Editor’s Note: Jaden Hair, creator of the Steamy Kitchen culinary blog, has partnered with Thermador to contribute blog posts on an ongoing basis. Hair, based out of Tampa, Fla., will be replacing a handful of her appliances with Thermador.

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A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on a mission — a 24-hour mission to fly to Scottsdale, Arizona to learn as much as I could about Thermador appliances, its rich history and of course, to meet the team. Oh, and I managed to also sneak in cocktails at the hotel pool with my friends (the trip was a blogger trip), group dinner at the amazing BLT Steak restaurant, after-dinner cocktails at the hotel bar and a fantastic breakfast at the Thermador showroom. Whew!

I finally, finally got to meet Two Peas & Their Pod, Maria and Josh. They shared with me their kitchen remodel experiences – I still can’t believe that Josh did that remodel all himself! I’ve hinted to Scott, my husband, that he’d might want to brush up on his construction skills. We’re just about to start our remodel this summer!

When we first arrived at the Thermador showroom, I spied this:

Now, I’m the curious sort. Okay, some would call it nosy, but I simply HAD TO KNOW what was under this mysterious cover. We ran a pretty tight agenda that morning, and what was on the schedule was breakfast. Reveal of the mystery object was not until 3 hours later.

I simply couldn’t wait.

Gulp.

And I got caught peeking!

Naughty, naughty girl!

Finally, when it was time for the unveil, I was right there in the front row ready to take in all its glory.

Here we go…..

Ta-da!

It’s the new Thermador 48” Pro Grand Steam Range with built-in Steam-Convection Oven, Warming Drawer, Oven, 6 burners and a electric griddle!

You can steam, bake, saute, convection bake, grill and keep your food and plates warm.  Now, that’s the master of multi-tasking.

Let me swing the camera around and show you how excited we all were….Thermador paparazzi!

One of my favorite features: the whisper-soft door close.

With just a fingertip, you can nudge the oven doors and it softly….gently….closes itself the rest of the way. No more pushing, slamming or trying to lift-kick the oven door with my foot while two hands are handling the hot dish. Those of you with small children or pets know what I mean — an open oven door is dangerous!

This was also the first time I got to see the Steam & Convection Oven in action.

Most impressive was how versatile the appliance was. The breads! Oh the breads we baked that day!

Here, a closer look:

If you have a sweet tooth, then may I present the fat, fluffy, moist cinnamon buns….

While the rest of the group stayed for an additional day and half, I had to scuttle off to speak at a conference. The chef team at Thermador packed me a nice to-go lunch that they’d just made, and my absolute favorite was the Moroccan Salad.

Moroccan Salad

Thermador Steam/Convection Oven

6 servings

—One 10-ounce box couscous
—2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
—1 unpeeled eggplant, cut into ¾” dice
—½ cup olive oil + additional
—1 red bell pepper
—2 cloves garlic, crushed
—juice of 1 lemon
—2 tomatoes, chopped
—4 green onions, sliced
—One 1-pound can garbanzo beans
—½ cup chopped fresh parsley
—4-ounce feta cheese, crumbed
—salt and pepper to Taste Spotting.com red lettuce leaves
—toasted pita wedges

Combine couscous and broth in sold half pan insert. Cook on steam only in convection steam oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a plastic bag, toss diced eggplant with a a little olive oil to coat. Place in perforated full size steam oven pan. Preheat convection steam oven to 425F convection. When preheated, add eggplant on rack position 3 with a solid full size insert on rack position 2; roast for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, blister the skin of the bell pepper by placing atop on gas cooktop burner and turning until evenly blackened and bubbly. Let cool, then remove skin and dice.

Combine the ½ cup olive oil, garlic, lemon juice,; mix with cooked, cooled couscous, eggplant and red pepper. Add tomatoes, green onions, drained garbanzo, parsley and feta. Mix gently to distribute the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve on red lettuce leaves, scooping up salad with toasted pita bread wedges.