Oven Candy FCPS815XL attracted my attention by a combination of many factors: there is a steam, as I wanted, the price – I can afford, the internal volume is impressive, which allows you to cook large amounts, and external dimensions are standard, so you do not have to change the cabinet. “The cherry on the cake” – the “pizza” program in the oven, home of Italy – well, how can you resist!
I’ve been dreaming of cooking in an oven that combines steam with convection for ages. In restaurants, such appliances are called steam ovens, and it is in them that chefs create their delicious viands, deserving the highest scores of visitors and restaurant critics.
I, too, want my food to be succulent and soft on the inside with a crispy crust on the outside.
Can the Candy FCPS815XL household oven use steam to improve the quality of home cooking?
Let’s test everything!
First impressions
The look of Candy oven is in line with fashion: Stainless steel finish, clean lines, wide handle, geometric shape, large display, flush-type switches, double-layer glass on the door.
A bit wary of the sharp corners on the handle: while cooking, sometimes you rush around the kitchen and you can get caught on the corner.
So far, however, has managed without bruises on his feet, so maybe it is an empty concern.
control panel
Two recessed switches, between them – display with clock and touch buttons programmer, next to the mode switch steam activation button with backlight – that’s all the control.
The mode switch with graphic symbols is understandable, although I personally am used to other icons. The switches are freely rotatable both clockwise and counter-clockwise, and are easy to set at the desired position. They are “pushed in” both when the oven is off and when it is on. Modes with steam have a special designation, and they can also be used without steam, to activate this function by pressing the button next to the regulator.
As for the temperature control, I was a little discouraged, the temperature is indicated as follows:
50, “drip” Aquactiva function , 125, 150, 175, 200 and max.
But between 50 and 125 degrees it has 4 divisions, then up to 200 degrees it has one division between the numbers, from 200 to the maximum of 4 divisions.
I am, of course, quite a mathematician, and maybe that’s why I could not determine the price of a single division, so the maximum temperature of the oven for me remained a mystery – 250 or 275 degrees? The manual also does not have these values.
Programmer
- For the oven to work, the clock must be set. It’s simple and intuitive enough.
- In addition, this oven can be programmed with a timer, so that when the set time elapses, a buzzer will sound but the oven will not shut off.
- Can be programmed to turn off time, then the oven will automatically shut off.
- It is possible to program the cooking time – to specify how many minutes the dish must be cooked.
If you program the cooking time and off time, the oven automatically turns on and automatically turns off. It calculates the time to turn it on by itself, based on how long the dish should be cooked, and by what hour it should be ready.
In order to program all these actions, you need a manual, without it you can not guess how many times and where to press.
I checked, everything works fine: turns on, turns off exactly on schedule.
The only note: the timer is very quiet, and you can not increase the volume. From the next room I did not hear his melodious sound. It’s great if you have kids, of course, but bad if you need a real reminder of how the oven works.
Ovens typically have two lights – operation and heating.
Candy FCPS815XL has only one indicator light, it lights up when the temperature rises to the set temperature. In principle, it is quite enough. You can see that the oven is working because the light is on, so a separate indicator is obviously superfluous.
Steam
Water must be poured directly on the bottom of the oven, there is a recess, but it is small, and if the oven is not very level, then the water just spills all over the surface.
The instructions limit the amount of water – 300 ml, adding water during cooking is not recommended.
That’s why it’s important to turn on the steam function as soon as the oven has reached the specified temperature.
This somewhat limits the cooking when programming the time: the steam is activated automatically when the mode is activated, and the water will evaporate faster.
Of course, such a small amount of steam is not the best use of it, especially if the food has been cooked for more than 40 minutes. But it does play a role, as I was convinced during the cooking.
Functionality
My kids dubbed the month of dough as the month of pizza: we used the “Italian” program to the fullest.
We have made pizzas, both large and small, on thick crust and thin wheat flatbread, using tried and tested recipes and experimenting with different flavors.
The perfect program: the pizzas are of the highest quality!
During this program, convection is used intensively
The fan blows so hard that the pizza bounces on the rack
. Everything bakes evenly, the cheese melts but does not stick. We liked it!
And, of course, I actively used the programs with steam.
After all, the steam is the best helper when baking fish and making baked goods such as strudel. The fish is not dried out, it becomes more succulent.
The steam makes the puff pastry airier and softer. Those 15-20 minutes of active steaming, in principle, enough to saturate the dish, but it’s a pity that you can not add water, because when you bake a turkey, for example, 300 ml of water for steam is clearly not enough.
I liked cooking in CandyFCPS815XL: the oven heats up very quickly, evenly, the modes are diverse, allowing to cook all kinds of products. In addition, the oven can be used for rising dough fan +50 degrees and for making yogurt. I can only imagine how much more delicious food we have in store: we’ve got Anna Pavlova pies, meat pies, casseroles and moussaka, crème brûlée and profiteroles, and of course, pizza, pizza, pizza.
Care
If you use unfiltered water, you get a white residue on the bottom of the oven after cooking. They can be wiped immediately with a damp cloth and are easy to remove. Every few months it is possible to use a citric acid solution or vinegar for cleaning.
The interior of the oven will help clean the same steam.
The Aquactiva function heats the oven for 30 minutes, in which time the steam will soften any dirt on the walls of the oven and make cleaning easier.
Features
Modes: 8 – defrost, fan assisted cooking, grill + convection, convection + lower heating element, traditional top + bottom , grill, pizza, Aquactiva.
Modes with steam: convection + steam, grill + convection + steam, grill + steam.
Temperature range: from 50 to 275 degrees.
Volume: 70 l.
Energy efficiency class A.
Control: Flush-action temperature and mode knobs, steam button, LCD display, clock child lock cooking time programming, end of cooking.
Care: steam cleaning system Aquactiva, easy to clean enamel.
Accessories: a pair of telescopic rails, metal rack, deep pan.
Dimensions: 595x595x568mm. Bowl: 590x560x560 mm.
Warranty: 1 year.
Country – manufacturer: Turkey.
Price: 25990 Dollars.
Test results
Candy FCPS815XL oven – a worthy purchase. It makes cooking tastier, faster and easier. Has everything you need to be happy – telescopic rails, steam, convection, self-cleaning function.
To make the Candy FCPS815XL ideal, I would add a special tray for pizza and make the water tank more roomy, without the 300 ml limit.
We test, you buy the best
How does the Candy FCPS815XL oven perform when it comes to cooking with steam? Does it produce good results, maintain the right temperature, and evenly distribute the steam?
Can anyone provide feedback on their experience using the Candy FCPS815XL test oven for cooking with steam? How well does it cook different types of food using the steam function? Does the steam help to enhance flavors and retain moisture in the dishes? And finally, does the oven have any additional special features that make it stand out from other steam ovens in the market? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!