Steam cooking has a long-standing reputation for being complicated, reserved only for professional kitchens or delicate vegetables. But award-winning Australian chef Matt Stone thinks that narrative is completely wrong.
The celebrated chef spent six months working closely with Electrolux to prove that mastering steam oven recipes at home actually makes everyday cooking simpler, more flavourful and incredibly forgiving.
“Once you understand steam, you realise it doesn’t ask you to cook differently,” Matt says. “It just helps you cook better.”
At the heart of Matt’s home-cooked menu is the Electrolux 800 Series 60cm Oven, currently on sale at various retailers like The Good Guys, with savings of up to $1150.
Equipped with intuitive settings like Steamify – which automatically adds the perfect amount of moisture to your standard baking temperatures – and a built-in food probe that turns the heat off the exact moment your food is cooked, it turns weekend-level entertaining into something you can effortlessly pull off on a Tuesday night.
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More from the range
Love the sound of steam but need a different size, style, or budget? Here are four more smart options from the Electrolux range to suit your kitchen.
UltimateTaste 700 Multifunction Oven
$1799
Pyrolytic Oven with SteamCrisp & Food Probe$3329 $2499
UltimateTaste 900 Multifunction Steam
& Pyrolytic Oven$3599 $2695
Pyrolytic Double Oven With
SteamBake$4399 $3799
Bring the chef’s table home: Matt Stone’s signature steam oven recipes
Ready to experience the difference yourself? Below, Matt shares three of his signature steam oven recipes, each cooked in the Electrolux 800 Series 60cm Oven and designed to bring restaurant-quality results to your own dinner table.
1. Steamed Mussels with Brown Butter
Proving that the best steam oven recipes aren’t just reserved for vegetables, this seafood dish is a total showstopper. Matt steams the mussels in the oven, then picks them from the shells and dresses them with loads of rich brown butter.
Matt recommends serving them on a slice of warm, homemade rice bread, just like the Swedes do!
- Serves: 6-8 as a small starter
Ingredients
- 1kg mussels
- 200g butter, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1 small bunch parsley, picked
- 1 small bunch dill, picked
- 1 small bunch chives
- Red wine vinegar
- Sliced bread of your choice (or fresh Rice Bread below)
For the rice bread:
- 200g brown jasmine rice
- 450g white jasmine rice
- 12g dried yeast
- 10g salt
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for greasing)
- 215g cold water
- Polenta, for dusting
Method
- Prep the rice bread (overnight): Combine the brown and white jasmine rice in a bowl, cover with water and leave to soak at room temperature overnight.
- Blend and bake the bread: The next day, drain the soaked rice well. Add it to a high-speed blender along with the yeast, salt, molasses, olive oil and cold water. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin that has been lightly greased with olive oil and dusted with polenta. Cover and leave to prove in a warm spot for 20-30 minutes until slightly risen. Bake in the Electrolux steam oven on Low Steam at 180°C for 35 minutes, or until set and lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
- Steam the mussels: Place the fresh mussels in a tray and steam on Full Steam at 100°C for 5-7 minutes. Start checking early – as they open, remove them from the tray. Continue checking every minute until they are all completely open.
- Clean the seafood: Once cool enough to handle, pick the mussels from the shells and remove the beards. Place the cleared mussels into a clean bowl.
- Brown the butter: Place the diced butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Once it foams and starts to colour, watch closely and stir often. When the butter turns nutty and browned, remove immediately from the heat and stir in the chopped garlic.
- Dress and serve: Add the lemon zest and half the juice to the butter. Allow to cool slightly, then adjust the acidity with a quick splash of red wine vinegar. Pour the warm brown butter over the mussels, toss through the fresh herbs, and mix gently. Serve warm over a thick slice of your fresh steamed rice bread with a wedge of lemon.
2. Crispy Duck Breast, Greens & Blackberry Sauce
Duck can feel a bit intimidating to cook at home, but this is one of those steam oven recipes that is actually pretty foolproof. Simply glaze the breasts with a little honey and soy so they caramelise while they cook, giving you beautifully crisp skin and a tender, pink centre.
