At a Glance:
Pros and Cons of Using a Combi Oven
Different Types of Combi Ovens
Combi ovens are very popular appliances. That’s because they provide practically every answer to your cooking problems and questions. Whether you’re steaming vegetables, roasting meat, or cooking rice, these ovens provide a one-stop shop to meet the needs of your kitchen. In this article, learn what a combination oven is, what it does, the pros and cons of owning one, and the top brands that offer combination ovens.
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What Does a Combi Oven Do?
A combi oven, also known as a combination oven, is a versatile kitchen appliance that combines the functionality of a convection oven and steam oven. Using this functionality, it offers precise control over temperature and humidity levels. This makes it ideal for a wide range of cooking techniques.
Using a combi oven, you can bake, roast, steam, grill, and even sous vide your food. It also provides consistent heat distribution, ensuring even cooking. That can eliminate the need for multiple appliances. Chefs and professional kitchens often rely on combination ovens to achieve optimal results, as they can enhance flavors, preserve nutrients, and improve texture in various dishes.
How Does a Combi Oven Work?
In microwave mode, electromagnetic waves penetrate the food, causing water molecules to vibrate and generate heat. This process cooks food quickly, making it ideal for reheating, defrosting, and rapid cooking.
In convection mode, a fan circulates hot air within the oven, evenly distributing the heat around the food. This method allows for browning and crisping, similar to a conventional oven, making it suitable for baking, roasting, and grilling.
The combination of microwave and convection modes enables faster cooking times than traditional ovens while providing the versatility of a microwave. With this advanced technology, users can achieve excellent cooking results and enjoy a wide range of cooking options in a single appliance.
Pros and Cons of Using a Combi Oven
Using a combination oven in the kitchen can provide several advantages, but it can also create some drawbacks. Let's discuss the pros and cons:
Pros
✓ Energy Efficiency: Combining convection and steam cooking, these convection-steamer ovens can reduce cooking time significantly. That can help you shorten the amount of time you have the oven on, reducing your utility costs in the long run.
✓ Improved Food Quality: Combination ovens promote even heat distribution, reducing the risk of uneven cooking. This ensures that food is cooked uniformly, which can lead to better flavor development. The moist cooking environment also helps retain moisture and nutrients, resulting in juicier meats and vegetables.
✓ Versatility: These ovens excel at multitasking. They can perform a wide range of cooking techniques, including baking, roasting, steaming, grilling, and more. This can reduce your need for multiple appliances by creating a one-stop shop for your cooking needs.
✓ Precise Control: Combi ovens provide precise temperature and humidity control. This level of control can ensure you create consistent results with your food. It also allows you to quickly reduce or increase temperatures for better cooking results.
Cons
✗ Cost: Depending on the brand or make of combination oven you get, they can be costly.
✗ Learning Curve: Mastering the operation of a combi oven often requires a learning curve. Chefs and home cooks alike need to understand the various settings, cooking techniques, and best practices to unlock the full potential of the appliance.
Learn more: Are Convection Steam Ovens Worth The Money?
Different Types of Combi Ovens
Here are some different types of combination ovens you can purchase for your kitchen:
➤ Electric Combination Oven: Electric combination ovens are powered by electricity, often making them the better choice for kitchens without access to a gas line. Unlike regular electric ovens, which can often have slow and imprecise temperature control, these combination ovens still provide excellent, responsive control for all your cooking needs.
➤ Gas Combination Oven: Due to the fact they’re powered by a natural gas line in your home, these types of combination ovens often heat up very quickly.
➤ Boiler-Based Combination Oven: These combi steam ovens use a boiler to generate steam. To do so, they often use a dedicated water line and feed that into a separate boiler compartment. By creating its own steam, these ovens offer precise control over humidity levels. This makes them ideal for steamed vegetables, fish, and other delicate foods. But it also makes them ideal for things like baking bread or roasting meat.
➤ Boilerless Combination Oven: Unlike boiler-based models, boiler-less combination ovens do not have a separate boiler compartment. Instead, they generate steam using an integrated water injection system. These ovens are often more compact and easier to maintain. Though they can’t control as well as a boiler-based model, these ovens are still great at producing steam for different cooking methods, such as baking, roasting, and grilling.
Top Luxury Combi Ovens
Here are some of the top combi ovens offered by luxury brands:
Miele DGC 6700-1 24” Clean Touch Steel Combination Steam Oven
Shop the Miele DGC 6700-1 24” Clean Touch Steel Combination Steam Oven
The Miele DGC 6700-1 is a 24” combination steam oven with a powerful external steam generator. This, along with its 6 steam inlet ports, gives this oven the ability to effectively distribute steam around your food. This also ensures quick and even steam generation, which often results in short heating-up times and perfect cooking results. The DGC 6700-1 also features an MTouch control system. This system is easy to use and provides intuitive feedback to the user. You can also set the temperature and moisture content individually. Lastly, the oven also comes with a motorized fascia panel that makes it easy to fill the water container and empty the condensate tank. The motorized panel also contains a wireless roast probe, to make your roasting that much more precise.
