Richard Walker, sales and marketing director, De Dietrich Kitchen Appliances on the appeal of steam ovens...

In 1993, a quiet revolution occurred when the first domestic steam oven was introduced to market.

A standard prerequisite in professional restaurant kitchens for years, the domestic steam oven was adopted and modified to provide a healthier way to cook for a consumer audience. Over the following decade, a number of premium manufacturers would add steam ovens to their appliance portfolios, yet they were still regarded as niche appliances. 

Since the start of the new century, the steam oven has become less of a specialist option and one that regularly competes with the microwave as an alternative second oven. 

As we enter the next decade, there is a further shift in this direction with a new generation of multifunction ovens that incorporate steam technologies. For designers and installers, many steam ovens form part of a compact collection of similarly-sized ovens, and because 45cm is the most popular size for a dedicated steam oven, they can be fitted above a standard single oven or as part of a compact group. 

Two 45cm ovens - a steam oven and a microwave combination oven, for example -will fit into a standard double-oven cavity. 

As a rule, most steam ovens require no plumbing in, enabling installers and designers to incorporate the product anywhere within the kitchen layout without the need for the appliance to be attached to the mains drainage. 

The benefits of a dedicated steam oven are far greater than steaming using a pan and steamer on the hob. Steam cooking retains vitamins and mineral salts in the food. It is also possible to steam separate food types together with no mixing of flavours, which is a further bonus, so vegetables and puddings can be steamed together simultaneously in one appliance. 

Furthermore, our research shows that up to 90% of the fresh foods placed in a microwave oven can be cooked, defrosted or reheated in a steam oven, and unlike using a microwave, the moisture is always retained. 

In terms of kitchen design, the one vital element that is required is space, as a dedicated steam oven will never replace a standard multifunction oven. With that limitation in mind, certain manufacturers have recently introduced multifunction ovens with additional steam functions, thus offering the best of all worlds in a single appliance.

The steam cooking function works by using dedicated accessories with telescopic runners, for instance a full-width stainless steel steam tray with glass lid that is simply filled with up to 400ml of water and then inserted into the oven cavity.