Oven-steamer just goes to prove: time has come for kitchen flexibility

Nation's Restaurant News, June 27, 1988 by Patt Patterson

Baked potatoes can be held at moist heat throughout serving periods without the objectionable drying caused by conventional ovens.

When the combination units is used as a pure steamer, you'll find it turns out seafood that's moist and flavorful. Many fresh vegetables, such as asparagus and broccoli, also have an improved flavor when they are steamed. And steaming has long been accepted as an ideal way of reconstituting frozen vegetables.

Oven-steamers -- popular in Europe for some time -- come to us a well-tested idea.

As a steamer, the unit has the same ability as a convection oven to cook foods evenly in closely racked pans. Used as a convection steamer, the hot steam is forced between the pans, providing even heat throughout the oven cavity.

Although the first units on the market were quite expensive, recently manufacturers have been introducing less pricey models. However, many features can add to the cost of the unit. Some models have a provision for exhausting the steam after it passes over the food.

That keeps flavors from intermingling so several different foods may be cooked at the same time without affecting one another. Such units must usually be vented to the outdoors.

Many models have extremely sophisticated computer controls, which permit setting the cooking cycle for any sequence of full steam, high moisture, or hot-air cooking. Those phases can be programmed into the timing device for the length of time each needs for optimum results.

Some oven-steamers have controls that permit holding the roasted foods at selected heat and humidity levels until it is time for serving. That is particularly valuable for meats, which might be cooked earlier and then held at the proper temperature until they are to be served. Those that have proofing temperature settings can be used as proofing cabinets in bakery operations.

The more flexible the cooking equipment, the smaller the problem of changing menus. In addition, multipurpose equipment like the oven-steamer is a major space saver and makes for more efficient kitchen work flow. In new kitchen design or old kitchen upgrading, flexibility is the name of today's game.