Using steam. Steam: the second coming

The nineteenth century, or as it was also called, “the age of steam and Darwinism” gave the world the steam engine, the steamboat and steam heating, and only in the “age of atomic energy” the steam engines were sent to a well-deserved rest. But today steam is experiencing a new peak of popularity, only now steam conquers “small forms”, namely – household appliances.

General Trends

“New is well forgotten old!” – these words will be true for the newest home appliances, the effect of which is based on the use of useful properties and power of steam. And every representative of such appliances is definitely more environmentally friendly and efficient than their non-steam analogues. We are talking about the ecology of the house, which largely determines the health of its inhabitants, and the internal ecology of human food – and we are known to consist of what we eat. Manufacturers of steam cleaners, vacuum cleaners, ovens, irons, ironing systems develop new models, guided by simple but very important principles:

– The pursuit of absolute hygiene,

– Avoiding unnecessary use of chemicals,

– Saving time, energy and physical effort,

– Maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

1. Allergens are banned!

What is what

The word “steam generator” has a rather broad definition: an apparatus or unit for the production of water steam. And such a device is an indispensable part of any steam appliance. And what is a steam generator – a home appliance, and what does it do – let’s try to understand. The modern steam generator is a device which cleans surfaces with a high-pressure, powerful jet of steam.

Some models also include devices for clothes cleaning and ironing. These combined steam generators are more functional, and therefore more expensive, than simpler models that lack this equipment and are called steam cleaners.

Steam cleaners, on the other hand, do double work at once: they apply steam to clean surfaces and suck up dirt. They are much more efficient and safer than vacuum cleaners, with which they are often mistaken.

The latter can not disinfect the surface to be cleaned, removing dirt worse, and with their some types can not cope at all, requiring the use of special expensive shampoos, and often creating in carpets and furniture ideal environment for inhabitation of dust mites, which are powerful allergens and provoke serious respiratory diseases of humans.

Steam – a blow to allergens!

Modern steam cleaners and steam vacuum cleaners were originally designed not for home use, but for professional cleaning of premises where it is necessary to maintain the highest level of cleanliness: medical and cosmetic rooms, child care centers, catering facilities. But even at home we regularly face unseen enemies – allergens that can undermine our health.

Bed and dust mites, fungi, harmful bacteria – often we can not even imagine the diversity of these uninvited and invisible pests. Both they and their products become a real scourge for many allergists, asthmatics and just people who do not want to share their home with such neighbors.

The war against them requires constant heroic efforts and, most unpleasant of all, direct contact with dust. Treating surfaces with steam is a quick, easy, and effective enough way to combat. Powerful jet of hot 120 to 145 ° C steam at a pressure of 4-4.5 bars leaves no chance for microorganisms to survive.

Another source of allergies are household chemicals that we all use. Steam will eliminate the need to use detergents and cleaners, which are also dirt – only not natural, but chemical. Let’s not talk about how harmful it is to the skin of the hands, how harmful its vapors are.

The thing is that it’s almost impossible to wash off completely, and as the detergent residuals dry, their tiny particles get into the air that we breathe.

Mops in the Knockout

As well as rags, brushes, sponges… Firstly, they cannot be universal for different surfaces and types of dirt, secondly, they are not hygienic, well and thirdly – with their help it is very difficult to cope with dirt in hard-to-reach places. Steam is suitable for treatment of almost any surfaces and materials:

– upholstered furniture and carpets

– Curtains, curtains, blinds

– the plumbing and tile

– ventilation holes

– large appliances: refrigerators, hoods, stoves and ovens

– heating appliances

– window panes, mirrors

– car interiors.

Steam can remove dirt not only from easily accessible surfaces, but also from cabinets, cornices, lighting fixtures, from the corners and joints of furniture, from the cracks, behind the radiators and cabinets, under the bathroom – well, there are very few places you can’t reach with normal cleaning!

By the way, your hands will stay clean and dry… And the steam itself contains only 5-6% of liquid. After treatment the surface remains absolutely dry, and there is no environment for the reappearance of mold, microbes, harmful bacteria.

Choose me!

