Tried and Tested: Is AEG’s SteamBake function the secret ingredient to perfect bakes?

During lockdown, my husband James got obsessed with baking bread. Fortunately, with four hungry mouths to feed, nothing ever went to waste (no matter how awful it looked when it came out of the oven). A lot of recipes talk about adding steam whilst baking, which is something we’ve always wanted to try. We were super-excited when AO asked us to put AEG’s SteamBake feature to the test. He got up especially early this morning to prepare it all, so hopefully, the loaf we’re baking will test AEG’s claims of a perfectly-golden crust. He’s up for the challenge.….ready, steady, bake!

It sounds like James will be in his element! Would you mind telling us about your first impressions of the oven? 

The oven fits perfectly in the space of our existing single oven, and it blends in well with the appliances we already own. We were most excited about the SteamBake function, as we do already do a lot of home baking. We were also looking for an oven that was easy to clean, so the Pyrolytic cleaning function is something else we were excited to test out.

We also challenged you to bake some bread or pastries with the steam function. Did you get the results you wanted?

Our results weren’t quite up to the standards of Paul Hollywood, but they were certainly better than any of our previous attempts. The crust was perfectly-golden while the centre was soft and fluffy. There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread, and even better when it’s coming from your own kitchen.

Agreed! How easy did you find the oven to clean afterwards?

So on this occasion, we just wiped the oven with a damp cloth, which was super-easy. Earlier in the week, we used the oven to cook a roast chicken, and there’s nothing worse than trying to scrub away burnt-on fat from the insides. We tested the Pyrolytic function though, and were blown away with how easy it was. After it had finished, we just gave it a quick wipe round with a damp cloth and that was it.

Did any of its other features come in handy?

The oven has an impressive 71 litre capacity, so more than big enough for a Christmas turkey and all of the trimmings. We also liked that the control knobs can be pushed in when they’re not in use, so they’re flush with the front of the oven for a sleek look.

And finally, would you recommend this oven to anyone else? If so, who?

Yes, we would recommend it. Particularly for anyone with a busy family, and anyone who enjoys doing lots of cooking. It’s also ideal for anyone who wants to perfect their home baking. The SteamBake function is an absolute winner!

@the_little_pink_nest is using the AEG BPK355020M SteamBake oven.

This article includes a conversation between our product expert and @the_little_pink_nest, and has been written up by our copywriter.