It’s served with simply steamed greens dressed in a fresh herb oil and a rich chicken jus finished with blackberries.
- Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 duck breasts (dried overnight)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ bunch Swiss chard
- ½ bunch kale
- ¼ savoy cabbage
- 1 bunch tarragon
- 1 bunch parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 300ml chicken jus
- 1 punnet blackberries
- Cider vinegar
- Butter, diced
Method
- Glaze the duck: Mix the honey and soy together in a small bowl and brush the mixture evenly over the duck breasts.
- Cook to perfection: Set the Electrolux steam oven to Steamify at 180°C and cook until medium. Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest.
- Create the herb oil: Wash and trim your seasonal greens. Roughly chop the tarragon and parsley, then place them into a blender with a pinch of salt. Cover generously with extra virgin olive oil and blend for 2 minutes, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve to yield a bright green herb oil.
- Steam the greens: Lay the chopped Swiss chard, kale and savoy cabbage on a tray and steam in the oven until perfectly tender. Remove from the oven and dress immediately with your fresh herb oil.
- Build the blackberry sauce: Meanwhile, heat the chicken jus in a saucepan over medium heat and halve the blackberries. When the sauce is just about to boil, add a quick splash of cider vinegar and whisk in the diced cubes of cold butter until the sauce becomes glossy and emulsified. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the fresh berries.
- Carve and plate: Flash the rested duck back in the oven briefly just to warm it through. Slice lengthways and season the cut side beautifully with flaked sea salt. Arrange the vibrant steamed greens on the plate, top with the sliced duck, and spoon over the glossy blackberry sauce with plenty of whole berries.
Quick tip for perfect crackling: For the absolute best skin results, lightly score the duck skin in a diamond pattern and leave it skin-side up on kitchen paper in the fridge overnight to dry out completely before cooking.
3. Cinnamon & Wattleseed Fika Bun
Nothing says fika like a warm cinnamon bun. For this version, Matt adds a little native twist with wattleseed, which brings a subtle roasted coffee and chocolate note that works beautifully with the spice.
We recommend baking them in the Electrolux steam oven so they stay super soft and fluffy, then finish with a simple cream cheese frosting while they’re still warm.
- Serves: 12 buns
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dried yeast
- 350ml milk, room temperature
- 150g caster sugar
- 700g plain flour
- Large pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 150g unsalted butter, diced and softened
For the filling:
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 200g brown sugar
- 1 heaped tbsp cinnamon powder
- 1 heaped tbsp ground wattleseed
- Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
- Pinch salt
For the frosting:
- 150g cream cheese
- 60g unsalted butter
- 1 cup icing sugar
- Milk (to loosen)
- Zest of 1 orange
Method
- Activate the yeast: Combine the yeast, sugar and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Give it a quick swirl to start dissolving the sugar and activating the yeast.
- Mix the dough: Add the flour, salt, egg and yolks. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. Slowly add the softened butter in four stages, mixing well each time. The dough will be quite sticky.
- First prove: Lightly flour the bench and turn the dough out. Gently fold and work the dough until smooth. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough inside and cover with a damp towel. Leave to prove for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Make the filling: Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.
- Assemble the buns: Lightly oil a 20cm x 30cm slice tray. Flour the bench again and gently tip the dough out. Roll into a rectangle roughly 25cm x 60cm. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Starting from the long side, roll the dough tightly to enclose the filling.
- Second prove: Trim the ends slightly, then cut into 12 even pieces. Arrange neatly in the tray. Cover with a damp towel and allow to prove again until puffed.
- Bake with steam: Bake using the Electrolux steam oven on Low Steam, 180°C for 22 minutes.
- Frost and serve: For the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer until smooth. Add the icing sugar and mix until combined. Stir through the orange zest and a small splash of milk until you reach your desired consistency. Spread generously over the warm buns.
Related articles:
- The best steam ovens for juicy roasts, fluffy veggies and a whole lot more
- 8 smart ovens that do all the thinking (and cooking) for you
- LG InstaView 6-in-1 oven and induction cooktop reviewed
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