In a recent Twice article, Cindy Davis highlighted the benefits of cooking with superheated steam and some tips to consider when using a Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven. Read an excerpt from Cindy’s article below.
The purpose of the first part of this blog was to report on the benefits of cooking with steam and in particular superheated steam, not to write a product review. Unlike the air purifier discussed in my last blog which I absolutely needed in my life, I already steam my vegetables in the microwave. And to be honest, I was afraid I wasn’t going to see a real benefit to another appliance in my kitchen. Skeptical of some of the claims touted by Peter Weedfald, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Sharp Home Appliances, he shamed me into trying one out for myself. Fair enough.
So here is my unintended Superheated Steam Countertop Oven review. Rather than repeating the specs and promises here, please check out the Supersteam It! blog here.
Eat Healthier
It is easy committing to eating healthily, but it’s not as easy to stick to it. As part of a “eat healthier” promise this year, my husband and I try to eat salmon two or three times a week. To ensure we actually do that, I subscribed to a monthly delivery from the Wild Alaskan Company. The individually portioned 6-ounce filets arrive packed in dry ice, and the quality is outstanding. Even during one of the hottest summers on record, my salmon arrived enduring a 4,500-mile trek from Alaska to Boston with plenty of ice left. Plus, I love supporting a small family run business.
The night before I cook the salmon, I pop two servings into the refrigerator to defrost overnight, or if I forget (always), they get defrosted in water (still in its sealed plastic) a couple of hours before cooking. While the salmon cooks on the grill for 10 to 12 minutes, I prep the broccoli and carrots to steam with a little water in the microwave. I’ll usually cook enough wild rice for three meals. It’s an easy, quick and healthy dinner.
Unless it is raining, or we’ve run out of gas for the grill because sometimes I turn it on to preheat far too early—we’re on schedule to eat at least two salmon dinners per week. True confession: I favor the grill because it’s an easy cleanup.
It Has to Be More than Just Better
If I am going to purchase a new cooking appliance, it has to be simple to use and make my life easier. It must enable me to eat healthier and can’t take up more room on my already cramped counter.
Fully expecting to send the Superheated Steam Countertop Oven back once I had cooked with it for a couple of weeks, I unpacked it and set it on my kitchen table. It’s definitely larger than my toaster oven.
I’m no different than most. I go for the Quick Start Guide and hope it will be intuitive enough for me to get it working. If I can’t figure out how to use something within five minutes, the product is a miserable fail. Between the Quick Start and the cookbook, I figured out how to use the unit, the temperature, and timing.
Size is Everything
For the overall unit size, the inside capacity seemed small. The trays are 12.5 inches square. I race to my large microwave and put the tray inside and realize that I might pick up some cooking space because there’s more surface area on a square than the round dish. I have one of the larger toaster ovens, but that tray is a third smaller. Objection one is gone.
Something Comes In, Something Must Go Out
I like my toaster oven. I use it like most people. I reheat pizza, it’s great for odd-sized bread and bagels for toasting, and on the rare occasion, I use it to reheat a small casserole if my oven is occupied. Mostly, I use my two-slice toaster for bread.
Test 1:
Weedfald said that the Superheated Steam Oven was great for toasting bread. For me, bread and water (steam) must translate to soggy. I like my toast on the darker side, which means it usually cracks as soon as I butter it because it has dried out through-and-through. I filled the small water tank and set it into place. I placed the bread in the middle of the crisper rack in the middle of the oven, turned the dial to “toast” and selected the desired doneness to 6 (1-7). I see the glass steam up and drip inside the oven, so I’m thinking, “see, there’s no way that bread is going to come out crispy.” Several minutes pass, and it’s done. The bread was evenly toasted (more than I’ve ever seen), the outside was crispy, and the middle was still fresh and soft. Not kidding, I expected this to be the first fail.
I can recycle my two-slice toaster.
To read the full article, visit Twice.com.
