General notes on steam cooking
60
This section contains general informa-
tion on steam cooking. You will find
more detailed information about partic-
ular foods and how to cook them in the
other sections.
The advantages of cooking
with steam
Almost all vitamins and minerals are re-
tained as the food is not immersed in
water.
Cooking with steam also retains the
true taste of the food better than con-
ventional cooking. We therefore recom-
mend seasoning the food after it has
been cooked. Food also retains its
fresh, original colour.
Suitable containers
Cooking containers
This steam oven is supplied with stain-
less steel cooking containers. Other
containers, in a variety of sizes, both
perforated and solid, are available as
optional extras (see "Optional accessor-
ies"). This enables you to choose the
most suitable container for the food you
are cooking.
It is best to use perforated containers
for steam cooking. The steam can
reach the food from all sides and the
food is cooked evenly.
Your own containers
You can also use your own containers.
However, please note the following:
– Containers must be heat-resistant to
100 °C and able to withstand hot
steam. With plastic containers please
check with the manufacturer that
they are suitable for use in a steam
oven.
– Thick-sided containers made from
porcelain, china or stoneware, for ex-
ample, are not so suitable for steam
cooking. They do not conduct heat
well and as a result cooking durations
will be considerably longer than
those given in the charts.
– Place the cooking containers on the
rack and not on the oven floor.
– Ensure that there is a gap between
the upper rim of the container and
the top of the cooking compartment
to allow sufficient steam into the con-
tainer.
Condensate tray
When using perforated containers,
place the condensate tray on the lowest
shelf level to collect any drops of liquid
and allow them to be removed easily.
The condensate cannot evaporate
properly if the condensate tray is on
the floor of the steam oven.
Place the condensate tray on the
lowest shelf level.