Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven (Review) (Model: SSC0586DS)

This doesn’t really fall into the realm of consumer technology as much as it does general appliances. But we were, in a way, challenged by Sharp to come up with our own opinion about this one when compared to something like a normal countertop oven or air fryer. The latter of these two options have become a hit around here as we have all pretty much bought into air fryers thanks to their ease and quickness. However, when it comes to quality, Sharp swore on the superheated steam.

This led to a unit popping up at the front lobby, where it was quickly thrown in front of the camera and then carried into the break area to be tested repeatedly by just about everyone. Because now, we want to know what the fuss is all about!

The Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven is similar to your typical countertop ovens, only it doesn’t cook the same way. Instead of the traditional methods, this oven takes a reservoir of water and superheats it into steam and cooks the food. By doing this, you not only cook the food but you also maintain any moisture that you may normally lose through the previously mentioned conventional methods/ovens. So this leads to moist flavorable food to trigger the happiness within your taste buds with. You just fill the small reservoir with some water, set the mode and time you are looking for, and start cooking or reheating.

There are no smart functions sadly, so you won’t find a database of cook times within the front screen or anything. It’s just an oven that uses steam and comes with a number of modes, including bake/reheat, broil/grill, pizza, warm, and toast.

There is a highlight when it comes to pizza, making this a perfect option for pizza lovers. Hence the availability of a pizza mode. This oven does a fantastic job of not only cooking frozen pizzas, but you can bake the perfect pizza fresh or reheat the perfect slice of reheated pizza. That last one is a big one. The average person takes a slice of pizza from the fridge and tosses it into a microwave to bring it back to life with. The problem with this is that you lose additional moisture from the pizza, causing it to become dry with other poor textures and loss of flavor. Using this steam cooker to reheat that slice (or slices) of pizza, actually brings the slice(s) back to life.

For some pizzas, it does take some trial and error to determine the best reheat time for what you put in there, but usually, the reheated pizza comes out close to what it tasted like on day one (for us, the average reheat time was around 5-7 minutes). I assure you, you won’t look at your other appliances the same way.

As for frozen pizza, you just won’t be able to cook massively sized pizzas. At first, it seems debatable if a 12″ (frozen) pizza would fit, but thankfully it just barely makes it on the rack. Plus, from what we have seen so far (we have tested it out with 8 different brands available in most stores, like DiGiorno), most frozen pizzas fall closer to around 11-inches, which allows for any expansion. The result of a frozen pizza is a perfectly cooked pizza every time. No more wondering if it is going to be too doughy or overcooked. It is still a frozen pizza sadly (it won’t compare to a freshly made pizza), but at least it comes out the best that frozen will get you every time.

We found the same to apply to many other meals that we have tested in it so far. Cooking certain meats, for example, can result in a wonderful outcome. However, in some cases, the outside layer of the meat might be a little softer than you’re used to. This isn’t always the case, but when it is, It still tastes good. It’s just that the texture may take a little getting used to with a few bites. I wouldn’t use it to cook filet mignon, but I wouldn’t hesitate to try it with brisket, roast or chicken (full disclosure, we have and it works/tastes great).

Cooking with steam can require a little learning since the cooking times are different from what you read on the side of packages. Sometimes, the times will align. At other times, they can vary by a few minutes or more. For normal frozen pizzas, the package may say anything between 18-26 minutes. With the Sharp steam cooker, the average is around 20-22 minutes for the perfect pizza. It does come with a small recipe book thankfully that has times on the back for typical foods (frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, etc).

It does require a little more time than the microwave or air fryer. So if you are in a hurry, you might still find yourself using some of these alternatives. However, if you have the time, the quality is worth waiting a few extra minutes. There is nothing like perfectly cooked cheese (and other stuff too). At least you don’t have to worry about pre-heat times. This oven does not require you to preheat it before putting the food in. So you are saving time compared to a regular oven. A 20-minute pizza is a 20-minute pizza. No extra 10-15 minutes to get the heat up beforehand.

The only catches are that you have to empty the drip tray and refill the water with each use. The water part doesn’t take much time at all since the water reservoir pulls right out from the front and is small. It’s best to use filtered water so you aren’t running water filled with hard minerals through it, but that’s the only concern really (and it’s totally up to you). The drip tray, however, snaps into place on the front side, onto the front two feet. It’s easy to snap it in, but not so easy pulling it back out without making a mess (assuming you might have a good load in there). Thankfully for us, we never really had much of a load in it. You still want to be careful popping it out though just in case.

When it comes to price, the price can be a bit high for this oven when compared against some of your other countertop solutions. So you will have to have the obsession of good-tasting food on your side to jump at buying one of these. You at least will find yourself using it for all sorts of food categories. Regardless, the averages price or MSRP ranges between $399 and $499, which makes it a little expensive for a non-smart/IoT appliance. So it does make this a bit of a luxury.

Our Conclusion

In the end, we wound up spending a lot of time testing this oven out over the last week or so. Most of us here have had a chance to make use of it with one food item or another. It keeps evenly from what we have seen thus far, and the quality of flavor and texture in most foods is superb thanks to the retention of moisture in the food. Pizza comes out fantastic with this oven, including when you use it to reheat a portion after it came from the fridge. Quality is everything with this one, which is the only thing that saves it when it comes to price. It’s a bit pricey for what it is. Kind of feels like a $200-$250 oven, but then you see the price tag and it makes you have to think a little harder about the purchase. But again, it does result in some amazing food. It is also user-friendly, easy to clean, and doesn’t require any added maintenance really. It can fit under any kitchen cabinet (it isn’t as tall as your average microwave), and there aren’t a lot of pieces that you have to store when not in use. There are just two trays you will swap back and forth with depending on what you are cooking. Beyond that, everything stays with the oven. We have all agreed that we will still make use of air fryers when it comes to a quick snack. However, when it comes to flavor and texture quality, this oven is a winner.

*Average price is based on the time this article was published

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