Why the best bakers are switching to Far-Infrared (FIR) in their steam ovens
Most convection ovens just heat up the air. But here’s the problem: air is actually pretty bad at moving heat. When you throw steam into the mix, it gets even trickier because that humidity slows everything down. That’s why we use far-infrared (FIR) elements. Instead of relying on the air to do the heavy lifting, FIR goes straight for the dough.
How the heat actually works
Think of FIR like the sun on your skin. It doesn’t just warm the surface; it penetrates. While a normal oven cooks from the outside in, FIR radiation pushes heat deep into the center of the loaf. This is where the magic happens in a steam oven. The steam keeps the crust flexible so the bread can expand fully—that “oven spring” we all love—while the FIR drives heat into the core. You end up with a crumb that’s perfectly cooked through and a crust that’s thick, dark, and caramelized.
The nitty-gritty of the build
Building these things isn’t easy. Moisture is basically poison for electronics. If a seal leaks, your filament is toast in a matter of hours. To stop that from happening, we use high-density quartz or ceramic envelopes. We also lean on specialized gaskets and high-temp wiring to keep the steam out where it belongs. It’s about making sure the oven actually lasts.
A few things to watch out for
FIR gives you an incredible amount of heat, but it’s intense. If you just toss these elements into a standard oven, you’re going to have a bad time. You’ll get hotspots. If your bread is too close to the element, the top will char before the middle is even warm. You have to be smart about your rack spacing. You also need a precise PID loop in your control system to dial in the power, otherwise, you’ll overbake the crust every single time. One last tip: give it its own dedicated circuit. These elements pull a lot of current when they first ramp up. Make sure your contactors can handle that inductive load, or you’ll be replacing pitted parts way sooner than you’d like.