Controlling the moisture in an oven?

I don't know if upping the moisture level in the oven would even matter, FF. And water does not have to be boiling to evaporate. It just does it more slowly at lower temperatures.

Fwiw, when simulating the steam injection of a commercial bake oven, the tray is preheated in the oven. Water (or, sometimes, ice) is then poured into the hot pan. It instantly vaporizes, filling the oven with moist air. That would certainly up the moisture content; at least temporarily. But, again, I have no idea whether or that it matters when reheating things.

No, what I'm saying is that I don't know whether increasing the moisture inside an oven makes any difference when reheating something.

Could be that it helps a lot, for all I know.

Yes, a water pan makes a big difference in oven humidity.  The more surface area the better the evaporation. 

"Boiling," and "visible, rolling boil," aren't quite the same things.  As long as you get phase change, wotthehell wotthehell.   An oven's hot air isn't a very efficient medium of energy transfer.  It takes less time to boil a potato at 212F than baking one at 400F.  The instant steam you get from dumping ice or water on a preheated pan is "contact," not "convection,"  But you don't want to turn all your water into steam all at once anyway.

BDL

Even if the water is not boiling as long as heat is warming it, there is a vapor happening.  Example: a bottle of water near a window.  yes, it adds moist.

Fact is, transchef, anything above 31F is "warming" it. So long as water is in liquid form it is evaporating. The higher the temperature the more quickly that happens is all.

Even at 32F water is vaporizing, albiet very slowly. That's why if you hang freshly washed clothes on a a line, at 32F, they will dry, even though initially frozen.

At anyrate, while there's no question one can increase the moisture levels inside an oven, the original question still applies. Does doing so help, hinder, or have no appreciable effect on reheating food?

being that water carries heat better than air, yes it definitely should make the food heat faster. But will it keep left-overs from drying out? Bread based stuffing? Maybe, but if I've learned anything from being a baker off and on, steam aids caramelization on the surface!  I'd be afraid of it drying out worse, ironically, because of the moist steam.

I'm inclined to tell you if you want to serve moist left-over stuffing, to heat it stove top and add a little chicken or turkey stock.

The question is whether that caramelization will continue on previously cooked bread.

What happens is that the higher moisture combines with sugars on the dough surfrace, forming an even layer, which then caramelizes to form the crust.

Once cooking is complete, and there is no longer any yeast or enzyme activity, does sugar still migrate to the surface? I think not. Nor do I believe there is enough on the surface, given the reheating times and temperatures, to cause further caramelization.

The problem, as I see it, isn't caramelization. It's simply drying. It's a matter of relative humidity. Unless the humidity inside the oven is at its highest possible level, additional moisture will be drawn out of the food. And I don't believe it's possible to achieve 100% relative humidity in a home oven. Certainly not on a sustained level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

The question is whether that caramelization will continue on previously cooked bread.

 

What happens is that the higher moisture combines with sugars on the dough surfrace, forming an even layer, which then caramelizes to form the crust.

 

Once cooking is complete, and there is no longer any yeast or enzyme activity, does sugar still migrate to the surface? I think not. Nor do I believe there is enough on the surface, given the reheating times and temperatures, to cause further caramelization.

 

The problem, as I see it, isn't caramelization. It's simply drying. It's a matter of relative humidity. Unless the humidity inside the oven is at its highest possible level, additional moisture will be drawn out of the food. And I don't believe it's possible to achieve 100% relative humidity in a home oven. Certainly not on a sustained level.

I don't see what sugar on the surface has to do with yeast. Yeast eats the sugars of the flour and creates the fermentation process. Not saying you're wrong, but I don't understand the logic in that statement. And I can think of another application where moisture does aid in the caramelization of pre-cooked bread, and that's a casserole. Difference being is that a casserole's topping is dry and a stuffing's bread is soggy on purpose.

We call it "toast."

L'chaim!

BDL

Touché!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze 

 

We call it "toast."

 

L'chaim!

BDL

hahahah .... i feel pretty stupid at the moment

Why not just cover your stuffing in the oven?  Let it steam in its own moisture rather than trying to turn an oven in a steamer.