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Friend of mine swears by the steam convection oven

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Simon_Cowbell, May 26, 2009.

  1. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    Though he acknowledges its complicating factors.

    This is his note:

    Going strictly by the manufacturers manuals, the steam oven is used pretty much as its non-steam cousin the conventional convection oven. It’s easy to excuse the competent German engineers (this is a Gaggenau) who produced this marvelous food machine, for having a pork hock mentality. They don’t know it, but that marvelous machine has the potential to change cooking and make the output much more enjoyable.

    Basics of the oven operation will help understand its genius. Temperature control is very precise from 120 to 450 degrees. Add to that the ability to control moisture in 20% increments from 0 to 100% and the machine becomes special. Cooked food does not dry out. Therein lies the revolution.

    Conventional roasting requires some temperature of 350 degrees or higher. If your desire is medium rare, a considerable amount of the roast from the edge to the center will be overcooked. Furthermore, the roasting process is very time sensitive. If it takes an hour and a half to finish, it can’t be delayed without overcooking.

    In the steam convection oven cooking can be accomplished at the desired internal temperature. For beef, the previous medium rare would translate to 140 degrees at 100% moisture. The cooking process requires that the center of the roast reaches this temperature. That’s it. It will be medium rare from the very outer edge to the center. This is a great advantage by itself but there is more to be gained. Because the cooking temperature never exceeds the needed doneness of the meat, the time of roasting, beyond cooking through, is open ended. As an example, the plan is to have the roast ready for 7 PM, but for some reason it has to be delayed until 8 PM. With this cooking there will not be one bit of difference at 8 …or 9 or 10 PM. And there is one other advantage. Because of the low cooking temperatures, the blood vessels in the roast don’t burst maintaining an internal juiciness (tenderness) not possible with conventional roasting. Even roasts from lesser quality cuts will taste better.

    Now for the bad news. Steam convection ovens can’t broil. If broiling is needed, than a second oven is a necessity. Especially bad news: these ovens are pricey! It might make sense to consider the oven as a replacement when a current one has breathed its last convection or when the whole kitchen is redone. A complication is the need to have the oven plumbed. It has to have cold water supply and a drain.

    So, if your interest has not been diminished, go for it!

    ----------------

    Anyone have one of these contraptions?
     
  2. mb

    mb Active Member

    Considering the state of the industry ...

    Can I use it to heat my house?
     
  3. KG

    KG Active Member

    Can I just put a little thing of water in the bottom of my convection/toaster oven and get the same result?
     
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