Miele steam ovens are built for people who want steam to be an everyday way of cooking. The range covers three kinds of appliance. Miele steam only ovens are dedicated steamers, and Miele steam combination ovens pair steam with conventional oven heat. A smaller group of steam ovens also has a built-in microwave.

The steam only models make their steam outside the cooking compartment. They offer automatic programmes, a keep-warm setting and defrosting. Many let you steam on up to three levels at once, using menu cooking that stops flavours passing between dishes, so fish, rice and vegetables can share one cycle. The combination ovens add Fan Plus, conventional heat and a fan grill. That means you can roast with added moisture, bake bread or crisp a finish as well as steam. Many of them use DualSteam, which feeds steam in through two nozzles so it circulates evenly, and sous-vide is widely available too. The steam and microwave models add quick microwave cooking to steaming and sous-vide, which helps when one compact appliance has to do several jobs.

The combination ovens come as compact 45 cm models with 48 litres gross capacity or as 60 cm models with 68 or 76 litres. Many draw from a 1.4 litre water container. A few connect to mains water and a drain instead, which saves refilling but means planning the plumbing. Many combination ovens clean themselves with an automatic HydroClean programme, while others have a PerfectClean finish and a catalytic rear liner. You can choose CleanSteel in the PureLine and ContourLine designs, Graphite Grey or Obsidian Black glass in VitroLine, or handleless ArtLine models that open with Touch2Open.

To narrow the choice, measure the height of your housing first. Then decide whether you want baking and roasting too, or steam on its own. After that, compare the controls. They range from EasySensor and DirectSensor to the M Touch display with MotionReact, and many M Touch models come with a wireless food probe. If you want a second oven to match, browse Miele built-in ovens.