Expert view: Why combi steam ovens are an essential ingredient in a considered kitchen

Combi steam ovens offer keen cooks aiming to emulate professional results a whole new level of accomplishment, and for retailers there's plenty to talk about to help make that sale. We talk to Matthew Ryle, chef & Sub-Zero & Wolf ambassador, and Greg Hughes, Sub-Zero & Wolf UK sales manager, to hear more.

Matthew Ryle, Chef and Sub-Zero & Wolf ambassador
Q: Why are combi steam ovens becoming more popular with homeowners?
A: I think people have genuinely started cooking at a higher level at home, and the combi steam oven is a natural part of that shift. There's been a real change in how ambitious home cooks are, they're more curious about technique, they're eating in restaurants and wanting to understand why the results are different, and they're increasingly looking to invest in equipment that can actually match those ambitions. So much of what I'm asked about, whether through the restaurant or on social media, comes down to that same question: how do you replicate what happens in a professional kitchen at home? And for a long time, the honest answer was that the equipment simply wouldn't allow it. A conventional oven gives you heat, but a combi steam oven gives you real control, over temperature, over humidity, over the entire environment inside the oven, and that's exactly how professional kitchens have always worked. Once people experience that level of precision at home, it completely changes how they think about cooking.

Q: What are the main advantages most consumers are unaware of?
A: Steam cooking tends to get associated with light, healthy dishes – fish, vegetables, that sort of thing – and whilst that's all true, it really only scratches the surface of what a combi steam oven can do. What genuinely excites me as a chef is the ability to combine steam and convection heat simultaneously, because that's where the real precision lies. In a professional kitchen, managing moisture and temperature together is fundamental to getting the result you're after, it's what gives a slow-roasted lamb shoulder that yielding, deeply flavoured quality without losing all its juices to the oven, and it's also what gives a sourdough a proper crust, because that early burst of steam is what creates the bloom and bite that a conventional oven simply can't replicate. Once you understand that, you start to see the combi steam oven not as a specialist piece of kit but as the most versatile and capable oven you can have, one that removes the ceiling on what's possible at home.

Q: How does specifying a combi steam oven enhance an overall kitchen design?
A: From a chef's perspective, a kitchen is really only as good as its workflow, and everything in it should serve the way you actually cook rather than simply looking the part. The combi steam oven earns its place because it works across so many different stages of cooking, proving bread, steaming, roasting, baking with real precision, and that versatility means the rest of the kitchen can stay cleaner and more considered around it. When I designed my own kitchen/filming studio, the oven was genuinely the starting point, and everything else followed from there, because that's how chefs approach a space. You build outwards from the equipment that does the most, and for me, the combi steam oven is always that piece.

Greg Hughes, UK Sales Manager
Q: What are the key USPs retailers should be communicating to customers when selling the Wolf Convection Steam Oven?
A: The first thing I'd always highlight is the capacity as at 68 litres, it's the largest internal cavity available in a residential combi steam oven on the market. That's a genuine point of difference and customers notice it. Beyond size, it's the breadth of what the oven can do: you have 11 standard cooking modes and 50 pre-programmed gourmet modes, which means it works equally well for an accomplished cook who wants full control and for someone who wants a little guidance. The sous vide function is a real talking point, it allows you to precook meat or poultry to the precise internal temperature, just as you would in a professional kitchen, then finish on the grill or in the pan. And the reheat mode is something customers genuinely get excited about once they understand it,  it rehydrates and reheats food back to its original cooked state, which effectively removes the need for a microwave. That's a compelling message in a high-end kitchen.

Q: How important are cooking demonstrations in the showroom environment?
A: Absolutely central. You can talk about 50 gourmet modes and sous vide cooking, but until someone has actually used the oven and tasted the results, it's difficult for them to fully appreciate what it does differently. Steam cooking in particular is something people have heard about but often haven't experienced, once they do, it tends to sell itself. A well-run demonstration moves the conversation from specification to emotion, and that's where purchasing decisions are made.

Q: What support does Sub-Zero & Wolf offer retailers?
A: Training is something we take seriously. We run dealer training days at our Subterranean demonstration kitchen in Knightsbridge, and we deliberately make them hands-on from the start – attendees typically cook their own breakfast on the appliances first thing, which immediately gives them a feel for the product that no presentation ever could. For showroom and sales support, we provide a full suite of brochures, specification sheets and imagery on request. We also offer a dedicated pre-sale design team hotline, which is there for kitchen designers and retailers who have technical questions during the specification process, it means they always have somewhere to go for a quick, informed answer.