Cuisinart Combo Steam/Convection Oven (Part 1)

[rotuts]

one other thought: Calcium in your water;

i have a fairly high-end espresso machine, the Alexia-PID

I looked into calcium issues and at a coffee-forum discovered that Brita pitcher filers remove almost all of the Calcium

mine come out of the tap at 250 ppm from the Brita < 25 ppm as this pitcher is just for the espresso machine the filter cones last a very long time.

what I learned at the Coffee forum is that brita by law can not advertise this feature.

let your might wander as to why ....

i check this regularly with HACH 'SoftChek' chem-stips they are very cheap and worth an investment of a few $$ for anyone using an espresso machine or

the cuisinart SteamBoy (...Girl ? )

now the big questiong: assuming the steam function really works well

what is that going to do for you ( in the best of the positive sense )

Id very much like to hear about that in 'real world' results:

On Your Plate.

Edited December 27, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

I don't worry about calcium in NYC water.

As for real world, I could see it keeping roasted items nice and moist. And anything that might need to be done in a bain-marie...

[rotuts]

"" I could see it keeping roasted items nice and moist """

this makes sense. but does this impact the 'crispy' aspect of the outer few bits?

Im wondering if one starts w a higher humidity to increase the thermal transfer, then cuts to a dryer air for the crispy-ness

100 % humidity has a much much higher thermal mass there for thermal transfer.

[rotuts]

I happen to be by BB&B again just now, this time w my tape measure:

the pan that comes with the SteamBoy measures:

10 1/4 " x 9 3/4 "

[weinoo]

Rather than delve into analysis paralysis (and mind you, I'm working with one arm here, since I'm not allowed to use my surgically repaired shoulder just yet)...this arrived yesterday...

And it got tested and then this morning it got turned on...

To make shirred eggs over leftover duck confit with a hash made from blood sausage and Yukon gold potatoes (thanks, Cafe Katja!)...

Quite tasty. The toast was excellent too. So, it works. It's big - for my small kitchen and a good 30% bigger thann my old, Made in Italy DeLonghi toaster oven. I'll keep using it for a while; if I like it, great. If not, I'll donate it somewhere and move on to the Breville.

Edited January 3, 2014 by weinoo (log)

[gfweb]

Nice!

What is the actual usable space in the oven? Could you cook three ribeyes in there?

[rotuts]

glad to see some one is putting it thought its paces.

if you bake bread, Im interested in the 'proof ing' feature:

so many minutes at 100 degrees / high humidity then bake

[weinoo]

Nice!

What is the actual usable space in the oven? Could you cook three ribeyes in there?

I'd say 11.5" x 11". I have a 12.5" sizzle platter that fits in on the diagonal, and a large 11 3/4" round cazuela that fits in. A quarter sheet pan does not.

ETA: I think not on the 3 ribeyes. 2 maybe.

Edited January 3, 2014 by weinoo (log)

[gfweb]

Thanks, Mitch. How odd to make it so little. A few more inches makes a big difference.

[weinoo]

Well, I think it's the total footprint they were concerned with; after all, the steam function and water reservoir add to the overall dimensions.

[gfweb]

True. But still, its size limits its use to households of two or small lot apps for parties.

[rotuts]

"" analysis paralysis ""

you betcha

the foot print seemed to me to be a bit smaller than the BV-XL big boy not by a lot

had it been the same foot-print as the BV-XL

based on internal issues I doubt it would fit a 1/4 sheet pan

[weinoo]

I think this Cuisinart is the first home consumer product of its ilk

[weinoo]

At this price point, that is. Miele, Sub-Zero, Thermador and others make wall units for thousands of dollars.

Here's a review by someone who has put the oven through its paces.

[rotuts]

many thanks for that review. wanted to see what the 'bread rise' setting did.

there is also the Electrolux :

http://www.amazon.com/Electrolux-260914-Mini-Combi-Steamer/dp/B002E3IRLA

at 2 K its not cheap. but Id rather have this than a chamber vacuum sealer.

it says it take 5 half pans, probably not 1/2 sheet pans but the ones that come with it.

PS: look here:

http://tools.professional.electrolux.com/Mirror/Doc/BR/BR_BR-9JDBO_1_34_1_1_9JDBOU.pdf

Edited January 5, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[Unpopular Poet]

So, I happened upon the "Steamboy" at my local Sur la Table this weekend and with their 1 year return policy, I figured it was worth it -- same price as amazon (with tax a bit more, but technically, here in Illinois, I am supposed to be paying taxes on my amazon purchases too). The unboxing was pretty much as described in previous posts -- it is a tiny bit small, but I am not entirely concerned about that. The first step was to de-bone a chicken, fill it with prosciutto, fig spread, thyme, butter and fontina - brushed with duck fat and used the "steam bake" option at 400. I also did an identical ballontine in the oven (a bit of different filling, but same size -- and away we went.

I don't have a picture of the finished product (hungry people, bourbon, etc.) but I can say that it won out over the traditionally cooked. It was much more juicier and the skin was nicely browned, although a bit charred in a few areas, but no complaints. First test, wonderful.

