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What electric oven to get? speed oven, combo-steam, or regular?

9 years ago

If I am going to go with an all gas range, which would be my most versatile and practical electric options? A Miele electric speed oven? And if that can it be used for baking bread and cookies? A combo-steam electric oven? Or just a regular electric oven? I will probably just have a stand alone microwave in the pantry, but might use one of these for left over reheating. FYI it needs to be 24".

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Comments (7)

plllog
9 years ago
For just baking you don't need a speed oven. Especially since you have a microwave.

For reheating leftovers nothing is easier, with better results than a combi-steam, especially if you're heating a plate full of different foods, rather than separate serving dishes.

Both speed and steam oven are fairly small. They only have convection heat in oven mode. You can bake a small batch of bread or cookies, or a cake or pie. You'd need two racks to make a layer cake in most models (or a smaller cake), or else make half batches at separate times. (Baking one layer at a time won't work because your baking powder will discharge.)

There are some times of more delicate baking, especially with a lot of unsupported eggs, that aren't so happy in a convection oven, but they should be fine in your range oven. So should larger batches of bread, cookies, layer cakes.

They also make very good 24" standard ovens, which will accomplish all the tasks you have listed if you know how to use one (there's also a Cooking forum, if you need help).

The "most versatile", and most expensive, is probably the combi-steam oven, especially if you have it plumbed.
Mimi Hock
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you for the help!
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A 120 V Speed oven isn't going to give you a whole lot of speed! If you have limitations that require you not install a 240 V, it might be the way to go if you really think you want both a speed oven and a microwave. A speed oven is a combination of a convection only oven (though some now also have limited broiler elements) and a microwave. What makes it "speed" is that it combines microwaves with the conventional (convection) cooking (i.e., hot air). Advantium also includes halogen heat in speed mode, which is an intense radiant heat for direct browning. There are steam microwaves, but most steam ovens are convection ovens (meaning hot air cooking only, but, again, some now have broilers as well), with steam environments. Some only have steam on and off, while others have several steam percentage settings. Some require you to fill a water tank and others are plumbed in like a sink with a water inlet and drain. Steam creates the kind of moist environment that you put pans of water or wine into your regular oven to create. It's very good for reheating leftovers, blanching or steaming vegetables, steaming tamales, dim sum, etc., steam poaching fish and chicken, steaming hard "boiled" eggs, etc. Because of limited cookspace in many European apartments, there are also lots of recipes for things like making rice in a steam oven, but that's for freeing burner space--it works fine but it's awkward. Anything you can make in a steam oven you can make just as well through conventional steaming or by putting the water in a regular oven. The steam oven just makes it easier. They're also generally smaller so people like to use them for small items. Because of the steam environment, you don't need as much surrounding space so there are a lot of large things you can make in a small steam oven. Unless you specifically want the speed settings of a speed oven, or you've decided that the model you're looking at is the best replacement for the conv./MW you currently use and you don't mind underutilizing it, there's no point in getting a speed oven. Steam ovens are nice to have, but not essential. If you're looking for something that will work as a small convection oven like your conv./MW (ignoring the MW part for the moment), then either a speed oven or a steam oven would do that. Since you'll already have a microwave, if you're looking for an additional function to go with the small oven, I'd choose steam.
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The oven part of speed ovens is convection. A fan which blows hot air. Some also have a broiler of sorts or some other form of top heat. It might be out there, but I've never heard of one that has a bottom heat feature ("traditional oven"). Same for combi-steam ovens, so don't let that idea lead you astray. Some baking works fine in a convection oven. Some does not. Breads and cakes are probably best. Pies, probably. Cookies can be done but the reports I've seen are about a dozen cookies, not a full sheet. What speed ovens do is SPEED. If you don't have a desire for combination oven and microwave cooking to speed up the results, a speed oven doesn't make much sense for what you've described. You can get a smaller traditional oven, and put a little countertop microwave out of your way somewhere for the few times you want it. I use the microwave part of my speed oven on a double portion of lasagna I've frozen when I want it fast, but it's better reheated in a regular oven. What SPEED is good for is cooking a whole chicken in half the time. It's still not as good, in my opinion, as the long way in a regular oven, but it's fine, and if you need to get the family to the table and out the door fast, it's an option. That's what the raves here have centered on, or baking a potato that tastes baked rather than zapped in a short time. Any oven can reheat lasagna well. It's one of the easiest things to freeze and rewarm well.
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Not sure what poster above is saying about hating a steam oven? I would ask her exactly what model she owns. Most people that make comments like that don't own that particular thing/appliance!! And why get a steam oven only, when you can get a convection/steam oven and have perfect baking and steaming. Were you asking me about using the steam function? I can only speak for my Miele CSO experience. Of course, there is a learning curve when using a new appliance. You overcook something the first time and then adjust the timing the second time around. No different than with any other appliance. Even microwaves can vary quite a bit in their power and you have to make adjustments. Lots of info on the Miele CSO in the Kitchen forum. Those of us who have the units, really like them and usually say it is the last appliance we would be willing to give up.
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59 Dodge
9 years ago
" Both speed and steam oven are fairly small. They only have convection heat in oven mode".

