The hype about steam cooking: Is the expensive technology worth it for your kitchen?

The integration of steam into modern ovens is a significant technological advancement of recent years. Originally established in professional gastronomy, cooking with steam also offers the possibility in private households to prepare food in a more nutrient-preserving way and to improve cooking results. However, the market offers different systems that fundamentally differ in function, price, and application area. This guide analyzes the various technologies, highlights their advantages and disadvantages, and provides a basis for decision-making.

1. Basics of Steam Cooking: Advantages and Application Areas

Cooking in hot water vapor differs physically from cooking in dry hot air or boiling water.

• Nutrient retention: When cooking in water, water-soluble vitamins and minerals are dissolved from the food and often discarded with the cooking water. When cooking with steam, the water vapor surrounds the food, minimizing nutrient loss.
• Taste and consistency: Since flavor compounds are not leached out, the natural taste of the food remains more intense. Vegetables retain their color and a firm texture, while fish and meat stay juicy.
• Reheating food: Warming up food from the previous day with steam is a gentle method. The moisture prevents drying out, so the original consistency is better preserved than when reheating in a microwave.
• Other practical aspects: In pure steam operation at temperatures up to 100 °C, food cannot burn. Additionally, different foods (e.g., fish, potatoes, vegetables) can be cooked simultaneously on multiple levels without significant flavor transfer, as pure water vapor serves as the carrier medium.

2. Device Types: A Technical Classification of Steam Cookers

Manufacturers offer three different levels of steam cooking that differ significantly in function and price.

Level 1: The Oven with Steam Support (Steam Burst)

• Functionality: A standard convection oven is equipped with an additional function that releases targeted steam bursts into the cooking chamber during baking or roasting. Water is either manually poured into a bottom recess or supplied from a small integrated water tank.
• Application area: This function optimizes classic oven dishes. The steam ensures that a roast gets a crispy crust but remains juicy inside. Bread and rolls rise better and get a shiny surface.
• Limitation: An oven with steam support is not a full-fledged steam cooker. It cannot be used for pure, gentle cooking of vegetables or fish at 100% relative humidity because the generated steam amount is insufficient and not maintained constantly.
• Conclusion: A useful additional function for users who primarily bake and roast and want to improve their results with moderate financial effort.

Level 2: The Solo Steam Cooker

• Functionality: A pure specialized device that cooks food exclusively in saturated water vapor at temperatures between approximately 40 and 100 °C. It does not have convection or grill functions. There is a distinction between non-pressurized systems (standard in the household sector) and pressure steam cookers, which operate under overpressure and higher temperatures, significantly reducing cooking times.
• Application area: Suitable for users who already have a good main oven and want to use the steam cooker as a dedicated second device for health-conscious preparation of vegetables, fish, dumplings, or for reheating food. It is often planned as a compact device with a height of 45 cm.

Level 3: The Combination Steam Cooker (Steam Oven)

• Functionality: This device combines a full-fledged oven (with convection, grill, etc.) and a full-fledged steam cooker in one housing. It can be used in three operating modes: convection only, steam only, or a combination of both.
• Application area and advantages: This is the most versatile and powerful solution. The greatest strength lies in combination operation (convection and steam). Through precisely controllable moisture supply during convection operation, cooking results are achieved that are not possible in a normal oven. The roast is crisped by the dry hot air while the simultaneously supplied steam prevents the meat from drying out.
• Conclusion: The ideal solution for users who want maximum flexibility and want to fully exploit the benefits of steam cooking without needing a second device.

3. Practical Aspects and Critical Considerations

The decision for a steam cooking device should also consider the disadvantages and additional effort.

• Costs: Devices with steam function, especially combination steam cookers, are significantly more expensive to purchase than comparable conventional ovens.
• Cleaning and maintenance: Steam operation leads to increased cleaning effort. After each steam cooking process, condensate remains in the cooking chamber, which must be wiped out to avoid lime deposits and germ formation. The water tank and water-carrying systems must also be regularly descaled according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Water supply: Most devices operate with an integrated water tank that is filled manually. Some high-end devices optionally offer a fixed water connection. This increases comfort but requires an additional water line and a wastewater connection near the device, which must be considered early in kitchen planning and involves additional installation costs.
• Operation: The variety of programs and combination options of a combination steam cooker requires some familiarization time to fully exploit the device's potential.

4. Summary Recommendation: Which Device Suits Which User?

• The occasional baker and roast lover: A classic, good oven is often sufficient. Those who want to optimize their results will find a oven with steam support a sensible and financially attractive upgrade.
• The health-conscious specialist: Those who already have a good oven and primarily want to use the health benefits of gentle cooking are well advised with a solo steam cooker as a second device.
• The ambitious all-rounder: For users who do not want to compromise and seek maximum flexibility and the best results in cooking and baking, the combination steam cooker is the right choice. It replaces two devices and is the most versatile cooking appliance for the modern kitchen.
• The budget-conscious beginner: For users who want to try steam cooking without a large investment, external standalone steam cookers or simple steam inserts for pots offer cost-effective alternatives.

The decision to cook with steam should be based on a conscious consideration of cooking habits, budget, and willingness for the additional maintenance effort.