What to look for when choosing a steam generator or a steam cleaner?? Experts in the field advise to pay attention to:

– Additional adjustment of output steam parameters – pressure, humidity, steam flow rate

– Possibility to regulate power consumption in accordance with current needs

– the presence in the design of all the necessary for its full-fledged work elements, components

– the degree of automation of steam generation process, the possibility of alarming

– The degree of development of the market of spare parts and components for this model – in case of repair

– Modern appearance, ease of operation, easy access to controls for steam production better if they are located on the handle ! , no risk of injury, low weight.

2. If there’s steam, there’s feast!

From ancient China to modern Europe

The tradition of steaming food dates back to ancient China and dates back several thousand years: steaming was performed in bamboo and cane baskets, while in the Orient before Christ, double-walled vessels were used, in which food was cooked separately from the liquid. Europe learned about these cooking methods in the nineteenth century, and now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is experiencing a new “boom” of steam cooking.

Steaming is not just a trendy trend. For people struggling with obesity, those with digestive diseases, families with young children, it’s a necessity, and for everyone else it’s one step toward a healthy diet.

Anything that can be boiled is better steamed instead – the nutrients are not washed out, many more vitamins are preserved, and the color and flavor remain more natural.

In addition, most steamers allow you to cook several dishes at once, as the steam “isolates” the food and their flavors do not mix. The cooked dishes will not contain any extra fat and carcinogens which appear in vegetable oil when boiling, and the housewife will get rid of the necessity to look after several pots – pans on the stove, and then to wash them, the stove and the tiles around from grease splashes and burnt and stuck food particles.

There is an opinion that steam cooking is too bland, but you can argue with this. Imagine listening to the radio and TV at full volume all the time. Hearing loss is inevitable, and music played at moderate volume will seem very quiet. Approximately the same thing happens if you constantly eat food saturated with flavorings, flavor enhancers, and condiments.

The olfactory and taste buds are constantly adapting to this overstimulation, and the result is a gradual lowering of the threshold of sensitivity. It takes time to recover, so it takes a week or two to get used to steam cooking, but it’s worth it – the harsh smells and tastes will be replaced by milder ones, and you can appreciate the individual, natural flavor and aroma of each product.

Steam in!

It’s not just the commonly used table-top steamers, but also builtin steamers, steam ovens and microwave ovens, that take care of our internal ecology and satisfy the most picky gourmets’ tastes.

Built-in steamers are both exquisite and expensive. Models are available in different sizes that can be easily integrated into any kitchen interior – they can even be built into small wall cabinets. They heat up with steamy air at 50-100 degrees Celsius. These steamers differ from conventional ovens in the particular “delicacy” in the temperature treatment of food.

They use a gentle, non-pressurized method of cooking food with steam, borrowed from Asian cooking. Combined with convection, which is included in many models such as Miele, steam makes the combination cooking method totally possible: steaming, baking, searing at low temperatures, stewing, warming and juicing. The result: food stays juicy and retains its natural flavour.

The principle of operation of a built-in steam cooker is not much different from that of its table-top predecessor: cold water is directed to the bottom of the steam chamber, where the heating element is located. Within a few minutes, the entire volume of the chamber is filled with steam. The newest built-in steam ovens are connected to the water supply and drainage system, so you do not have to worry about filling the steam generator with water, but virtually all models have a water tank – so you do not need to connect them to the water supply, if it is not possible.

Things to do in the oven

Gaggenau was the first to combine an electric oven and a steam cooker. Steam oven can work both as a usual electric oven, and as a steam cooker, can combine both modes, and can add a convection mode. Such possibilities were previously available only to professional chefs using professional equipment.

Depending on the “intelligence” of the model, in steam ovens you can cook several dishes in different modes, change modes during cooking and create the most delicate and elegant dishes, which, incidentally, can be kept hot inside the oven for several hours without losing their flavor.

Vegetables can become crispy or soft as desired, meat will be tender inside and ruddy outside, and baked goods especially from puff pastry and yeast dough will be wonderfully tender and fragrant, since steam prevents the dough from drying out, which is common for simple electric ovens.

Combined steam ovens employ powerful steam generators providing a temperature of 95-98 ° C, but cooking can also go at 150-200 ° C in the mode of periodic steam 20-25% and hot air 75-80% .

As well as built-in steamers, these multifunctional ovens can be connected to water and sewage, the air is used without pressure, so the risk of burns when working with them is minimal, and the safety system developed by manufacturers, provides for automatic shutdown of heating and steam formation when opening the door.

