When preparing dinner, there are times you face a dilemma between swiftness and nutritional value. Opting for meal delivery services, takeaways, or ready-to-eat microwave meals can save you some valuable time, yet they frequently come with undesirable, extraneous ingredients.
Upon initial observation, a steam oven resembles a convection oven. It's considerably smaller than a standard full-sized oven and about the same size as a toaster oven. For those with busy lifestyles, this might be the elusive gadget your dream kitchen is missing.
What is Steaming, Exactly?
A steam oven employs "wet heat" for cooking, unlike conventional ovens. Depending on its model, water is added to a reservoir (or tank) inside the oven. The food is then cooked through a combination of convection baking and steam as the oven heats up.
Modern Approaches to Steaming
Currently, there are diverse methods to steam food. Specialized steam cookers, aptly named “steamers,” are compact metal appliances used on the stovetop for food preparation. These devices feature tiny holes, enabling steam to pass through and warm the food. Similarly, double-boilers offer a comparable solution by utilizing two pots stacked atop each other (with the bottom pot filled with water and the top one containing food).
Steam ovens have gained immense popularity in recent times owing to their versatility in steaming, roasting, baking, and various other cooking methods. 
The Advantages of Steam Cooking for Health
Steaming stands out as one of the healthiest methods for preparing meals, due to two primary factors. Firstly, it eliminates the need for butter or oil during food preparation. Secondly, steaming helps retain the nutritional content of the dishes you serve.
The Reason Why Cooking Oil Isn't Necessary with a Steam oven
Recall the last time you attempted stir-frying in a wok. You combined meat, vegetables, and cashews in the skillet, and upon initiating the sautéing process, the entire dish adhered to the pan's bottom.
This is a prevalent — and admittedly, quite annoying — challenge in cooking. Whether you opt to roast, bake, or sauté your meals, a substantial amount of olive oil or butter is often necessary to prevent sticking. This not only complicates the cleanup process but also boosts the calorie content of your dishes significantly (just a tablespoon of butter adds 100 calories) Since steaming retains the moisture within your food, the additional cooking oil is unnecessary.
The Nutritional Preservation of Steamed Food
Steamed dishes typically retain more vitamins and minerals compared to food that has been baked, fried, boiled, microwaved, or prepared sous vide. If you've ever boiled broccoli, you might have observed the water turning a light green hue, indicating nutrient loss. Research indicates that boiling, due to its high temperature and abundant water, can result in the loss of up to 70 percent of nutrients in food (3). Prolonged cooking exacerbates this nutrient depletion.
Conversely, steaming preserves the nutrients within the food by preventing direct contact with the cooking liquid. This method not only retains nutrients but also helps maintain the food's flavor.
The Most Convenient Method for Steaming Food: The Steam Oven
While steaming undoubtedly offers a healthy means of preparing meals, the prospect of setting up a double boiler or manually washing a stainless steel steamer can be quite daunting. Steam ovens, however, provide all the functionalities of convection ovens and more (including the capability to steam food). Simply place your food inside, set the timer, wait for it to cook, and worry not about the cleanup (excluding your plate, naturally).
The Advantages of a Steam Oven Over Other Steaming Techniques
Unlike other moist heat cooking methods limited solely to steaming, a steam oven boasts a multitude of functions.
A combination steam oven, also known as a combi-steam oven, offers versatility in steaming, baking, broiling, reheating, and even toasting a wide range of foods. This extensive functionality enables you to prepare a virtually endless array of meals. The various modes on a convection steam oven empower you to restore leftovers to their former glory, recreate your cherished avocado toast, or bake crispy home fries and eggs as you prepare for work in the morning, all while saving precious time (even allowing a few minutes to spare).
Operating Your Steam Oven
The operational procedure for your steam oven will differ based on the model you own. Nevertheless, most steam ovens adhere to a straightforward, three-step methodology:
Ensure the water reservoir is filled to the designated line: This is crucial since water serves as the oven's heating source. Prior to initiating the cooking process, verify that the reservoir is adequately filled.
Choose your preferred cooking setting: Opt for steam mode for moist salmon and perfectly steamed vegetables; for roasting vegetables or potatoes, select roast, bake, or convection mode; and so forth.
Set the timer: In a steam oven, merely place your food on a sheet pan or baking dish inside the oven cavity, set the timer, press start, and observe your food cooking unattended. There's no need to constantly monitor it (like with stovetop cooking) or fear forgetting to turn off the heat (like with a traditional oven).
Dishes You Can Create Using a Steam Oven
Almost all of your family's beloved recipes can be adapted for use in a steam oven. However, here's a cooking hint to remember: You'll need to set a shorter cooking time compared to using a gas or conventional oven, while all other steps remain unchanged.
Utilizing your steam oven, you can showcase all your culinary prowess, crafting pork chops, roasted cauliflower, burrito bowls, turkey meatballs, and an assortment of other dishes. You can even bake quick breads, spend a cozy winter day baking cookies, or prepare other cherished desserts.
Furthermore, despite its appearance as a compact kitchen gadget, a steam oven actually enables you to cook substantial quantities of food in one go. Even an entire pork tenderloin roast can fit comfortably inside a steam oven.
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