The coolest steam cooker is the one with three floors of steam

The steam cooker on the table

Steam cookers for the modern kitchen are available in several types. The simplest and cheapest are self-contained table-top steam cookers.

They consist of a base, where all the electrical stuffing and the steam generator are encased, and several bowls. Depending on how many dishes are cooked simultaneously by the user, there are one, two or even three bowls.

The principle of work of such steam cookers looks unpretentious. A special container in the base is filled with water, the steam generator heats it up to boiling temperature, the resulting steam begins to heat the food.

Bowl base resembles a sieve with large holes, through which the steam freely reaches its destination. The most common appliances have a water level indicator and always a timer.

This type of steam cooker is inconvenient because it takes up space on the countertop, and when not in use, in the cabinet as well.

Steam cooker, filled with hot steam, is dangerous for any visitor to the kitchen, especially for children, so you need to strictly ensure that children do not touch it during operation. Table-top steamers are designed for people who plan to steam cook occasionally.

Steam cooker in the table

For the more permanent fans of steam cooking, built-in steam cookers are available.

This is how the modular domino sections are mounted directly into the countertop. A domino makes for a versatile kitchen with a fryer, wok, cooker hood, food processor, scales and, of course, a steam cooker.

Steam cooker dominoes are very convenient, it takes strictly the place assigned to it, and outside there is only the control and lid. All stuffing is hidden in the back of the table, so everything looks very businesslike and nice. But most importantly, the steam cooker has more advanced equipment: the excess liquid and condensate drain directly into the drain. Steam cooker works at a set temperature and equipped with a timer, as most appliances Gaggenau – $1300 .

Recently, the company “Teca” has released an interesting model of the hob, equipped with a steam cooker. This seemingly “ordinary” glass ceramic hob has a built-in steam cooker bowl in addition to the three burners. This steam cooker looks almost like a domino, but its shape is round instead of oval. Steam generator and bowl are in the bottom, and the appliance lid sits proudly above the cooking surface.

Steam cooker in the cabinet

The following type of steam cookers are models, built in a column or a cabinet AEG – 850 euros, De Dietrich – 1220 euros, Electrolux – 1580 euros, Gaggenau – 2800 euros, Imperial – 6000 euros, Kuppersbusch – 885 euros, Miele – 2700 euros, Siemens – 1500 euros .

They are available both solo, that is, with a single function – steam cooking, and with heating elements.

In this case we are talking about a multifunctional oven equipped with a steam mode. In appearance, such steam cookers resemble the usual built-in ovens. Steamers are equipped with a steam generator which, like the models described above, turns water into steam.

The steam generator can be located either on the bottom of the unit or outside the oven. The water comes from a special container, it is filled before cooking begins. Most often the container is installed in the cell located on the front of the steam cooker.

But the most advanced models have an “exit”, no not to the Internet, they are connected to the water and sewer. The appliance pumps in the required quantities of water on its own, thus relieving the user of even such a simple task as filling the container with water and draining the excess.

Another “trick” of the steamer is the core probe, its task is to determine the temperature of a piece of meat or fish and thus accurately judge the degree of readiness of the food. The core probe pierces the food to be cooked and its condition is indicated on the display.

For example, Imperial steam cookers differ from their counterparts in that they cook under pressure. As you know, it speeds up the process significantly and the nutrients in the food are retained to a greater extent.

There are even more serious safety precautions with pressure cooking. The door locks like a submarine hatch. And before looking inside to check how the cooking process is going, you need to reduce the pressure, and the steam generator turns off automatically.

Hot steam swirls in the oven

The idea of combining different effects on the food could not escape the steam cooker. Combined appliances can be selected based on your needs, that is, choose a multifunctional oven with steam cooking function Electrolux, Kuppersbusch , or a steam cooker with the possibility of heating Neff, De Dietrich, Kuppersbusch , or choose an oven with convection and steam Gaggenau , or the most affordable option – a microwave oven with steam cooking function Samsung, Whirlpool, Moulinex .

