A steam oven is an oven that uses hot steam to cook food instead of hot air. Steam ovens work by drawing water from a small tank into a built-in boiler, heating it to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and releasing steam into the oven cavity. Cooking with steam is just as effective as the hot air in a traditional convection oven, and it’s even faster, too. A steam oven can cook food on average between 20% and 30% faster than with a regular oven. There are two types of steam ovens: steam ovens and combination steam and convection ovens. A combination steam oven, or combi steam oven for short, works like a regular oven and a steam oven combined. Many manufacturers have focused on building combination steam ovens that have the benefit of using convection for browning and steam for cooking. Ovens that don’t have the convection feature do not brown while cooking.

Steam ovens are great for baked goods, vegetables, and other wetter applications. For example, steamed broccoli is a dream in a steam oven, cheesecakes will stay perfectly moist without cracking, and cooking white fish is plain simple. Steam ovens are also a great way to produce healthier, more nutritious food. Using steam only has many advantages, including the locking in of essential vitamins that you lose when you brown or roast most foods. Steam ovens also cook food quickly. The direct heat from the steam means that things like veggies and fish are cooked in about fifteen minutes.

Most steam ovens have a small tank you fill with water, which is the compartment that pops out near the top of the oven. It heats up in a boiler, and then gets dispersed as steam to cook your dinner. Some high-end models can be directly hooked to a water line, negating the need for refills, but unless you’re planning a kitchen remodel, it is easy to install a steam oven into the existing kitchen cabinets.