Learn more: Miele Appliances: Buying Guide
Monogram Statement 30” Stainless Steel Steam Oven
Shop the Monogram Statement 30” Stainless Steel Steam Oven
The Monogram Statement 30” Stainless Steel Steam Oven is a high-end appliance that offers a variety of cooking functions. That includes traditional baking and roasting, as well as steam cooking. This oven also has a powerful steam generator that produces even steam distribution, resulting in perfectly cooked food. Next to that, it has several other convenient features, such as a removable water tank and a steam recovery system. Thanks to its intuitive touchscreen controls, the Monogram Statement is also very easy to use. That’s because the controls also come with a pre-programmed recipe menu to perfectly prepare different foods, including vegetables, rice, grains, and meat.
Fisher & Paykel Series 11 24” Stainless Steel Combination Steam Oven
Shop the Fisher & Paykel Series 11 24” Stainless Steel Combination Steam Oven
This Fisher & Paykel Series 11 24” Stainless Steel oven is a versatile appliance that can meet all your cooking needs. That’s because the oven comes with over 23 cooking functions, including Steam, Sous Vide, Air Fry, and Vent Bake. You can also easily switch between steam-only and convection-only cooking, or a combination of the two, giving you absolute freedom to cook how you want. Next to its versatility, the oven also includes several other features. That includes AeroTech, which circulates heat evenly for a consistent temperature. It also includes a probe that keeps you updated on a meat’s internal temperature in real-time. If you have other Fisher & Paykel products in your home, this oven is designed to match with them. That means you can use their products together to create a seamless cooking experience in your kitchen.
Learn more: 4 Top Fisher and Paykel Appliances on the Market
Viking Professional 5 Series 30” Stainless Steel Built In Combi Steam/Convect Oven
Shop the Viking® Professional 5 Series 30" Stainless Steel Built In Combi Steam/Convect Oven
Though it may not provide the same amount of cooking options as some other ovens, this Viking Professional 5 Series provides many features that some combi ovens don’t. That includes its ability to defrost foods with its Steam Defrost feature. That also includes its Dual Cook ability, which uses its two levels to create a combination of top-level oven steamer grill and lower-level steam cooker.
Gaggenau 400 Series 24” Stainless Steel Single Electric Combi-Steam Oven
Shop the Gaggenau 400 Series 24” Stainless Steel Single Electric Combi-Steam Oven
This Gaggenau 400 Series 24” Stainless Steel steam-convection oven offers expert steam and convection cooking. That’s in large part due to the convection fans, which rotate in both directions. This provides an ideal heat distribution. Like some other combi ovens, this 400 Series also offers sous-vide cooking. The sous-vide feature provides users with accurate temperature readings and regulations, which can result in a satisfying final product, no matter what’s being cooked. Lastly, thanks to its external steam generation and functionality, this oven can steam cook without any pressure. That means better cooking for your food and less future maintenance for the machine.
Learn more: Gaggenau Appliances: Brand Guide
JennAir RISE 24” Stainless Steel Electric Built In Single Steam Oven
Shop the JennAir RISE 24” Stainless Steel Electric Built In Single Steam Oven
Like a lot of combination ovens, this JennAir RISE can be installed in your home with no plumbing necessary. That’s due to the oven’s personal steam generator, which you can refill easily thanks to the accessible water reservoir. This oven is also jam-packed with other features, making this the one-stop shop appliance for any kitchen. That includes features such as Proofing Mode, Yogurt Mode, and a Steam Defrost setting. When you use this often, you can let your imagination run wild and create exciting new meals for you and your family.
Bertazzoni Master Series 30” Stainless Steel Convection Steam Oven
Shop the Bertazzoni Master Series 30” Stainless Steel Convection Steam Oven
The Bertazzoni Master Series 30” combination oven is a powerful appliance that offers a choice of three cooking technologies: baking, broiling, and steaming. With the oven’s extra-large convection fan, users can ensure that the heat is evenly distributed through its 1.4 cubic foot cavity. If you want to cook more delicate foods, like fish and vegetables, using the oven’s steam function can prepare perfectly cooked meals every time. It’s also a great option when you want to add a little bit of moisture to baked goods and bread. Lastly, thanks to this oven’s stainless-steel design, it’s easy to clean. And if you ever come across any maintenance issues or needs for repair, this oven comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty.
FAQs
What are combi ovens?
Combi ovens are a shorter way of saying “combination ovens”. A combination oven is an appliance that allows users to choose between either convection cooking, steam cooking, or a combination of both when cooking foods or meals.
Why is steam cooking beneficial?
Steam-cooking foods is beneficial to your health because it can reduce the fat and salt content of foods. However, the cooking process still maintains the foods’ natural vitamins and minerals. So, in terms of healthy cooking and eating, steam cooking is often considered superior to all other kinds.
How can I afford a combination oven?
Combination ovens are excellent appliances to add to your home. But they can often feel like a luxury expense. Well, thanks to Fuse’s financing options, you can make that expense a lot easier to manage. At Fuse, you can receive special financing with qualifying purchases. That can help you take home your steam oven today and pay for it later. It’s also good to keep an eye on Fuse’s clearance page. You might find exactly what you’re looking for at a much lower price.
Why Trust Fuse Specialty Appliances?
Fuse Specialty Appliances carries an incredible selection of premium and high-end appliances for your home. With over 30 years of appliance knowledge, our team of experts represents the best and brightest in the industry. Our teams bring decades of experience working with designers, architects, cabinet makers, contractors, and anyone else who is involved in designing and building a dream kitchen. We provide our customers with a unique, boutique-style experience where we get to know your goals for your kitchen. This more connected dynamic helps us ensure that we help you realize your kitchen dreams.
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