of "life with a steam oven" from a real-world kitchen; she seems to have a combo-steam-and-convection thing, and doesn't list recipes, but she does say that she will post more if there's interest. One thing she says is that she uses it to cook hard-boiled eggs.
Then there's this, from the Williams Sonoma site - a bunch of recipe links all using a steam oven they're pitching.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:16 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
I just found this review of "life with a steam oven" from a real-world kitchen; she seems to have a combo-steam-and-convection thing, and doesn't list recipes, but she does say that she will post more if there's interest. One thing she says is that she uses it to cook hard-boiled eggs.
Then there's this, from the Williams Sonoma site - a bunch of recipe links all using a steam oven they're pitching.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:16 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
I've used a steam oven several times and really liked the way it reheats most (non-crispy) food. Since yours isn't a combination oven, you're going to be a bit more limited than you would otherwise--you'll see LOTS of recipes designed for the combi ovens, thanks to Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine, but comparatively few for steam-only ovens.
My favorite recipe to do in a steam oven is a quick, scalable risotto. Essentially, it allows you to do a very good risotto for lots of people (very challenging with just a pot). The best recipe I've found is this one.
posted by yellowcandy at 9:46 AM on September 18, 2014
My favorite recipe to do in a steam oven is a quick, scalable risotto. Essentially, it allows you to do a very good risotto for lots of people (very challenging with just a pot). The best recipe I've found is this one.
posted by yellowcandy at 9:46 AM on September 18, 2014
In the commercial oven business these are also called "Combi" ovens. You can search for a lot of stuff that way and find some recipes.
The real magic of these ovens is that you can slow roast large pieces of meat and keep most of the moisture intact. This is because the air around the roast is high in humidity - the meat's water has nowhere to go.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:47 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
The real magic of these ovens is that you can slow roast large pieces of meat and keep most of the moisture intact. This is because the air around the roast is high in humidity - the meat's water has nowhere to go.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:47 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't have a dedicated steam oven but I love steamed vegetables (I just make them in a stove-top steamer). Here are my 3 steps to perfection:
1. Do not put different vegetables in at the same time. Texture is key! So for example, if you are making a carrot/cauliflower/broccoli combo, you want to start with carrots, then add cauliflower, and then broccoli. You can look up charts online or just experiment - I recommend experimentation because online charts hugely overestimate steaming times (unless you like your veggies really mushy).
2. Take the vegetables out of the steamer 1-2 minutes before they are ready. Vegetables continue to cook after you stop steaming them so this will prevent over-steaming i.e. baby-food texture and faded color.
3. The right butter is what makes you crave the veggies! Beurre D'Isigny is expensive but it's the only butter I use. I used to think butter is butter is butter until a foodie friend came over with 4 different butters - regular butter, locally sourced organic butter, imported irish butter and the one above - and made me do a blind taste test... and wow the butter from Isigny Ste Mere was so much better.
posted by rada at 9:51 AM on September 18, 2014
1. Do not put different vegetables in at the same time. Texture is key! So for example, if you are making a carrot/cauliflower/broccoli combo, you want to start with carrots, then add cauliflower, and then broccoli. You can look up charts online or just experiment - I recommend experimentation because online charts hugely overestimate steaming times (unless you like your veggies really mushy).
2. Take the vegetables out of the steamer 1-2 minutes before they are ready. Vegetables continue to cook after you stop steaming them so this will prevent over-steaming i.e. baby-food texture and faded color.
3. The right butter is what makes you crave the veggies! Beurre D'Isigny is expensive but it's the only butter I use. I used to think butter is butter is butter until a foodie friend came over with 4 different butters - regular butter, locally sourced organic butter, imported irish butter and the one above - and made me do a blind taste test... and wow the butter from Isigny Ste Mere was so much better.
posted by rada at 9:51 AM on September 18, 2014
Roast low fat pieces of meat. Brown under a grill or in a skillet first (or after) as steam ovens don't brown, then steam the meat. I think of it as sort of a step between roasting & braising. It is great if you want to roast meats that don't have a lot of fat in.
posted by wwax at 9:51 AM on September 18, 2014
posted by wwax at 9:51 AM on September 18, 2014
I think JoeZydeco's point is right on. You could slow cook a roast to the exact temperature you want, almost like a sous-vide machine, and then move it to a 500 or 550 degree oven after a short rest for the outer sear.
posted by Aizkolari at 9:54 AM on September 18, 2014
posted by Aizkolari at 9:54 AM on September 18, 2014
Something else steam/combi ovens can do well is proof and bake bread.
The extra humidity during proofing helps speed up the cycle and keeps the dough from getting hard, then injecting steam into the bake cycle helps to form an awesome crust. Now I'm getting hungry....
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:10 AM on September 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
The extra humidity during proofing helps speed up the cycle and keeps the dough from getting hard, then injecting steam into the bake cycle helps to form an awesome crust. Now I'm getting hungry....
