Steam Combination Ovens

A steam combination oven (combi-steam oven) is a built-in wall oven that can cook with steam, convection heat or a combination of both simultaneously. This gives you far more versatility than a standard oven. You can roast, bake, steam, prove bread and reheat food all in one appliance. At Bing Lee we stock combi-steam ovens from brands including Miele, Bosch and Smeg. Explore our FAQs to decide whether a combi steam oven is right for your kitchen.

FAQs

1. What is a steam combination oven?

A steam combination oven (or combi-steam oven) is a built-in wall oven that integrates a steam generator with a convection oven. You can operate it in steam-only mode, convection-only mode or in combination mode. This range of cooking modes makes it one of the most versatile single ovens you can install in a kitchen.

2. What are the main benefits of a combi-steam oven?

The biggest benefit is moisture retention. Convection ovens can dry food out during long cooks - steam injection counters this by keeping the oven environment moist. This results in juicier roasts, more evenly cooked fish, more vibrant vegetables and bread with a better crust and crumb. The combination mode allows you to get browning and crispiness while keeping the interior of the food moist. You also retain more vitamins and minerals in vegetables cooked with steam than with dry oven heat.

3. How do I choose the best steam combination oven for my kitchen?

Decide whether you want a combi-steam oven that also has a microwave function or a full-sized combi-steam oven that cooks at the full temperature range of a conventional oven. The full-sized combi-steam is the better replacement for a main wall oven. Also consider whether you want a plumbed water connection or a removable tank. A tank is more flexible for most homes, while plumbed suits those who use steam frequently.

4. What types of food work best in a combi-steam oven?

Combi-steam ovens excel at roasting meats with a juicy interior and crispy exterior, baking bread with a proper crust, reheating food without drying it out, steaming fish and vegetables, proving bread dough at a controlled temperature, and preparing delicate custards and terrines. Bakers in particular love combi-steam ovens because the ability to inject steam at the start of baking is a technique used in professional bakeries to achieve better crust formation on sourdough and baguettes.

5. Can a combi-steam oven replace a conventional wall oven?

Yes, for most households a high-quality combi-steam oven can serve as the primary oven. It handles everything a standard fan-forced oven does, plus steam cooking on top of that. The main consideration is capacity - combi-steam ovens sometimes have slightly smaller internal cavities than standard wall ovens of the same external width, so check the litre capacity if you regularly cook large roasts or multiple trays simultaneously.