Combi steamers work as both conventional ovens and steamers. The best part is that you can combine the various influences on the food. Heating and steaming can take place simultaneously or alternately.

In any case, the combination of hot air or convection and steam allows the hostess to get excellent cooking results. In this case, the air temperature exceeds the established by nature 100 ° C and can even reach 200 ° C, which makes it possible to cook bakery products.

In such ovens there is no problem of overcooking cheesecakes or pie crusts, and the food is cooked extremely evenly. The hot air bubbles the food and the steam retains its juiciness, aroma, shape and color.

So, combined ovens steamers expand the possibilities of the hostess, and on your table will be not only vegetables and fish cooked on steam, but also juicy ruddy meat, poultry, buns, pies from EUR1000 .

It is impossible not to note the curious find of Imperial – multicooker. It’s amazingly capable of cooking like a very good oven, including baking, roasting, grilling and, of course, steaming, under pressure! This miracle resembles a spaceship also for the price .

Microwave ovens are not always used in families for cooking, but are most often trusted to heat or defrost foods. Combinations of microwave and steam cookers can change this opinion. With

Eary and boring microwave cooking comes to life when hot steam comes to the rescue. In microwave ovens, it is heated by microwave radiation. Juicy, fragrant food is a delight for the whole family, because the combination of various heat effects reduces the cooking time from 240 euros .

Steam cooker: 100 recipes to get you started!

Basic steamers have at least two cooking programs. One for steaming, one for cooking frozen foods or defrosting AEG, Kuppersbusch, Neff .

It would seem that not much, but these modes allow you to steam different foods, gently heat, returning the food lost moisture and freshness, as well as defrost, but not as it is done in ovens and microwaves.

Forced defrosting often spoils the taste of food, they dry out on top, they do not look fresh, steam in this sense, the ideal solution, the humidity of food is not reduced, and they are fully ready for processing.

This is how most steam cookers work. But Miele makes more technological models, for example, one of them is equipped with the ability to work in five modes, using for cooking 100-140 recipes from its own memory. You can choose from the enormous menu to suit your cooking needs or even create your own recipes.

Miele and Gaggenau steamers have the ability to adapt to local elevations, meaning they automatically adjust their boiling point.

As you remember from geography class, the boiling point of water depends on the altitude. The higher up the mountain, the lower the boiling point. These models let mountain châteaux owners not have to worry about the intricacies of nature’s physical phenomena and simply cook chicken breasts or soufflés for guests.

When the device produces a large amount of steam, some manufacturers have provided in addition to the usual mode more active impact on food – a steam blow. This mode is convenient for blanching, sterilizing, fast heating or defrosting.

Communication with the user is increasingly taking place in American, although the main language remains the character language. The water level in the container can be indicated by an indicator and a buzzer.

Steamers precisely control the desired cooking temperature and humidity, and those equipped with a temperature probe even stop the process if the probe confirms the readiness of a piece of meat or cutlets.

All steam cookers are equipped with a timer to set the cooking time or the beginning or end of the cycle, which frees the hostess from being present in the kitchen when the appliance is turned on.

Many steam cookers have a lock function, making it impossible for children to program the appliance without adult supervision.

The advantage of steam cookers, which is that the heat transfer medium is hot steam, turns out to have one difficulty.

Steam is former water, which is not known to have an ideal composition and often contains a large amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts. These salts are responsible for the hardness of water. Steaming causes water to condense on the walls and tubes, and the salts are deposited with it.

So over time, the steam cooker becomes covered with a layer of lime deposits. There are two ways to fight this debris. The first is to prevent, that is, to use soft water if possible, it is usually recommended to pass tap water through a filter sometimes even specify the name of the filter .

The second way to clean surfaces. To do this, turn on the steam cooker in the usual mode, but use a solution of table vinegar instead of water. Some steamer models warn their owners it’s time for a little “clean up.

Others have gone further. The steam cooker’s light tells you how many more cooking cycles are possible before it needs to be cleaned.

Steam cookers are equipped with systems for cooling the body of the appliance. The steam cooker door always stays cool thanks to laminated glass. Some models even dry their walls automatically after cooking.