Premium domestic appliance manufacturer Miele has announced the completion of its one-millionth steam oven at its Bünde plant in Germany, illustrating the company’s part in bringing steam cooking to the mainstream consumer market.
All of Miele’s steam ovens and combinations products are manufactured in its Bünde factory.
“Bünde is the birthplace of steam cooking as it is known today,” said plant manager Dr Uwe Brunkhorst. “One million units is quite a milestone, but we intend to reach the two million mark far faster.”
The first steam oven for domestic use was launched in 1983 by the Imperial brand, based in Bünde. This model was essentially a pressure cooker requiring considerable installation effort – one of the reasons why it was initially less popular with consumers. This changed when Miele took over its former supplier. Within a few years, the first pressureless steam oven was developed in Bünde and launched as the DG 163 in 1998. The Miele product was equipped with a water tank and, as a plug-and-play unit, was simple to install in an existing kitchen. In addition, there was no need for any rethinking in terms of cooking habits either, as cooking times on this pressureless cooker were roughly similar to conventional cooking on the hob, offering further convenience to users.
A scientific study, conducted by the Justus Liebig University in Giessen and by the University of Koblenz-Landau, provided further evidence of the benefits of steam cooking. These investigations confirmed that cooking in a Miele steam oven ensures that fewer vitamins are lost and the taste, smell and texture of food is enhanced after a ‘steam bath’. This was also reflected in extensive coverage of this new cooking method by the media.
From 2001 onwards, Miele set about establishing its Bünde plant as a dedicated centre for steam ovens, hob units and warming drawers by concentrating the development and production of these products there. Over the years that followed, Miele continued to expand its steam cooking offering, with the launch of a freestanding unit (2003), its first combination steam oven (2006) and, in 2009, with an entirely new production facility for steam ovens. The latest addition to the Miele steam cooking product range are steam ovens with microwave – combination units which produce excellent results using either method, helping to solve space issues in the kitchen, Miele says.
Miele Bünde employs a staff of around 600, including 35 apprentices. Approximately 400,000 kitchen appliances a year are produced in a production area covering around 40,000 sq m.
