Many high-end appliance companies, such as Thermador appliances, are now offering residential models of steam-convection combination ovens. Cooking with steam has many benefits over regular baking, including greater efficiency, more versatility, and healthier dishes. However, to get the most out of your combination oven, you may need to adjust some cooking and cleaning habits that you currently hold. Below are five ways that you can get the most out of your combination oven. 

Reduce the Amount of Fats and Oils You Use 

Steam cooking can be healthier because you do not need to baste your food in fats and oils. The steam in the oven will keep your food moist and juicy while cooking it thoroughly. If you regularly baste your foods or add a significant amount of fats and oils to your meats or casseroles to keep them from drying out, you will have to adjust your preparation methods and recipes to get the health benefits from your steamer. While you may not want to cut your fats and oils completely out of your recipes, you should consider reducing them drastically, experimenting until you find the right combination of flavor for your dish. 

Reduce the Amount of Salt You Use 

Because steaming can help your foods retain their natural juices, it can make them taste more flavorful. This usually means that salt, which is used to enhance the natural flavor of a dish, is less necessary when you are using a steamer. Once again, you will have to experiment with your current recipes to find an amount of salt that works best for your tastes. You may want to completely eliminate salt and then add it back in small amounts. If you do not always use a set amount of salt in your dishes and instead eyeball your ingredients, reducing the amount of salt you use can be difficult, so it might take awhile to get the right amount. 

Use Your Oven to Reheat Foods 

One of the great features of a steam oven is that it can be used to reheat your meals without drying them out. In fact, it can add plumpness to foods that have dried out while being stored in the refrigerator. However, you will have to get used to using your combination oven as opposed to your microwave oven to reheat your foods. In a steam oven, reheating meals can take as little as ten minutes. 

Clean Without Chemicals 

If you have a weekly or monthly routine of cleaning your oven with harsh chemicals, you will have to adjust how you approach cleaning your combination oven. A combination oven should be wiped down with a damp cloth after every use. You should wait until the oven cools and then simply wipe down the inside and the door. You should not need to do an intensive cleaning once a month. However, if you use the convection setting often, then you may still have to use some cleaning agents. 

Use the Convection Setting During Your Last 10 Minutes of Cooking

Steam ovens cannot achieve the crispiness that convection ovens can. If you have a combination oven, you can get the best of both worlds. However, you will need to get in the habit of setting a timer to switch the settings on your oven for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. This is usually sufficient time to create a crisp layer on the outside of your dish while leaving the inside flavorful and juicy. 

Cooking with a combination oven can have many benefits. However, if you are new to using a combination oven, it may take some time and effort before you are using it efficiently. For more information on Thermador appliances, contact a company like Gringer & Sons.