Not built-in or desk-top

As they say, “specially for the picky eaters”, but in fact for those who do not want to build anything else into their kitchen and are not satisfied with the volume of conventional table steamers, NEFF specialists have designed the Mega System set, which is installed in the oven on the principle of a tray, covered with a glass cover and perfectly performs many of the functions found in built-in steam cookers and steam ovens. Compact size, easy storage and no need to connect the device to the water and electricity will appeal to connoisseurs of ergonomics in the kitchen.

TEKA offers another unusual solution for fans of steam cooking: a round steam cooker bowl with a dual 180/230 mm heating zone is built into the ceramic glass panel. The bowl is filled with water, then a grid with the products is installed and closed with a glass lid. Use the timer to select the desired cooking time. Dinner is served!

What does steam do in the microwave?

Undoubtedly, increases its cost. But seriously, it expands the possibilities of cooking, does not allow the food to dry out too much microwave ovens are often blamed for this , adds the function of self-cleaning of the oven, makes the distribution of microwaves more even, creates optimal humidity inside the chamber, and much more!

The first to “steam” development of microwave ovens went to Panasonic. Convection with Steam” and “Defrost with Steam” are designed specifically to keep food in perfect condition. Low temperature steam envelops the food while it is defrosting or reheating it and creates optimal humidity inside the oven and prevents the food surface from getting too hot or too dry.

Whirlpool microwave ovens use “Sixth Sense Steaming” technology. “All the cook has to do is to indicate the time required for steaming and, thanks to the intelligent Sixth Sense Self-Control System, the oven does the rest. The models are equipped with high-quality steamers made of corrosion-resistant material. By the way, in these microwave ovens with the steam mode you can … cook soup!

Microwave ovens with a steamer from Samsung are characterized by the special fabrication of the steamer itself. The lid is made of stainless steel. Microwaves do not penetrate products, but only heat water, which turns into steam. The steamer has two levels, which makes it possible to cook different foods at the same time and not worry about mixing odors. For example, meat or fish can be cooked on the lower level and vegetables on the upper one. In addition, the microwaves of this series are equipped with a steam cleaning system, which helps steam clean the interior of the oven from grease and other impurities.

3. Steaming with ease, jacket!

A traveler’s tip

There’s an old and tried-and-true way for clothes to be tidied up in an emergency – invented by hikers

or business travelers. True, this requires hot water – but it happens more often than a good or just a working iron. You hang up your suitcase-crushed suit on the coat hanger in the bathroom and turn the hot water on full power. Half an hour of “steaming” and your suit is ready to go out. As the saying goes, “it’s a piece of cake”! In general, steam is as if specially designed for clothes care: it can remove stains, smooth out creases and odors.

You’re still boiling? And we’re already steaming!

So far steam washing machines are a rarity, and are widely used only in professional laundries, but it seems that in the near future many manufacturers will introduce into their line of washing machines, the effect of which is based on the use of steam. At the moment, very few companies have such know-how. Let’s dwell on their developments in more detail.

In 2005 LG Electronics has brought on the market a new washing machine with the Steam technology that consists in steaming the drum while washing. Using steam to wash can kill ninety-nine percent of harmful bacteria such as staphylococci and E. coli, as well as fungi and traces of bed mites, which are very common in our homes.

In addition, the models are equipped with a double injection system, which sprays steam on the laundry for forty minutes, which improves the quality of washing and gets rid of stains. This system both sprays the water circulating at the bottom of the drum and sprays the steam coming from the steam generator.

Steam makes it possible to save on water heating energy, for it uses half the energy of a conventional washing machine. Steam also cleans the machine. The essence of the technology is as follows. Steam takes up 1600 times more volume at 100ºC than the same amount of water at 25ºC.

The steam has more thermal energy and more free-motion energy. The washing process itself includes 3 steps: penetration microscopic particles of steam surround the fibers of the fabric , swelling and loosening the bonds of the fibers and stain molecules and separation removing impurities and restoring the fiber structure .

The absolute advantage of steam washing machines is that the high temperature steam completely dissolves all detergent residues, which can cause allergic reactions in sensitive skin, and additionally acts as an antistatic.

