Steam is making a comeback, not on the railways, but in the kitchen.

With manufacturers offering appliances that include steam ovens and microwaves, now is the time to take advantage of the benefits of this mode of cooking: flavour, colour, texture and vitamin retention are the order of the day with energy efficiency too.

Forget gran's method of steam cooking puddings over boiling pans of water or the stacking towers of plastic containers that have become popular recently, today's steam oven offers a streamlined design with automated controls. Built-in, from manufacturers such as Miele, Siemens, Neff and Bosch; or freestanding as in Whirlpool's Jet System combi microwaves or Miele's DG1050 oven; the steamer has come a long way from when the Chinese first started to use this method of cooking over 3,000 years ago.

The advantage of steam is that it is a moist cooking method unlike the traditional oven that involves a harsh dry heat. Steam cooking retains twice as much vitamin C in vegetables when compared to traditional boiling and does not wash out the colour or degrade the texture. Brown rice should always steamed to keep its valuable vitamin B1 content intact. 

A recent report by scientists at the University of Palma has borne this out. Vegetables retain a certain crispness and do not turn to mush, while fish is cooked to prefection. Steam ovens can also be used for defosting food quicker than traditional methods.

For perfect results, here are some tips:

Use the best quality ingredients in perfect condition. For example, with fruit and vegetables, choose those with unblemished skins and good colour.  Don't use aged or bruised produce as steaming will enhance the unwanted flavours and aromas these sometimes have. With meats, trim away excess fat and always cut across the grain for extra tenderness.

Choose foods of a similar size that are to be cooked together, so that they will cook in the same amount of time. This applies to all chopped foods, meat, fish and poultry portions.

Good old fashioned 'greens' are best boiled alone to avoid their strong flavour from tainting other foods.

For more information or pricing, contact us about any of the following products:

Bosch Built-in HBC26D550B Steam Oven or HBC36D750B Combi Steam Oven Miele Built-in DG2661, DG4060 or DG4080 Steam Ovens Miele Freestanding DG1050 Steam Oven Neff Built-in B8732 Steam Oven or B8762 Combi Steam Oven Siemens Built-in HB36D570B Combi Steam Oven or HB26D550B Steam Oven Smeg Built-in FV38X Steam Oven Whirlpool Built-in AMW 518 Steam Microwave or AMW545, AMW575, AMW585 and AMW588 Steam Combi Microwaves Whirlpool Freestanding JT359 Jet Chef and MAX25 series Microwaves.

Spring 2008 Update

Whirlpool are now applying steam in the laundry with the launch of the AWODAS range of washing machines. These incorporate a steam function to deep clean and sanitise laundry.