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:10 AM on September 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
JoeZydeco, it's not a Combi oven, it's a steam-only oven.
posted by brainmouse at 10:47 AM on September 18, 2014
posted by brainmouse at 10:47 AM on September 18, 2014
Yes, slow cooking is something you could use this for. You don't want to transfer to a normal oven to brown the meat after, though; do it in a white-hot pan or on a grill (browning takes a long time in a regular oven, so you'd lose all the benefits). Alternatively, sear first, slow cook after. This will be best for cuts with a lot of connective tissue--pork shoulder, say.
Steam ovens are also very good for custard-based desserts--anything where the recipe would normally call for a Bain Marie while baking. Tarts, pies, creme brulees, etc.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:51 AM on September 18, 2014
Steam ovens are also very good for custard-based desserts--anything where the recipe would normally call for a Bain Marie while baking. Tarts, pies, creme brulees, etc.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:51 AM on September 18, 2014
You can divide cooking methods into Wet and Dry methods. Wet in this case means cooked using specifically water in some form to transfer heat, not simply cooking in a liquid; deep frying in oil is a dry-heat method.
The main difference is that wet methods aren't conducive to browning anything. If you want to cook something in a wet method, but you also want browning, you do them in two steps. Brown with flame or under a broiler (radiant heat), or in a pan with or without oil (convective/conductive heat).
Wet methods where the water is a liquid mean that mostly nothing's going to get much above 212F/100C. Salt and stuff added to the water can increase this a tiny amount, and pressure even more so. However, you've got steam, and there is no limit to the temperature steam can rise to. (I guess the molecules could split at some point, but your kitchen will burn down long before that point.)
You can count out any toasting in the oven, unfortunately, so perhaps augment this with a toaster oven. Little stuff (spices) you can toast in a pan.
I bet this would do eggs really nicely.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:07 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
The main difference is that wet methods aren't conducive to browning anything. If you want to cook something in a wet method, but you also want browning, you do them in two steps. Brown with flame or under a broiler (radiant heat), or in a pan with or without oil (convective/conductive heat).
Wet methods where the water is a liquid mean that mostly nothing's going to get much above 212F/100C. Salt and stuff added to the water can increase this a tiny amount, and pressure even more so. However, you've got steam, and there is no limit to the temperature steam can rise to. (I guess the molecules could split at some point, but your kitchen will burn down long before that point.)
You can count out any toasting in the oven, unfortunately, so perhaps augment this with a toaster oven. Little stuff (spices) you can toast in a pan.
I bet this would do eggs really nicely.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:07 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
it's not a Combi oven, it's a steam-only oven.
Oops, my bad. Sorry.
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:28 AM on September 18, 2014
Oops, my bad. Sorry.
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:28 AM on September 18, 2014
Custards and puddings. Specifically something like this Lemon Steamed Pudding (from The Craft of Baking, a cookbook I highly recommend; it has a bunch of custard and pudding recipes).
posted by melissasaurus at 11:32 AM on September 18, 2014
posted by melissasaurus at 11:32 AM on September 18, 2014
You could do a lot of dim sum with this. Making your own dumplings, etc is a bit time consuming but delicious.
You could probably steam western dumplings (those cooked on top of soup or stew). Depending on your oven it may be easier or harder to see than with a pot with a glass lid.
You could also likely use this for double boiler applications such as melting chocolate.
You could get one of those microwave cookery books from the eighties and replicate some recipes. There was a microwave fudge I enjoyed, you might be able to do steam oven fudge. Eggs would do well, probably could poach for a crowd. You might skip the cream of mushroom soup recipe genre but as a child of the eighties I still use it for comfort food occasionally.
posted by crazycanuck at 11:47 AM on September 18, 2014
You could probably steam western dumplings (those cooked on top of soup or stew). Depending on your oven it may be easier or harder to see than with a pot with a glass lid.
You could also likely use this for double boiler applications such as melting chocolate.
You could get one of those microwave cookery books from the eighties and replicate some recipes. There was a microwave fudge I enjoyed, you might be able to do steam oven fudge. Eggs would do well, probably could poach for a crowd. You might skip the cream of mushroom soup recipe genre but as a child of the eighties I still use it for comfort food occasionally.
posted by crazycanuck at 11:47 AM on September 18, 2014
You could also likely use this for double boiler applications such as melting chocolate
Chocolate will seize if mixed with even a small amount of water/steam.
posted by melissasaurus at 1:02 PM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
Chocolate will seize if mixed with even a small amount of water/steam.
posted by melissasaurus at 1:02 PM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
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That said, I came in to say that unless you're cooking a meal that requires an oven worth of space, you probably shouldn't do this. How much energy are you using to use an oven to steam vegetables compared to a steamer or the stovetop? My energy bills went down noticably when I got a large toaster oven convection oven (large enough for a whole frozen pizza) and used that for everything instead of my full-size oven. It's not just the appliances themselves, but in the summer AC costs to get rid of all the heat and humidity such appliances generate.
So yeah, use lots of steam to do cool stuff, but if you get some interesting ideas here, I would consider whether they can be accomplished with steam from another source.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:01 AM on September 18, 2014