The German company Kuppersbusch offers a washing machine with the functions of steam smoothing the laundry and washing by steam of the tank of the machine. The operating principle of the first mode is simple: the water under the drum is heated and comes into contact with the laundry by steam, and the folds are spread out by the steam. The function can also be used simply for hygienic treatment of laundry.

A systematic approach to ironing

Painstaking statistics tell us that ironing takes over 50% of the time it takes to get your clothes in

order. And here’s how much effort this process takes? If an iron could replace an exercise machine, poor women would have arms like bodybuilding champions..

Steam irons and ironing systems will not do all the work for us, they can’t buy back our time, but they can make the sometimes stressful process of ironing that much easier. Many conventional irons also have a steam system, but the heating element and water supply are not powerful enough to steam the folds properly.

Unlike simple irons, steam ironing systems and steam irons have a boiler where the steam is produced in the volume needed for ironing a variety of materials, including “hard” fabrics: linen, cotton, wool, silk.

By design the steam ironing systems differ from the ordinary irons in the fact that they have a separate steam generator in a separate block it also serves as a stand for the iron . The steam ironing unit is connected to the iron by a special “steam wire” – a thick about 1 cm 1,5 m long steam hose connected to the power cable.

By the way, modern ironing systems do not use steam like conventional irons. It is dry steam, professionally called “overdried” or “superheated” steam.

It comes from the iron at 3-4 bar pressure and a temperature of around 140-160 °C. In practice this means all ironable fabrics like silk, linen or cotton can be ironed at the same temperature, no fabric gets damaged or burned.

A steam cushion is formed between the iron and the fabric layer, that is, in fact, it is not the iron that is ironing, but the steam. In addition, the advantages of steam ironing systems and irons are considered:

– Remove stains and odours from fabrics,

– eliminating the “shine,

– The ability to easily iron even several layers of fabric, which is very convenient when taking care of pants, jackets and linens,

– Both horizontal and vertical ironing is possible – the steam jet coming out of the holes in the soleplate of the iron works at a distance of 5-10 cm, which is very useful for upper garments, curtains, drapes, upholstered furniture,

– Makes ironing easier, no need to push the iron down,

– The stunning appearance of clothes after steaming – the result of restoring the original properties of the fibers of fabrics,

– Whether pockets and seams on the front of the garment are not imprinted as a result of ironing,

– Whether the risk of scalding from dry steam as in a sauna is minimized.

The disadvantages of steam irons and ironing systems are their large size and weight. However, the irons themselves are usually not much heavier than their steamless counterparts – all the weight goes to the fixed boiler, and boards with attached boiler and iron fasteners are quite compact – usually they are more practical than conventional ironing boards, simply because their design and functionality are the result of well-known and respected firms.

when buying a steam ironing system, there are a few important points to keep in mind:

– Whether the steam generator is equipped with a self-cleaning limescale removal system,

– Where the steam generator control buttons are located ideally on the handle of the iron ,

– the height of the ironing board can be changed,

– whether the ironing board is ventilated ventilation allows steam to penetrate deeper into the fabric and removes excess steam to avoid dampening the clothes ,

– Is there a vacuum “suction” function to “suck” the cloth onto the board necessary for extra smoothing and preventing unnecessary wrinkles ?,

– Is the board heated helps fabrics dry better, making ironing easier, faster and better ?,

– Is there a built-in box to store the iron?,

– Whether the system is equipped with a steam pressure regulator this allows for different processing modes ,

– whether the lid of the steam generator is safe it should not open while the device is under pressure ,

– How many hours of autonomous operation the steam generator is designed for,

– What is the handle of the iron made of it must be a nonheating material ,

– Is it possible to add water to the steam generator during operation?,

– What is the iron’s soleplate made of stainless steel, aluminum alloys, Teflon, extra-hard enamel, ceramic, sapphire coating and what goals the manufacturer had: to make it easier to slide, to preserve the steam temperature, or something else,

– Is there a “steam gun” – it helps remove difficult stains and steam seams,

– and of course the price is a very variable value, depending on the combination of features in the ironing system.

Steam, of course, is used in dryers, dishwashers to dry dishes, and a number of devices designed for cosmetic procedures. Naturally, he is the main protagonist in such equipment, as humidifiers.

In general, steam has become a reliable assistant to man and performs many functions. We are still waiting for the invention of a car that runs on steam, although they probably already exist. Just waiting to fill our city streets.