Shopping Cart
- Luxtehnika toimetus
- Buying guides
- 0 likes
- 26 views
Short answer. A steam oven cooks with steam. Miele keeps steam cooking at or below 100 °C, while NEFF and Bosch advertise steam up to 120 °C on models with Steam Function Plus. Steam alone does not brown or crisp food, so for browning you need a conventional oven alongside it or a combi-steam model that adds hot air. Decide early between a tank you fill by hand and a plumbed-in model with a drain.
1. The three families
- Steam-only. Miele’s steam cooking runs from 40 to 100 °C, and Miele states that the temperature does not exceed 100 °C during steam cooking. NEFF separates compact steamers for pure steam from full steam ovens.
- Combi-steam (steam + hot air). These combine moisture and oven heat. On Miele DGC models the oven functions run 30–225 °C (DGC 7840 manual) or 30–230 °C (DGC 7865 HC Pro data sheet), and the combi modes let you set the moisture from 0 % (maximum fresh air, no moisture) to 100 %. Gaggenau’s 400 series BS 450 (a BS model, not one of the GS models we stock) combines hot air at 30–230 °C with 0, 30, 60, 80 or 100 % humidity. The NEFF C24FS31G0B and Bosch CSG7361B1 compact steam ovens list 30–250 °C, with steam combinable with their heating modes.
- Steam + microwave. The Miele DGM 7440 is a steam oven with microwave: steam cooking 40–100 °C, seven microwave power levels from 80 to 1,000 W, and modes for steam, microwave, rapid cooking, defrosting and reheating. Its data sheet lists no hot-air oven mode.
Do not assume one steam maximum for every brand: Miele states 100 °C, NEFF and Bosch advertise up to 120 °C.
2. What steam is good for, and its limit
Miele’s own examples include vegetables, fish, gentle defrosting at around 60 °C, reheating, proving yeast dough at 40 °C, yoghurt, and sous-vide at 45–90 °C. Miele also notes that almost all vitamins and minerals are retained because the food is not immersed in water. According to Miele’s manual, recipes from a pot or pan can be cooked in steam with the same cooking times.
Miele’s manual states the limit plainly: “food will not be brown or crisp when cooking with steam.” Browning therefore needs the oven or combi functions. A steam-only oven needs a conventional oven alongside it for that, while a combi-steam model adds hot air and covers both. Our oven buying guide covers how to choose the main oven.
3. Steam oven vs conventional oven
| Steam oven | Conventional oven | |
|---|---|---|
| Browning and crust | Miele: food will not brown or crisp with steam alone | Browning comes from dry oven or combi functions (Miele up to 225–230 °C) |
| Temperature range | Miele steam 40–100 °C; NEFF and Bosch Steam Function Plus up to 120 °C | Oven functions of combi units: Miele DGC 30–225/230 °C, Gaggenau BS series 30–230 °C, NEFF C24FS31G0B and Bosch CSG7361B1 30–250 °C |
| Water supply | Fill a tank, or connect to mains water and a drain | None needed |
| Descaling | Needed; Miele says the harder the water, the more often | No steam generator to descale |
| Cleaning | Wipe condensate, dry the cavity, keep the door open until dry (Miele) | See our guide to pyrolytic vs catalytic vs steam cleaning |
4. Water: tank or plumbed-in
- Tank. Miele DGC 7840 X: 1.4 l water container (minimum 1.0 l) and a 1.4 l condensate container. Miele DGM 7440: 1.5 l fresh-water container. Capacity differs by model.
- Plumbed-in. The Miele DGC 7865 HC Pro is a combination steam oven with mains water and drain connection (DirectWater plus) and a 2.0 m inlet hose and 3.0 m drain hose, so there is no water container to fill and empty.
- Water type. The Miele DGC 7840 X manual says to use only cold, fresh tap water (below 20 °C); distilled water, carbonated water and other liquids may damage the oven.
- Hardness. Set the oven to your local water hardness. The Miele DGC 7840 X manual gives a range of 1–70 °dH with a factory setting of 15 °dH. Descale with Miele descaling tablets; other agents can damage the appliance.
5. Niche and connection
For the Miele DGC 7840 X and DGM 7440 (45 cm high) the niche is 560–568 mm wide, 450–452 mm high and 550 mm deep (at least 550 mm on the DGC 7840 X). The plumbed DGC 7865 HC Pro is taller, with a niche 590–595 mm high. The DGM 7440 has a total rated load of 3.30 kW (230 V, 16 A). Miele’s DGC 7840 manual also asks for a ventilation cut-out of at least 180 cm², a level installation, and free space in front of the control panel. Always check the planning drawing of your exact model before the cabinet is made.
6. Planning a tall cabinet
Gaggenau’s BS series planning sheet (dated March 2020) shows a combi-steam oven stacked with a second oven and a warming or vacuum drawer, with a combi-microwave, or with an espresso machine. It also advises that no other electrical appliance goes above the combi-steam oven. These notes apply to the BS series, not to the GS models we stock, so use them as a planning idea and confirm with the manual of your model. See our warming drawer guide and coffee machine buying guide, and the appliances for a new home for the wider picture.
7. Care
- After cooking, wipe out condensate and dry the cavity. Miele asks you to leave the door open until the oven compartment is completely dry.
- Miele’s maintenance programmes (DGC 7840 X): soak about 10 min, drying about 20 min, rinsing about 10 min.
- Descale when the display asks. The DGC 7840 X counts the remaining steam uses and disables the oven after the last one.
What we stock
Our steam ovens category lists 46 products, including accessories and cleaning products: Miele (18, DGC and DGM steam and combi ovens, including the plumbed DGC 7845/7865 with water and drain connection, plus accessories and descaling products), Gaggenau (12, GS 45 cm compact combi-steam ovens in the Expressive and Minimalistic lines), NEFF (5), ASKO (3, compact combi steam with microwave), ILVE (3, 645 series), Küppersbusch (2, CBD), and one each from Barazza (FEEL), Electrolux and Teka. Browse the wider range of ovens, compact ovens and conventional ovens, plus warming drawers and coffee machines for the same tall cabinet.
FAQ
Can a steam oven replace my oven?
Not for browning. Miele states that food will not brown or crisp when cooked with steam. A combi-steam model adds hot air and can do both; with a steam-only model, keep a conventional oven for browning.
Do I need a water connection?
Not on tank models, which you fill by hand: the Miele DGC 7840 X holds 1.4 l, for example. Plumbed models such as the Miele DGC 7865 HC Pro need water inlet and drain connections.
Does a steam oven brown food?
Steam alone does not. For browning, use the oven or combi modes, which add hot air.
Do steam ovens need descaling?
Yes. The interval depends on your water hardness. Miele provides descaling tablets, and NEFF and Miele both warn that other descalers may damage the appliance.
Read next: pyrolytic vs catalytic vs steam cleaning · oven buying guide · appliances for a new home