Steam bake ovens are used for baking bread, cakes, pies, pastries, and other baked goods. The steam bake oven uses steam instead of heat to cook food.
This method produces moist and tender results. Steam oven can be found in commercial bakeries as well as home kitchens.
They have a number of advantages over conventional gas or electric ovens including the ability to produce more uniform products with less shrinkage than traditional methods.
What does it do?
The main purpose of steam oven appliance is to create an environment that allows moisture to escape from inside foods while they’re being cooked.
Furthermore, the steam function helps keep your food warm longer by preventing condensation on its surface. It also prevents drying out which makes your food taste better.
As a result, you’ll get perfectly browned crust without having to worry about burning your mouth off!
How does it work?
The steam bake oven works by using water vapor which condenses on cold surfaces such as walls and floors.
As the temperature rises, the condensed liquid evaporates back into steam. When the surface reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the process stops.
Food placed within the oven will absorb some of the additional steam until its internal temperature reaches 200-210 degrees Farenheit.
Furthermore, when the interior gets hot enough, the hot steam begins to rise up through vents located at the top of the oven.
These vents allow air to circulate around the food so that it doesn’t dry out too quickly.
Hence, if you want to make sure that your food stays juicy and flavorful, then you should use a steam bake oven.
Advantages:
1) You don’t need any special skills to operate one because all you need to know how to do is turn it on and wait for it to finish cooking.
2) Since there’s no flame involved, you won’t have to worry about fire hazards.
3) Because it cooks faster than regular ovens, you can save time and energy.
4) Unlike normal ovens, steam bake ovens require very little maintenance. All you need to do is clean them once every few months.
5) If you live somewhere where electricity isn’t readily available, then these appliances are perfect since they run solely on natural resources like wood, coal, or propane.
How long will my food take to cook?
This depends on how thick you cut your food into pieces.
For example, if you slice a loaf of bread into two halves, each half should only need about 10 minutes to finish cooking.
However, if you want to make pizza slices, then you’ll probably need 20-30 minutes per side depending on their thickness.
If you want to learn more about steam bake ovens, watching steam oven cooking demonstrations might help you.
How much space will I need?
This type of oven requires at least 1 square meter of floor area per kilogram. So if you want to use one, make sure there’s enough room around it.
As long as you’ve got enough space, you shouldn’t encounter any problems.
Therefore, if you plan to buy one, consider buying a larger model first before going ahead with smaller ones.
The basics: What you should know about steaming
Steam baking is similar to roasting except that it doesn’t involve heating up the entire oven.
Rather, it relies on steam vapour which heats up the surface of the object being baked. As such, steam bakes tend to produce better tasting dishes compared to those made using dry heat methods.
For instance, when making pies, you’d normally put them under direct sunlight so that the crust gets browned properly. But what happens if you’re out of light during summertime? You can always opt for steam cooking.
Another advantage of steam baking is that it produces less smoke compared to regular ovens. Since most of the moisture evaporates while baking, fewer particles end up getting released into the atmosphere.
Furthermore, steam baking tends to retain nutrients well. That means you won’t lose vitamins and minerals after steaming.
Lastly, steam baking works best with moist ingredients. Dry items would require longer periods of time to fully absorb all the liquid content. Happy Baking!
So how do you go about steam baking? Here are some tips to follow:
1) Make sure your oven isn’t too humid. If possible, try ventilating the kitchen thoroughly beforehand. Also, ensure that no condensation forms anywhere near the oven.
2) Use a non-stick pan since grease could cause sticking issues. Moreover, avoid placing metal pans directly onto the stovetop. Doing so could lead to overheating and even melting.
3) Steam baking requires more space than normal cooking. So make sure there’s enough room around the oven as well as underneath it.
4) Keep the door closed until the process is complete. Otherwise, humidity will build up quickly and might damage the contents of the dish.
Steam oven recipes
There are plenty of ways in which you can use steam baking to prepare delicious meals. Below are some examples of popular steam oven recipes:
Steamed chicken breast
This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- To begin, place the meat between two pieces of plastic wrap.
- Then, pound it lightly with a mallet or rolling pin. This helps flatten the meat before adding seasoning.
- Next, season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Afterward, pour 1/2 cup water over the top.
- Cover the bowl tightly with foil and microwave at high power for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Steamed fish fillets
Fish fillets work great for this method because they cook faster than whole fish.
- In fact, you’ll only need 3 – 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the filets.
- To start off, coat each piece of fish with olive oil then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the seasoned fish inside an aluminum foil pouch along with 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Next, seal the packet by folding down one corner. Microwave at medium power for 6 minutes.
- Flip the packets halfway through microwaving.
Allow the fish to cool slightly before serving.
Steamed vegetables
Steam cooking vegetables like broccoli florets, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, potatoes, etc., also work very well with steam baking.
- Simply cut the veggies into bite sized chunks and toss them with olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Wrap the prepared vegetable mixture in a paper towel and microwave at low power for 8 minutes.
Once done, serve immediately.
How to clean a steam oven
If you’re looking to get rid of any lingering odors left behind by previous users, here’s what you should know before you start your oven cleaning or buying any oven cleaning kits.
- First, remove the racks and shelves. You may want to wash these first if they have been used previously.
- Second, wipe out the interior using damp cloths.
- Third, rinse the exterior with hot water.
- Finally, dry everything completely.
Some steam ovens have cleaning function / cleaning setting that you can use.
The benefits of steam baking far outweigh its drawbacks. It allows you to enjoy food without having to worry about burning yourself while simultaneously saving time and money. If you’ve never tried steaming your own foods, now is definitely the right time!