Hmmmm, I guess I should have better "emphasized" the advantages that the Electrolux speed oven had over the Miele speed oven, not just the "Ease of Use", as I tended to do!

While my Electrolux speed oven does have convection bake, it also has "Grill, Roast as well as Bake"~~~all "non convection"~~~~ It's hard for me to believe that a speed oven that cost twice as much as the Electrolux, (IE the Miele), does not have the non convection bake and roast modes? I'm would also be surprised if the Miele Speed Oven's broil function used convection.

As far as the Electrolux Speed Oven goes, it's "Purely Academic" anymore, as to what it can do, as it has been discontinued, and so far, Electrolux has not come out with a replacement for it~~I sure hope mine last a long time as it is our most used appliance!

My self, (and it's just a "Personal preference") caused by being in the UK many times~~~I just can't warm up to steamed foods~~~to me they were "Bland City", but then I'm not crazy about "Cream of Wheat", anymore either.

I guess I take after Emeril, I like my food "Kicked up a Notch", and I certainly did not encounter any "Kicked up" steamed foods, whilst in the UK.

Gary
Mimi Hock
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Gary. The appeal of the steam is less for actual steaming of food and more for my desire to keep up my bread baking a notch. I now have a duel fuel, and use the throw in a cup of water in a sheet pan method of producing steam for a crust. So a combo-steam oven, if I decide to splurge on that, would be used for making bread, and used for baking cookies etc since my range would then be all gas. I could go for a duel fuel again in this house, but since I have the opportunity to have two ovens, I figured why not get one all gas and have one separate electric option...
59 Dodge
9 years ago
YW, nismo99, I'm not saying I'm right or even in the majority as far as steamed foods go, but I do try to offer a "contrasting opinion", as I'm sure there are other folks here, that are about as excited about steam foods as I am, so I like to provide "The Rest of the Story", if you will!!

Gary
plllog
9 years ago
Gary, you know I love you, but could you please reign in the extraneous punctuation? If all those tildes are for emphasis, please note that we now have bold and italic available. Type past what you want to format, highlight the words you want to emphasize, and click B, I or both.

Thanks for pointing out that you have a radiant heat source in your speed oven. I maybe have been mistaken about the Miele. It would be helpful to check the manual. But, yes, they do have a broiler. That's just not very useful for baking, though it is for top browning.

If you think steamed food has no flavor, you haven't had it prepared right. Often people make it too wet, so it's like boiled. There's nothing more delicious than Summer squash right out of the steamer! It is SO good. But if it's overcooked or overwet it's disgusting.

Nismo, You do not need an electric oven to bake. If your range oven isn't able to bake cookies and bread you need a better range.
59 Dodge
9 years ago
Off Topic

Eh, pillog, You remind me of my first College English Professor. On the first paper I had to write, I left a period off a sentence, It was World War III with that professor. He said you wrote an "A+ paper" but gave me a "D". He also wrote on the paper in big red writing, "You are careless sloppy and lazy".

I did however end up with a A in the class and the proff and I became good friends, as you and are are. I just likes to add a "bit of variety" to the posts here, and exercise some of the lesser used keys on this keyboard (LOL)

By the way, you are correct, I've just not had steamed food "properly prepared", I'm sure.

Gary

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