When I sit down with Martin Ross, he makes one thing clear. “I’m not a home chef,” he protests with a smile. But as he reveals that Chateaubriand steak is his signature dish and steamed miso toothfish appears regularly on his dinner table, a different picture emerges. “It’s only because of the V-ZUG appliances,” he laughs, gesturing to his Combair Oven with rotisserie and the trusty CombiSteamer V6000, which tick away with the quiet confidence of a Swiss timepiece.
For a property expert who has been recommending the brand for luxury developments since 2014, V-ZUG was the only option when it came to fitting out his own apartment. As we talk, it becomes obvious that the precise choreography of these appliances – a quiet key to effortless cooking – is the real story.
At its heart sits the engine of steam, although – Martin admits – that wasn’t always the case. At first, he thought cooking with steam would, frankly, be boring. “Back in the day, if things weren’t boiled within an inch of their life, they weren’t sterile enough to eat,” he recalls his family roots in post-war Britain. Seeing V-ZUG’s technology in action, however, was a real eye-opener. Today, steam is a staple of his weeknight menu – from perfectly jammy breakfast eggs to his signature Chateaubriand with lashings of au poivre sauce.
Combined effort powered by steam
This hardly entry-level fare is made possible by a powerful combo Martin swears by: the Combi-steamer oven and vacuum drawer. Over three hours, the eye fillet is gently sous-vided to a mouthwatering rare, infused with thyme, garlic and rosemary, before a quick flash-sear on the induction CookTop. That slow, steam-driven process has been life-changing,” Martin admits.
So has the ability to cook multiple things at once. “I can set my time to begin the steaming of the vegetables for five minutes, while the steak rests and the potatoes go in the oven,” he says, marvelling at steam’s ability to play well with others, “and get perfectly steamed carrots and broccoli at the right time.”
Plenty of steamed fish in the sea
Seafood has become another staple. Martin, who lives only four minutes from the Sydney Fish Markets, now eats it far more often – while he focuses on the garnish, the CombiSteamer oven takes over the cooking. “It’s so easy to cook a perfectly steamed fish that isn’t raw in the middle,” he enthuses.
“Steam,” explains Jeff Irwin, “technical guru” and Certifications Manager at V-ZUG, “hits the surface of the food and works its way through, so it’s never blasted with direct, burning heat. Once the food absorbs maximum moisture, it stops accepting more – making it nearly impossible to get the cook wrong.” And because the cavity can maintain a temperature of around 70°C, the steam sets the flesh without forcing out the white protein that can mask authentic flavour. The result? An immaculate balance of taste, texture, brightness and nutrition that no other technology can match.
Steam’s culinary evolution
This luxury – previously reserved for high-end restaurants only – arrived in home kitchens in 2001 with V‑ZUG’s world-first Combi-Steam SL, which brought the revolutionary combination of steam and precise control to the residential setting. “The first domestic steam ovens used to have a hot plate in the bottom and a valve in the top that would drip water onto that to create the steam,” Jeff explains. V‑ZUG’s engineering revolutionised that by putting a small boiler in the back, which allowed the appliance to reduce and maintain temperature in the cavity.
Then, the launch of the CombiSteam MSLQ, the first appliance to combine steam, conventional heat and microwave in a single cavity, which famously roasted a chicken in just 23 minutes during early tests, made achieving restaurant‑like results at home even faster. That supercharged collective prowess is precisely why Martin deliberately delayed finalising his kitchen renovation until the release of V-ZUG’s CombiSteamer V6000 45M PowerSteam, bringing together those three modes in a single full-size cavity. “It’s a spectacular innovation,” he enthuses. “It’s what they do together that really makes a difference.”
This combination allows the home cook to produce some unexpected culinary creations – like, Jeff smiles, creating one’s own variation of a Chinese-restaurant-style deep-fried ice cream. By fusing hot air with steam at around 230°C, the appliance delivers a perfectly crispy exterior without melting the frozen core. Now, that’s magic.
If synthesising those three modes is V-ZUG’s best invention, Martin – who hates wasting food and often cooks for one – ranks the Regeneration function a close second. Using carefully calibrated heat and steam, the programme brings leftovers back to life without drying them out – crucial when reheating a lovingly prepared meal. “Over a couple of days, I can reheat my Mum’s food and have these crispy potatoes and gently heated lamb, which is identical – if not better – to the day it was made,” Martin smiles.
A whole universe of steam
But steam isn’t just V-ZUG’s culinary engine; it’s a house-wide strategy. Introduced in 2012 and now a staple across the dishwasher range, the SteamFinish function uses steam at the end of the drying cycle for a spotless finish – ensuring Martin’s flatware always looks its best.
This ingenious technology also revolutionised V-ZUG’s world of fabric care. In 2009, the AdoraWash washing machines introduced Steam AntiCrease, which allows fabrics like poly-cottons to come out virtually crease-free. The pinnacle of this innovation, however, is V-ZUG’s RefreshButler. Pioneered in 2013, the appliance uses a combination of steam, a heat pump and UV light to remove germs, smells and creases – magic Jeff experienced firsthand when he popped his suit coat in for a refresh after an evening with a cigar-smoking colleague. The machine extracted the odours from the fabric, turning the water collected in the tank jet-black. And the jacket? “It was impeccably fresh,” he smiles.
The shifting shape of steam
In the hands of V-ZUG’s Swiss engineers, steam’s deceptively elemental premise – a weightless cloud of heat and moisture – becomes pure magic. Whether it’s pulling the scent of Havana cigars from a crease-free suit or reviving a cherished family meal without sacrificing a drop of love or moisture, it unearths the most genuine version of whatever it touches. For Martin, who used to shy away from cooking and now throws sit-down dinner parties, it’s the culinary alchemist within. Steam, then, not only opens up a whole new world of food – the endlessly innovative force behind V-ZUG’s appliances can also pioneer an entirely new way of living
