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Counter steamer or steam oven

16 years ago

I'm trying to decide between the counter steamer or the steam oven. I've heard great things about the Gaggenau combi oven but it is $$$. Does anyone have experience with the counter steamers? Wolf vs Gaggenau? What do you use yours for and how often? Any information greatly appreciated! Thanks.

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Comments (4)

cpovey
16 years ago
IMO, in-counter appliances are a poor idea. They typically cost a lot of money, and when they break, it may be impossible to replace, as unlke ovens, they are not made in standard sizes. I have a friend who has an in-counter foor processor. It broke 10 years ago, and there it sits, creating a permanent nusiance.

Seriously, have you ever used a bamboo steamer on a wok? Very, very inexpensive, totally relaible, and can serve multiple purposes. And they let you steam multiple items simultaenously. If you steam a lot, get aluminum or stainless, as bamboo needs to dry occasionally.

Here is a great source. I have no connection to them, except as a customer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wok Shop Steamers
vagirl07
Original Author
16 years ago
I have never tried the bamboo steamer-sounds great! I was thinking about the in-counter steamer because it seems so easy to use and also to clean. A combi steam oven would be great because I would get the second oven along with the steam feature but I don't think it would do pasta and they are expensive. Thanks for the source regarding the bamboo steamers. I will definitely check it out.
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The Gaggenau are also side swing opening but they do come with a hefty, hefty price tag. We got our Gagg combi steam oven off ebay half off. It was a 270 (previous model to the 400 series available now). It was new in box with a 5-year warranty. It works great and I love that it is plumbed. It's worth considering. Appliances stores will often sell off demo models too with warranty and I have seen items on craigslist. I use both my conventional oven and the combi oven for similar and different things. My conventional oven goes higher (to 500, the Gagg goes to 450) and my conventional oven has a broiler and it is bigger. The Gagg non-steam mode is convection so it also cooks faster/hotter and I'm still getting used to that (I've had it about 2 months). Sometimes I use the Gagg because I need two ovens, sometimes I use the Gagg as a steam oven or to jointly steam and roast. I love the flexibility. I do have a friend with the $300 cuisinart steam oven and she LOVES it, but she isn't doing a remodel right now and it lets her test run the combi steam oven idea. I'm pretty sure when she does update she'll get a combi steam oven. I'm not sure how it would look to have a drop down and side opening door. My initial thought is how well they match in terms of material is probably more important. Good luck.
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For reheating, I'd guess if you choose a well thought of model it'll do you just fine. It's a low temperature with steam kind of thing. I have a Gaggenau, the original combi-steam, residential ovens. It's plumbed in, so other than descaling every 4-5 years, it's pretty hands off. It doesn't toast, though I think newer models do. The newer models are also, I believe, supposed to do regulated temperatures for sous vide cooking. I just steam roasted a pumpkin for pie. It was pretty dry inside. I was originally going to get a new pumpkin for pie, but there were none. By roasting on 30% steam, I was able to get it to just the right texture, moist, and the flavor is excellent from the roasting. I steam roast chickens at 60% steam, and plain steam veg at 100% steam (temperature just around boiling). The magic of steam reheating is when you have a dished up plate, with meat, veg and starch. You can put the plate in as served and it will come out with everything gently heated, nothing petrified or overcooked or cold in the middle (especially if it's not too too thick). This is also great for meat pastries and similar that are hard to handle and heat. So for the reheating, the question is size. Will the countertop model hold enough? Depending on how thick the items on the plates are, I can fit 4-6. There are bigger models on the market now. BUT... you can do the same thing in a regular oven if yours goes to a low enough temperature (I can't remember the number off hand, but under 200° F. Place a hotel or sheet pan with boiling water beneath your shelf of plates and let it warm for 10 minutes or so. Maybe a bother and imperfect, but with a little practice you can get it to be good enough. Same with the crusty breads, great chicken, the vegetables and everything else that's great in a combi-steam oven. You can achieve the same things in other ways, but it sure is a nice thing to have. Just for reheating? I wouldn't go for built-in unless it were a daily thing.
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gizmonike
16 years ago
The Gaggenau & Wolf countertop modules are all the same size, so replacement with the same or a different module should not be a big deal.

We first considered doing modules to customize our "cooktop", and the steamer was the first one I considered. Then I discovered that Gaggenau also has the combi steam oven, which offers much larger capacity plus convection oven capability. The Gaggenau countertop steamer will drain, but the combi oven will both add steam or water and drain.

We ended up choosing the combi steam oven instead of the countertop steamer. We did choose two other Gaggenau modules: the single induction burner & the teppanyaki griddle/grill. These flank a 36" AG range.

I agree about the problem with a non-standard built-in appliance. Our former kitchen came with a Nutone unit that had the motor built in plus attachments for a blender, food processor, & mixer. None of them worked as well as a stand alone unit does, & we lived in fear that it would break before we could sell our house. It was also installed in a very inconvenient place.

Of course it is possible to steam using all kinds of stovetop steamers, but they tie up burners, heat up the kitchen, or don't have the capacity of a steam oven. Been there, done that. We love our steam oven.
kaye_
16 years ago
I just want to say that I have the Gagg combi steam oven and that you can cook pasta in it. It works great by the way!

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