Next, I ran it through some remedial tasks -- such as re-warming some home made egg rolls a friend had brought over. I did it on steam/bake again, and I must say that they crisped up nicely and resembled something more from the fryer than the oven.

Yesterday, during a brief break from cleaning up Christmas decorations, I attempted an egg steam -- unfortunately, I got distracted by something else and forgot the set the steam at 170 -- It sat at 210 for 30 minutes and the eggs were basically hard boiled where they stood -- nice flavor, just not what I was looking for.

This morning, to go along with the -17 degrees it was outside, I decided to retry the eggs -- this time attempt the steam version of the sous vide scrambled eggs. I buttered a ramekin, added three eggs, 1/8 cup of cream, a nice bit of cheddar and set it in the machine at 170 for about 45 minutes -- The end result was sublime -- To this I toasted some english muffins (the toast option works really well -- I think it was a nice addition to use the toast setting directly after steaming -- the muffins were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, something even my Dualit has not accomplished). The egg sandwiches were fantastic.

The cleaning of the machine is not a problem at all -- they suggest a 30 minute steam cycle after heavy use -- I did this after the duck fat spit all over the oven and it wiped away when I was done -- no problem at all.

Tonight, I am going to do some Ribeyes at 140 (or 130...can't decide) for 2 hours and then sear off -- I will gladly provide my thoughts on that.

For $220 -- this is a no brainer so far. The eggs sealed it for me -- I never need to cook scrambled eggs sous vide again as far as I am concerned -- and I love sous vide scrambled eggs.

[rotuts]

many thanks. looking forward to the RibEye test.

[gfweb]

Indeed. Esp how many one can do

[rotuts]

well that would depend on how big the Cow was, eh?

Big Huge Bull-like cow: not so many ....

little bitty Toy-like cow: many more

come on, its a joke. if you had the Dexter Cow from GB .... seen those on GreatBritisMenu: a few more.

or those grass fed cows ....

as noted: the pan you see w the scrambled eggs above :

" the pan that comes with the SteamBoy measures:

10 1/4 " x 9 3/4 " "

my measurements per-cork-pull at BB$B

rats it doesn't take a 1/4 sheet pan ....

and it you "" fill it up "" ir bread or chicken it seems to suffer the same as all 'Bitty ovens do: very very brown tops.

Edited January 6, 2014 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

I reheated a rice casserole and it's amazing how well things reheat with steam. I also did about 6 chicken thighs, simply seasoned with S & P and herbs d'Provence - they came out juicy and delicious.

With a 10% off coupon and Williams & Sonoma's price of $219 including free shipping, so far I am quite happy with the purchase. Oh, it makes good toast, too.

[sculptor]

The Cuisinart seems decent but I stumbled across some references to a Sharp combination convection, steam and microwave oven that seemed amazing. However, it doesn't seem they make it any more and the people that owned it seemed to have them die at the 18 month point... I just wish they relaunched a better version that!

Edited January 7, 2014 by sculptor (log)

[weinoo]

That Sharp is still on their website.

I don't see how that Sharp looks more "decent" and more "amazing" than the Cuisinart. As a matter of fact, I've always thought Sharp should've stuck to TVs.

[gfweb]

The Sharp unit will fit a 1/4 sheet pan. That's something.

There's a couple of them on ebay. Not cheap ~$800. Cuisinart wins on price

Edited January 7, 2014 by gfweb (log)

[rotuts]

it also seems to have a microwave.

shame it didnt come w/o that and was perhaps better made.

[Unpopular Poet]

So....the ribeyes. I have to say that this steamer continues to wow me at home. I have never been a huge fan of the sous vide ribeye -- I have always thought that the pan cooked ribeye, when done perfectly, has a better texture. The sous vide ribeye's texture was just too tender for a ribeye -- maybe that makes sense to some, and not to others, but now let us discover the steamed ribeye. This steak was the perfect marriage of pan seared and sous vide -- I did both steaks for 120 minutes at 140 and then seared them for about 45 seconds a side in a scorching hot mineral pan with some clarified butter. The results, as you can see, speak for themselves. This steak was probably the best steak I have cooked at home in a long, long while. The fat was meltingly delicious and the meat was absurdly juicy -- more juicy than the sous vide steaks I have done in the past. For whatever reason, they lost a lot less juice than the sous vide steaks I have prepared. Either way, the photos are below. To answer the previous question -- 2 ribeyes were probably the max...that is unless you could create a layered level in the unit -- something that stacks perhaps, but leaves room for air.

To top things off, I steamed 2 sunny side up eggs this morning at 160-170 for about and hour and then served them on a 3 day old baguette -- which after it was sliced and toasted (following the steam cycle) was revitalized to something crispy and chewy, as if it had come out of the oven say, 6 hours ago, as opposed to 72 hours. The eggs were perfect -- nice yolks (with no run) and the whites were perfectly set to sustain a sandwich -- not messy, but not at all rubbery.